Most watch icons earn the title slowly. The Monaco picked a fight from day one. When it launched in 1969, it was the first square, water-resistant chronograph wristwatch, at a time when a square, water-resistant case was unheard of. It has spent five decades looking like nothing else on the market, and that is precisely the point.
1969: Project 99 and the Left-Hand Crown
In the mid-1960s the industry was moving to automatic watches, but no self-winding calibre could time an elapsed interval, and Heuer built only chronographs. The answer was a secret development effort known as Project 99, pursued with industry partners: a Buren micro-rotor base joined to a Dubois-Depraz chronograph module. The result, the Calibre 11, debuted on 3 March 1969 as the first commercially available automatic chronograph movement.
That movement's architecture pushed the crown to the left side of the case. Heuer turned the constraint into identity. A left-hand crown was a quiet signal that the watch no longer needed daily winding, and it remains the Monaco's signature today. The 2026 calibre name, TH20-11, is a direct tribute to the Calibre 11.
McQueen and the Slow Burn
The public hesitated at the radical square case. Avant-garde creatives did not. Sammy Davis Jr., Oscar Peterson and Stanley Kubrick were among the first wearers, and Steve McQueen wore the blue Monaco in the 1971 film Le Mans. That association came to define the collection and has never let go.
Commercial success took longer. The original run lasted only five years, and the design returned in 1997 as a looser interpretation of the original. The 2024 Monaco Split-Seconds Chronograph began steering the line back towards the original reference 1133, and the 2026 generation completes the journey. Today the racing thread runs unbroken, with Max Verstappen wearing the Monaco at the Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco.
The 2026 Monaco: Titanium and a New Heart
The current Monaco Chronograph is redrawn directly from the 1969 reference 1133. The 39mm case is now grade 5 titanium with sharper angular edges, a near-square sapphire crystal and a curved caseback for a markedly better fit. Inside is the in-house Calibre TH20-11: bi-compax layout, date at 6 o'clock, an 80 hour power reserve and a five year warranty. The crown, of course, stays on the left.
South Africa receives the two signature colourways at R200,000 each. The Monaco Chronograph in Monaco blue is the McQueen dial, blue opalin with silver counters and red accents. The Monaco Chronograph in green carries British Racing Green codes on a sunray dial. Alongside them sits the Monaco Chronograph 39mm Special Edition at R225,000.
Explore the full TAG Heuer Monaco collection at Picot & Moss, or book an appointment for a virtual consultation with one of our specialists.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is the TAG Heuer Monaco famous?
The Monaco was the first square, water-resistant chronograph wristwatch when it launched in 1969, and Steve McQueen wore the blue version in the 1971 film Le Mans. Both facts still define the collection.
Why is the Monaco's crown on the left?
The Calibre 11 movement's architecture forced the crown to the left of the case, and Heuer kept it there as a signal that the watch no longer needed daily winding. It remains the Monaco signature.
What movement does the current Monaco Chronograph use?
The 2026 generation runs the in-house Calibre TH20-11, a bi-compax automatic chronograph with date at 6 o'clock and an 80 hour power reserve. The name honours the original Calibre 11, and the movement carries a five year warranty.
What does the TAG Heuer Monaco cost in South Africa?
The Monaco Chronograph 39mm in blue or green is R200,000 including VAT at Picot & Moss, with the Special Edition at R225,000. Virtual appointments are available through Picot & Moss.
