A Watch Worthy of the “King of Cool”
TAG Heuer’s long-running love affair with speed continues with the Monaco Chronograph x Gulf, a sharp tribute to Steve McQueen, the Monaco Grand Prix, and maybe the sexiest (and most stylish) Monaco yet.
If you know the watch, you know the legacy. When the original Monaco launched in 1969, it introduced the first automatic chronograph inside a waterproof square case. It was strange, technical, and a little rebellious.
And when Steve McQueen — who earned the title "King of Cool" for turning effortless style into an art form — wore it in Le Mans (1971), the Monaco became legend.
One still from the film, featuring McQueen in a Gulf-striped race suit with the Monaco peeking from under his cuff, has fueled the watch’s mythos across both style and horology for over 50 years. That image is alive and well in the new Monaco Chronograph x Gulf.
The Gulf colors are dialed down, not dressed up. You get a matte sandblasted Grade 2 titanium case and a crisp white dial with subtle Gulf-inspired racing stripes that nod directly to McQueen’s jacket. It feels more like a character study than a costume.
Even the strap tells a story. It’s made from Nomex, the same fire-resistant fabric as McQueen’s original racing suit, sourced from the same American maker. Bonus points for the serious specs: 100-meter water resistance, a left-hand crown, and TAG’s Calibre 11 ticking inside.
This isn’t the only Monaco TAG dropped for the Grand Prix. The Monaco Split-Seconds Chronograph, with its ultra-light titanium and open-worked architecture, looks ready for a Le Mans modern remake.
TAG’s return to Formula 1 has sparked some of its best releases in years, from the reworked Solargraph to this new Monaco lineup.
And this Monaco? It might not be the final form and limited to only 971 pieces, but it’s the clearest, cleanest, and most wearable chapter yet, since the OG.
It’s the closest I’ve come to channeling the King of Cool himself.
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