DARK TIDINGS

We finally get to properly tackle the story of the Monaco, thanks to three new models in 2022, all of which confirm that it is indeed a paradoxical superstar

- ASHOK SOMAN

Whatever you hear about watchmaking brands creating icons is just spin on the following fact: time makes icons of some tickers. One can no more set out to create icons than one can build virality into a social media post. This is why the great watches of the past are always revisited, or possibly recreated for the contemporary age. Traditionally watchmaking is in an interesting position as far as this goes, because it has faced numerous moments when it had to reinvent itself. This has the curious effect of making iconic timepieces from the last century symbols of rebirth. It also births synchronicity, as we discovered in the case of our cover subject, the TAG Heuer Monaco Special Edition.

You may have heard about this watch when it was revealed on the occasion of the Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix this year, but of course it is not a newcomer to the starting grid of high-performance timekeeping. The seasoned collectors amongst you will have immediately recognised this watch as the latest iteration of the legendary Dark Lord, but you will also have noted that the watch is no reissue. For the rest of you, the Monaco chronograph will certainly be recognisable - there is no watch like it in all of fine watchmaking, as we will demonstrate in this story.

First up though, as usual, for the proper details and specifications of this Special Edition, turn to our cover story section. This is where we typically get into the specifics about the cover watch itself. That said, any Monaco watch tells a powerful story, with peaks and troughs to suit the story of timekeeping itself, and the amplitudes of the various regulators that make the machines themselves tick. Now, we have made at least two very strong statements about the Monaco and we do intend on backing them up. Because this is not a story about the Dark Lord alone, we can afford to talk about the Monaco in general.