Viva Las Vegas: The New TAG Heuer Pink Monaco Chronograph Is Inspired by the Neon Lights of the Strip

TAG Heuer is synonymous with racing, and Jack Heuer's renowned chronographs that are inspired by motorsports still hold sway in the world of watches. After the 1963 Carrera chronograph, Heuer introduced a bold, square chronograph with a blue dial and a crown on the left side in 1969; it was named after the Monaco Grand Prix. The Monaco, immortalised on Hollywood legend Steve McQueen's wrist in the cult 1971 film Le Mans, has evolved over the years to match the watch industry's newer materials and technologies. 

The latest Monaco (Ref. CBL218B.FT6236), just launched by TAG Heuer, has taken a pit stop in Las Vegas, showcasing its engine with a skeletonised dial and vibrant pink embellishments, inspired by the Strip's neon lights. The use of pink in this iteration should come as no surprise since in the business of watchmaking, the colour is increasingly being seen as a versatile shade that defies traditional gender norms. 

If we look back in history, in 1905, the San Pedro, Los Angeles, and Salt Lake Railroad arrived in Las Vegas, connecting the city to the Pacific and the country's significant rail networks. The El Rancho Vegas resort was developed in 1941 on a portion of US 91 that was just outside the city's purview. Other hotels and casinos followed suit, and the stretch of that highway became known as the Strip. 

Last September, the TAG Heuer Monaco Chronograph Racing Green was launched not only as a destro model but also as a 1,000-piece limited-edition novelty. The newly launched TAG Heuer Pink Monaco Chronograph is a permanent model though. This 39 mm timepiece gets black DLC-coated, Grade 2 titanium, sandblasted case, bezel, elongated chronograph pushers at 2 o’clock and 4 o’clock, and a crown at 3 o’clock. Lightweight titanium offers comfort on the wrist while the matte black case visibly reduces the size of the watch, ensuring a stealth look. There is a bevelled sapphire crystal over the dial.

The dial's black square base houses a circular minute track with white markings and vivid pink markers that extend beyond the dial. The model's more radical elements include conspicuous black elongated hour markers that serve as bridges for the subdials, a date arrow, and appliqué logos. The pink skeleton dial reflects the lively ambience of Las Vegas and its iconic city lights. 

The outer track of the squared subdials is picked out in a bright pink opalin; at 3 o’clock is a 30-minute chronograph counter and at 9 o’clock rests a 12-hour counter. Both counters get pink-lacquered hands. The 6 o’clock permanent second indicator has a black gold-plated hand with a bar uniting the indices at 5 and 7 o’clock; it features a small pink arrow pointing to the date at the bottom of the dial. There is an inverted marker for the date disc with light blue Super-LumiNova®. What’s more, the dial has black hour markers with light blue Super-LumiNova®, black gold-plated faceted hour and minute hands with light blue Super-LumiNova®, and a pink lacquered central chronograph hand. A similar structure at noon hosts the name of the watch and the TAG Heuer shield logo.

Powering the watch is Calibre Heuer 02 (ref. TH20-00) that delivers an 80-hour power reserve. The open caseback has a black openworked rotor with pink inscriptions, a bridge with Geneva stripes, and a column-wheel mechanism of the chronograph movement picked out in bright pink at 12 o’clock. The watch is finished on an embossed black calfskin and rubber strap with a sandblasted black DLC Grade 2 titanium folding clasp and double safety push buttons sporting a TAG Heuer shield.

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