As one of the top TAG Heuer repair shops in New York, NY, we love everything TAG. We keep our eye on the TAG Heuer brand, and noted with excitement when the company announced a re-issue of a fabulous watch from the 1970s, the Heuer Monza. The original Heuer Monza was launched in 1976 to mark Ferrari’s World Championship in 1975 with Niki Lauda and Clay Regazzoni. Here’s the story, according to Watch Time –
To put the watch into proper context, let’s go back to 1975. Heuer (now TAG Heuer), the sponsor and official timekeeper of Team Ferrari from 1971-1979, stamped the hood of Niki Lauda’s Ferrari. Lauda, a rather famous Formula One driver, managed a third place win and helped earn the title of Formula One World Champion for Ferarri One. In celebration of this surprising, title-winning season, Heuer CEO Jack Heuer gifted the Ferrari One team in 1976 with what he saw as the perfect congratulations for its World Championship — A PVD-coated, racing-inspired, special-edition chronograph he named the Heuer Monza.
Let’s dive into some of the technical details of the watch.
Starting with the dial. It’s black with two printed counters, and has black and white hour and minute hands with luminescent markers. The chronograph central seconds hand is red, and the watch features printed tachymeter and pulsometer scales on the flange. If you know your history, you’ll know at the it was just Heuer and not TAG Heuer, so of course, the watch sports that look. (Which is cool because the watch is just good-looking for “regular” people, and watch lovers might ask, “Where’s the TAG,” and you can explain it to them).
Moving on to the case, here are the spec’s. The case diameter comes in at 42 mm with a brushed & polished titanium carbide coated titanium (Grade 5) case and bezel. It has a scratch-resistant “domed” sapphire crystal with double anti-reflective treatment as well as a polished steel crown with Heuer shield and polished steel push-buttons. It offers a brushed & polished titanium carbide coated titanium (Grade 5) caseback with vintage “HEUER” logo and “No XXXX” engraved number. And it’s water resistance goes to 100 meters, and has an angled date window at 6 o’clock.
In terms of the movement, the watch is a TAG Heuer Calibre 17; Swiss Made (of course). It features both automatic calibre and rapid date correction. The diameter is 28.6 mm (12 ½”’) — 37 rubies, with a balance frequency: 28,800 vibrations per hour (4 Hz), and a power reserve of approximately 42 hours.
Finally, let’s look at the strap. It’s black perforated calfskin leather strap , inspired by vintage steering wheels, with a black titanium folding clasp with safety push-button and Heuer logo. Learn more about the spec’s at http://tag.hr/2Bq2r5G.
Another source of the history can be found at Calibre11.com, which writes:
As Formula 1 fans will know, Monza is the name of the city that hosts the Italian Formula 1 Grand Prix. The origins of the circuit date back to the early 1920s, and while the track has been extensively modified over the years, part of the original banked circuit remains in place today, albeit overgrown by trees and grass.
Monza was home to the dominant Alfa Romeo racing team, which was run in the 1920s by a young man from Modena called Enzo Ferrari. In 1947 Ferrari cut ties with Alfa Romeo and continued with his own cars built in Maranello, a small town close to the City Modena and the place where Ferrari are still based today. In case that’s not enough reason to visit Modena, Lamborghini, Maserati and Pagani are all based in towns around the City of Modena.
And so the names Modena and Monza are synonymous with both Formula 1 and with the Italian team who sit at the heart of the sport- Ferrari.
We’re really excited about the re-issue, and of course, look forward to seeing it “in person.” That said, if you have a TAG Heuer and are looking for the best place in New York City area for the repair of a TAG Heuer watch (or a tune up), look no further. We have a passion for “everything TAG!”