I have a pleasant feeling about the racing era from 1970’s. The watch on my hand and in my collection is Heuer Monaco Gulf edition. Usually I don’t like square watches, with small exceptions for JLC Reverso and Bell & Ross. However, this one is so different because it creates the racing atmosphere from 50 years ago. Or how I can imagine it was. Indeed, first time I put the watch on my hand I saw Steve McQueen, dust and interstate highway. No worries about petrol consumption, global warming and such. I saw an era of big engine cars, Woodstock, rock ‘n roll and economic boom overall.
The square case of the watch has a perfect finish, with a box saphire crystal which is perfectly cut. The dial is superb, with two sub-dials at 3 and 9 o’clock which looks to me like a pair of eyes. Somehow I feel that I have a good old friend with me. The gulf stripes and the logo add a nice touch of colour to the dial, together with the red accent on the hands. I like very much the fact that there is no Tag Heuer branding. Only Heuer appears on all elements like dial, case, crown, deployment or movement. Keeping in mind the original Monaco, Tag Heuer also took the decision to put the crown at 9 o’clock while the pushers are at 2 and 4 o’clock.
About the movement I can’t say much. Tag Heuer Calibre 11 – nothing in common with 1970’s Calibre 11 which had a microrotor. Indeed, it is a good and reliable workhorse with 40 h power reserve, based on Sellita SW200 and Dubois Dupraz Chronograph module. I saw this movement combo in many watches and all of them performed very good. In my opinion it is a good choice also because it’s this calibre that allowed them to put the crown opposed from pushers by simply rotating the chronograph module by 180 degrees. The strap feels comfy enough, it has racing holes and orange stitching to match the orange strap from Gulf.
In conclusion, I think that this is the best remake of the Heuer Monaco watch. And if you have that particular nostalgia about racing, then this watch worth the price tag for the emotion it gives.
Cheers!
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