For fans of Formula 1 as a sporting contest, rather than a marketing machine, the Monaco Grand Prix sucks.
Street races are more common in recent years as cities use F1 to promote tourism and business, but they are typically in places with wide roads where overtaking is possible.
Miami was a great example where genuine sporting competition co-existed with commercial opportunities.
Monaco is different.
It has the history, the prestige, the allure of the French Riviera, but the street circuit is the worst of the F1 calendar with overtaking all-but impossible.
TAG Heuer, of course, wants Monaco to remain one of the crown jewel races of the F1 calendar, and has launched a special edition of its Monaco watch ahead of this weekend’s running and named Australian actor Jacob Elordi, star of binge-worth series Euphoria, as a brand ambassador.
The new TAG Heuer Monaco has an unusual two-texture black dial, with a smooth circular center and a grained outer that resembles the asphalt of a race track.
Other than that, it looks like a regular modern day Monaco, albeit lighter thanks to the use of titanium under a matte black DLC treatment of the 39mm case.
It is powered by the automatic Heuer 02 movement driving central hours, seconds and a chronograph hand. Subdials at 3, 6 and 9 o’clock measure seconds, minutes and hours.
The color combination of black, 18ct rose gold, red and white is new but feels familiar, and is carried over to the underside of the watch where an openwork rose gold rotor powers the watch.
TAG Heuer CEO Frédéric Arnault appears to be repositioning the brand in his own youthful image, and Jacob Elordi shares the executive’s energy and spirit.
“We are incredibly excited to announce Jacob Elordi as ambassador for the TAG Heuer Monaco. He is the stand-out star of a new generation, an artist who is unafraid to take risks, taking roles that challenge both himself and the audience. He is also someone who comes fully-formed with his own strong sense of timeless style. The TAG Heuer Monaco became the watch for a new generation when it was first launched in 1969 and there is no better standard-bearer for it as it continues to be discovered anew by each generation since,” Mr Arnault says.
The new Monaco is on sale now for £6,800.
A Noble addition, to an Homage Collection, the Monaco, audacious in Design and Cosmetic, and true to it’s Bloodline.