TAG Heuer lights up the night with the new limited-edition Monaco Chronograph Night Driver.
There is something magical about driving in the dark of night. Take away the distractions of roadside scenery and the bright sky, and the driver is left alone with the feel of the road and the car. The driver feels the car and the road more intensely than when driving in the daylight, sensing the power and agility of the vehicle with their hands, feet and back. Every nuance of the road and the car registers in the driver’s body and mind, and the rest of the world seems to vanish.
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After more than 50 years of the Monaco chronograph being the ultimate driver’s watch, TAG Heuer has created the Monaco Chronograph Night Driver, a limited edition watch with a fully luminescent dial in Monaco Blue that pays tribute to the racing spirit.
Inspired by the midnight blue, charcoal grey and matte black dials of the iconic vintage Monacos, this newest edition uses today’s materials to build an instrument that enhances the experience and performance of those who take to the roads, especially at night.
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This launch pays homage to the momentous celebration of the 60th anniversaries of the TAG Heuer Carrera collection as well as the Porsche 911 (originally called 901). Merging elements from both the watch and the car, the new addition offers an unparalleled timekeeping experience, one where speed and precision converge.
The newest Monaco employs its unique “circle in the square” two-piece dial construction to provide instant readings for the driver. At night, the deep grey “circle” at the centre of the dial provides a strong contrast with the bright blue Super-LumiNova finish of the hour, minute, and chronograph seconds hands, as well as bright dots that mark the hours. Even the hash marks that indicate the minutes/seconds glow brightly, allowing the driver to take precise readings.
It is the “squares” of the Monaco Night Driver that transform the new chronograph into the perfect driver’s instrument while providing two different and complementary looks capturing the mood of darkness or light. As the day turns to night, the exterior of the dial is transformed from a cool, light grey to a glowing vivid blue, with black-lacquered indexes marking the hours. The chronograph registers are transformed to this same glowing blue, providing vivid contrast with the black markings for minutes and hours, and the hands for the chronograph minutes and hours counters.
This fully luminescent dial is a true technical achievement for TAG Heuer and enables even better and more powerful legibility on the roads. By harnessing the capabilities of Super-LumiNova, the timepiece is able to expand its luminosity across a broader surface area, allowing the dial to remain prominently visible in the dark for three hours after being fully charged.
The case of the new addition is built of Grade 5 titanium, coated in black DLC (diamond-like carbon) material, which will stand up well to its intended use as the racer’s tool. High-use elements including the pushers and crown also incorporate this same black coating.
The use of TAG Heuer’s in-house Heuer 02 movement to power the Monaco Chronograph Night Driver is yet another essential element of the new instrument’s durability. The Heuer 02 movement uses a traditional column wheel to reliably actuate the chronograph, while the movement’s 80-hour power reserve will keep the Night Driver running over the course of a weekend of racing. The sapphire caseback displays the blue printing on the black oscillating mass, as well as the blue column wheel, extending this palette from the dial of the chronograph.
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The Monaco Chronograph Night Driver Limited Edition, limited to 600 units, incorporates a calfskin strap, with alternating large and small perforations and bright white stitching along the edge of the strap also evoking Heuer racing chronographs of the 1960s and 70s.
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