Heuer Monaco Calibre 11
The Heuer Monaco Calibre 11 was first introduced in 1969, and quickly became a legend thanks to its bold, square-shaped design and revolutionary automatic movement. It was a first watch to feature water-resistant square case. This watch was famously worn by Steve McQueen in the film "Le Mans," cementing its place in pop culture and history. Today, the Heuer Monaco Calibre 11 remains as iconic as ever. The watch features a 39mm case, a blue dial with two subdials, and a date window at the 6 o'clock position. The watch is powered by the Calibre 11, a groundbreaking movement that was one of the first automatic chronograph movements ever developed. It pairs fantastically with the Corfam Style straps, like this Corfam Style Racing Black strap. Overall, the Heuer Monaco Calibre 11 is a timeless masterpiece that combines style, function, and history.
What are your thoughts on this piece?
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That is the type of strap that it should come with anyway. McQueen spent a lot of time trying to find the right watch for his role in Le Mans. He actually sourced a fair number of watches to trial, and initially looked like he was going to settle for an Omega Speedmaster. Prop manager Don Nunley reminded him of the Heuer badge on his character’s uniform, the same as most competitive race drivers at the time, and as nothing was more important to McQueen than authenticity he ended up choosing the Monaco. The rest, is history.
I tried one on a few weeks ago. It wears much better than its shape and proportions suggest.
Ultimately, though, it’s a watch I admire, rather than desire.
A stone bonkers classic in my eyes. Would love to have one someday. I am a huge Steve McQueen fan though!
I have tried this watch on at several ADs / Boutiques in my city over the past month. I never could quite get my head around the aesthetics of a square watch, but this fits perfectly. I think the left crown also evens out the aesthetics somewhat as well. Overall, I love everything about it from the aesthetics to the heritage.
But, what I can't get my head around:
The Calibre 11 is a Sellita movement, and while it does have history along with being supremely accurate and a workhorse, it is not an in house movement (compared to the Calibre 02 in the modern day Monaco watches and Carrera line).
Additionally, these go for just about the same price as the modern Monaco's. The ADs and Tag Boutiques I've spoken to will give no more than 5% discount (and some have given me an outright no to a discount at all).
This currently retails in Australia for AU$10,600 - personally I wouldn't buy it without a 25% discount new from an AD or Boutique.
I have also been told that Tag are implementing a 5-7% price rise in April.
Its a good buy at a significant discount or if you can find a good pre-owned example.
There is more to my story, but my recent dealings with Tag & their ADs with regard to this piece have not been pleasant. I get the feeling they are trying to copy & paste the Rolex business model (scarsity marketing of their flagship pieces), while being used as somewhat of a test bed for other LVMH brands (i.e. Hublot & Zenith), and expecting the customer to pay a fortune in the process for a product that is not on the same level of quality compared to their direct competitors in the same market segment.