TAG Heuer Revs Up Race Car-Inspired Monaco Speed 12 Watch At Monaco Grand Prix
The limited-edition TAG Heuer Monaco Speed 12 features a patented LVMH movement that mimics a 12-cylinder engine with rotating pistons.
Swiss luxury watchmaker TAG Heuer has unveiled an exclusive, automotive-inspired timepiece designed to look and function just like a high-performance race car engine. Debuting at this weekend’s Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix, the new Monaco Speed 12 merges the brand’s historic racing heritage with cutting-edge horological mechanics.
The revved-up Monaco represents a dramatic revamp of the iconic square-cased watch, which first gained fame in 1969 as a pioneering water-resistant chronograph and a favorite of legendary actor, style maven, and racing aficionado Steve McQueen. For this modernized update, TAG collaborated with fellow LVMH brand and Monaco GP sponsor Louis Vuitton to create a unique mechanical display that mimics the internal rhythm of a supercar powertrain.
Powering the lead-footed timepiece is the automatic TH84-00 caliber, an adaptation of the patented Spin Time movement developed by master watchmakers Michel Navas and Enrico Barbasini. Instead of traditional hour hands, the watch features 12 sandblasted and brushed rotating cylinders shaped like engine pistons arranged in a circle.
As the central skeletonized minute hand completes each full rotation, one piston returns to its starting position while the next turns 90 degrees to reveal a black-lacquered Arabic numeral indicating the new hour. This sequential movement mimics the firing order of a 12-cylinder engine.
The architecture of the 40-mm watch emphasizes transparency, allowing collectors to look under the veritable hood of the luxe collectible. The circular movement is suspended inside the signature square titanium case by four open-worked arches coated in black diamond-like carbon. The dial features vertical grooves inspired by car engine covers, surrounded by a black opaline ring with a white minute track and red indexes.
The lightweight Grade 5 titanium case is topped with a domed sapphire crystal and features a square sapphire bezel to maximize visibility of the watch’s rotating pistons from all angles. A black rubber strap with textile embossing and red hand-stitching rounds out the high-end motorsport aesthetic. (TAG Heuer notably serves as the official timekeeper of Formula 1 and is a partner of the Oracle Red Bull Racing team.)Production of TAG’s latest Monaco is limited to just 50 individually numbered pieces. The Monaco Speed 12 will be available this December for a supercar-worthy retail price of $87,000.