The year was 1969.
The Beatles perform their last public gig on top of the Apple Records building. The mighty Boeing 747 – the world’s largest aircraft at the time – makes its first-ever commercial flight. Neil Armstrong becomes the first human to set foot on the moon. The ARPAnet, the grandfather of today’s internet, delivers its first message from one computer to another. Brazilian football legend Pelé scores his 1,000th goal. And the same year Heuer unveils its new Chronomatic watches in Geneva and New York City.
History, as they say, is as old as time itself. Remarkable events and personalities have left a footnote which, in one way or another, still reverberates until today.
And the watch industry is no different. With many brands relishing their place in history as the ‘first’ – the invention of the pocket watch by German watchmaker Peter Henlein in 1510; the first to manufacture the modern chronograph by Louis Moinet in 1816; the invention of the tourbillon by Swiss-born Abraham-Louis Breguet in 1795; the first self-winding or automatic movement in 1777 by Swiss horologist Abraham-Louis Perrelet; and the Centre Electronique Horolger in Neuchatel developed the world’s first quartz wristwatch, in 1967.
The emergence of an icon
Fast forward to 1969 and the Tag Heuer Monaco was born. The brainchild of Swiss watch genius named Jack Heuer, it was introduced to the watchmaking world in honour of the Monaco Grand Prix. As the world’s first waterproof automatic chronograph designed in a square case, the Monaco is both renowned and sought-after by watch enthusiasts the world over.
Powered by the accurate 59-jewel Caliber 11 movement which beats at 28,800 vibrations per hour, the Monaco is a pioneer in watchmaking design with its unmistakable square shape, two white sub dials that contrasts its denim blue dial, and its crown well-placed at the 9 o’clock position. The dial seems to change its hue when wore outdoors; from the original solid denim blue to a deeper shade of shimmering ocean blue.
Wearing the 39mm timepiece is a bold statement; it’s like making the wearer shout: “I am a person of good taste and style”. And the Monaco has all these elements – a design reminiscent of the 60s and yet still relevant to this day. The Monaco is an example of a quintessential mechanism you can wear on your wrist.
And who wouldn’t love its history as well? If the Tag Heuer Monaco Caliber 11 is good for the king of cool Steve McQueen, it’s certainly good enough for me.