Steve McQueen's character Michael Delaney in the classic 1971 movie Le Mans. In many people's mind, there is nobody cooler than Steve McQueen, and the Tag Heuer Monaco replica has certainly gained from this reputation.
In 1969, Heuer (the brand was renamed TAG Heuer in 1985 after being purchased by the TAG Group) introduced a watch that honored this great race. A popular brand amongst racing drivers at the time (and still to this day), the watch was the first automatic micro-winding chronograph and featured a square dial and smoothed, but still essentially square, steel case. With a blue or gray dial and orange and white accents on the sub-dials and hands, the watch had a modern look to it, helped by design choices like placing the crown on the left of the case and making the dial symmetrical.
The watch is most commonly associated nowadays with Le Mans, the 1971 Steve McQueen film about the famous 24-hour race. The Monaco 1133 was worn throughout the movie by McQueen and still images of McQueen have been used by Tag Heuer ever since in advertisements. However, Tag Heuer makes a more affordable version of the watch in black. While it doesn't have the same "McQueen Cool" association- it's a popular choice for buyers on more of a budget.
In 1969, Heuer (the brand was renamed TAG Heuer in 1985 after being purchased by the TAG Group) introduced a watch that honored this great race. A popular brand amongst racing drivers at the time (and still to this day), the watch was the first automatic micro-winding chronograph and featured a square dial and smoothed, but still essentially square, steel case. With a blue or gray dial and orange and white accents on the sub-dials and hands, the watch had a modern look to it, helped by design choices like placing the crown on the left of the case and making the dial symmetrical.
The watch is most commonly associated nowadays with Le Mans, the 1971 Steve McQueen film about the famous 24-hour race. The Monaco 1133 was worn throughout the movie by McQueen and still images of McQueen have been used by Tag Heuer ever since in advertisements. However, Tag Heuer makes a more affordable version of the watch in black. While it doesn't have the same "McQueen Cool" association- it's a popular choice for buyers on more of a budget.
