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Is TAG Heuer Monaco the true car-guy watch?

Is TAG Heuer Monaco the true car-guy watch?

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Two weeks of travel over three continents has taught me one thing.

The square-shaped TAG Heuer Monaco really is THE car guy watch. It was on the wrist of the guy running the Porsche 718 GT4 ePerformance racecar team on the racetrack in Franciacorta, Italy. And yes, TAG Heuer is their official partner but no, the watch was his choice. As it was with the other gearheads at the event.

It was also on the wrist of the guy who heads Bentley Motors Motorsports, and they currently have no car connection as they put some Bentleys through their paces in Adelaide. It also had a strong presence amongst the judges of the World Car Awards during the Los Angeles test sessions.

Because of what people in the watch industry do, traveling with more than one watch isn’t unusual at all. However, because of the current state of too many high-profile watches getting too much attention, many enthusiasts have taken to traveling with just one watch. And because Porsche, clearly the Monaco was the choice.

There are other car guy watches of course.

The Rolex Cosmonaut Daytona is probably top of mind lately, and rightly so. However, any Daytona discussion nowadays devolves into something along the lines of “where did you get it, how much did you pay, can you help me get one?”

From left: A TAG Heuer Monaco wrist shot before entering the Porsche 718 GT4 ePerformance race car in Adelaide, Australia; two TAG Heuer Monacos in front of the Porsche 718 GT4 ePerformance racecar in Italy and a gathering of enthusiasts at Bentley brings out a TAG Heuer Monaco along with Rolex, Breitling, Panerai, Grand Seiko, Omega.

From left: The Rolex Cosmonaut Daytona is indeed a car guy watch, but is now almost more of a mainstream investment piece than a daily-wear enthusiast watch; TAG Heuer is a partner with Porsche in the world of fuel electric racing; the TAG Heuer Monaco, shown here on one of the Porsche electric racecars, was a bold and indeed jarring timepiece that wasn’t immediately accepted or even successful and The Seiko 5 Sports Honda Super Cub Limited Edition is a motoring-connected watch that pays homage to a classic and well-loved Honda scooter.

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The Monaco is both iconic and accessible, and the conversations are usually extremely enthusiast-oriented. And because I was photographing all these watches as I went, they were getting a surprising amount of attention on the carsandcalibres Instagram page.

It is true that over the last decade there was a lot of attention on TAG Heuer vintage watches, and the resulting price inflation occurred. However, it is nothing compared to what has happened to watches like the Daytona, so Monacos are still pretty accessible, and the wide range of them means you can find one for just about any taste.

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