Born Ready

Since its inception 55 years ago, the TAG Heuer Monaco collection has been destined to embody the spilt-seconds complication.

- Alvin Wong

SOME WATCHES EVOLVE to become icons, while others seem to hit the ground running. The TAG Heuer Monaco, for all its motor rally-inspired bravado, took the scenic route to become established as one of the most iconic timepieces in contemporary watchmaking. Even though it sports a distinctive square-shaped silhouette that made it instantly identifiable, and eventually chalked up its fair share of Hollywood appearances (Le Mans and The Fast & The Furious 5, to name two), the Monaco had to slowly move through the gears.

Birthed in 1969, the year that also saw the Apollo 11 moon landings and the Woodstock music festival, the Monaco arrived with a sense of radicality that sat with the times. Its water-resistant square case—the first of its kind then— stood out in a sea of round-shaped watches (it still does, actually). On the inside, the watch housed the Calibre 11. A pioneering automatic chronograph movement, Calibre 11 was also a worldfirst, one which the Heuer company had raced to introduce, as Seiko and Zenith had also rolled out their own versions that year.