$12,395
Pre-owned Vintage Heuer 40mm Monaco Grey Dial, Leather Strap Ref. 1133G
As with many vintage watches that have legendary status, the Heuer Monaco was made famous by Hollywood and racing. Famous in its own right for its unusual shape and iconic movement, the Monaco’s status was secured when Steve McQueen wore one in the movie Le Mans. The Monaco was introduced in 1969 at the same time that a consortium of brands introduced one of the first self-winding mechanical chronographs. When the Heuer team saw a mockup of a square case design from their most reliable case supplier, they knew that they had found the way to showcase their new movement in an out of the box design. The design team moved the crown on the Monaco watch from the 3 o’clock position to the 9 o’clock position to emphasize that their new movement was self-winding.
The Monaco came in blue or grey dials, with the blue dials more prone to color degradation. This grey dial has a striking grain finish, as did all grey dials. We try as best we can to describe both the good and the bad so that a prospective buyer can make an informed decision. It is difficult to find much to fault with this watch. The dial is stunning, the painted minute ring and indexes bright and vibrant, the hands immaculate. The only faults would be that some of the tritium lume at the edge of the red hour markers has degraded and smudged some of the applied rectangular indexes. But you need a magnifying loupe to notice it. Again, with a loupe, very small scratches are visible on the dial above the date frame. If anything, these slight imperfections testify to the originality of the dial. The glory of this watch is the case, as it is the unusual case that is associated with the Monaco. The original design included very sharp edges, which are often lost over time. This watch has edges that are sharp and the brushing intact, although the lug near the 5 o’clock position has the top corner nicked off. The watch is accompanied with a black leather racing strap that has a Heuer signed tang.
When the watch was initially released, it was not popular. Steve McQueen and countless vintage watch fans changed that a long time ago. This is a great example of a great watch.
Only 1 left in stock
| Band Color | Black |
|---|---|
| Band Material | Leather |
| Box and Papers | No Box | No Papers |
| Band Type | Strap |
| Brand | Heuer |
| Caliber | 11 |
| Case Material | Stainless Steel |
| Case Size | 40mm |
| Caseback | Solid |
| Complication | Date, Chronograph |
| Crystal Material | Acrylic |
| Dial Color | Gray |
| Movement | Automatic |
| Warranty | 1-Year Watchworks Guarantee |
| Item ID | 0004293 |
|---|---|
| Model # | 1133G |
| Model Name | Monaco |
| Year Produced | ca 1969 -1975 |
When Ferrari driver’s began to wear Heuer watches in the early 1970’s, the watchmaker became the first non-automotive sponsor of Formula 1 racing. When the company became TAG Heuer, they also became the sponsor of McLaren and soon after introduced the Formula 1 watch. In 2004, TAG Heuer relaunched the Formula 1 watch and also became the official timekeeper of the Indianapolis 500. As recently as 2016, TAG Heuer became the partner of Aston Martin Red Bull Racing Formula 1 Team. Designed to be youthful and sporty, the watch is also tough, undergoing 60 quality tests to ensure it is highly shock resistant and as tough as the race it is named after.
TAG Heuer watches can be seen on the wrists of many celebrities who are attracted to the brand’s iconic watches of the fifties, sixties and seventies. TAG Heuer was formed in 1985, when the Techniques d’Avant Garde group purchased a controlling interest in Heuer watchmakers. Often referred to simply as “Heuer” when discussing vintage timepieces, the company was formed in 1860 by Edouard Heuer. From its roots, Heuer has been affiliated with the chronograph watch and automobile racing. For some watchmakers, the chronograph was either ignored or offered as one model among many, whereas for Heuer, the chronograph took a primary position. Heuer produced his first chronograph in 1882, then five years later patented an oscillating pin, which simplified the workings of the time keeping with the stopwatch functions of the watch; it is still in use today by many watchmakers. Heuer went on to develop the first stopwatch accurate to 1/100 of a second and split-second timers that allowed a person to time multiple events. In 1933, Heuer introduced chronographs for the dashboards of automobiles and airplanes, dubbed the Autavia for a combination of “AUto” and “AVIAtion”. There were one pusher chronographs, two pusher chronographs, two and three sub-register chronographs, and three-register chronographs with day, date and month.
In the 1950s, Heuer produced watches to be sold by Abercrombie and Fitch. When Jack Heuer was recounting how he had developed the iconic Carrera chronograph, he said the CEO of Abercrombie and Fitch had started giving the new models names, which Jack Heuer decided he would continue with the Carrera. In addition to innovative design, Heuer chronographs tended to use movements that have since earned a reputation amongst collectors as some of finest ever produced, including the Valjoux 72 and the Lemania 5100. These movements together with the clean, beautiful design, make Heuer chronographs some of the most sought- after watches. Today, TAG Heuer celebrates this history with vintage inspired models that reference the earlier models, as well as new models such as the Monaco V4 that evoke a racing engine, and also a new model luxury digital watch. TAG Heuer watches will likely continue to be seen on many wrists to come.
