There’s a long lineage of special colourways for the TAG Heuer Monaco and now that we have one done up in French Racing Blue. This limited edition piece is complimented by a titanium case to offer a distinctive look to the classic race-inspired design.
The Monaco is a classic piece whose history many enthusiasts are already familiar with, but they may not be familiar with racing colours. What is “French Racing Blue”?
Motor racing was going on for a while before commercial sponsorship became commonplace in the 1960s. Before that, each country had their own colours, some of which are still present today. The Brits had British Racing Green (think Aston Martin), the Italians were red (Ferrari), the Germans had white before it was changed to silver (think Mercedes’ Silver Arrows), and the French had blue.
It isn’t just any blue, but Bleu de France, which has ties to their monarchic history as the fleur-de-lis depicted on the French flag before the Revolution were always blue.
Back to the watch, the Bleu de France covers both subdials and the perforated racing strap that’s complemented by bright yellow-lime accents on the seconds hand and the 12 o’clock indice.
The 39mm case in grade 2 titanium that’s 14.3mm thick and 47.4mm lug-to-lug. Inside the case is the TAG Heuer calibre 11 which utilises a Dubois-Depraz chronograph module. This is important because it means that this Monaco has its original layout, for example the crown is placed at 9 o’clock which at the time helped signify that the watch was automatic, something commonplace nowadays.
The TAG Heuer Monaco Racing Blue Limited Edition is priced at $13,350 AUD ($9,200 USD) or CHF 9,000 and is limited to 1,000 pieces. The caseback is engraved “One of 1000” and are available from TAG Heuer boutiques, participating retailers, and TAG Heuer’s website.
