Heuer Monaco

Heuer Monaco 1969: The Avant-Garde Chronograph

Ref 1133B.

After the Heuer/Breitling/Hamilton-Buren/Dubois-Depraz group completed their automatic Calibre 11, Heuer knew it would need a stunning package to launch the new movement. It secured a deal with case maker Piquerez to exclusively receive its large square cases to house the new movement, making it the first of many avant-garde chronographs to follow in the ’70s.

The Monaco was revolutionary for being the first automatic as well as the first square cased chronograph. The Hollywood film star Steve McQueen used the watch to accessorize his character in the 1971 film Le Mans. In the decades after his death the use of film stills has made the watch synonymous with McQueen.

It is, quite simply, iconic. There is a place for one in every serious watch collection.