If 1969 is a year that humankind will mainly remember for the Moon landing, back on Earth watch enthusiasts will remember 1969 as the year a standout square chronograph was introduced: the iconic Monaco.
A square, angular, shaped wrist watch the likes of the Monaco had never been seen prior to its introduction. On top of that, the case was made so that the chronograph was water-resistant (a first for a square watch) and the movement powering the timepiece was the revolutionary new self-winding Calibre 11. Calibre 11 is what Heuer (TAG was not yet part of the company name at the time) called the movement, but it might be better known to some as the Chronomatic, which was the self-winding chronograph that came from the consortium formed by Breitling, Buren, Hamilton, Heuer and Dubois-Depraz.
The Monaco’s ultimate claim to fame came when racing driver and Heuer brand ambassador Jo Siffert, the first racing driver to be sponsored by a watch brand, was seen wearing the watch in a race in 1970. Later on, the watch of course received its consecration on the silver screen when it was strapped on the wrist of the king of cool, Steve McQueen, in the movie Le Mans.
