TAG Heuer Monza 40th Anniversary Calibre 17. Is it a proper vintage reedition or a modern watch with vintage accents. Let’s check out. The original Heuer Monza was launched in 1976 to mark Ferrari’s World Championship in 1975 with Niki Lauda and Clay Regazzoni, and was on sale until the early 1980s (source: Calibre 11). For collectors, the original and real Monza is the limited edition with Black PVD case, black dial and red accents. A swiss best watch with a cushion-shaped case, almost like an egg, with the Calibre 15 (an automatic chronograph movement from Heuer, close to the calibre 11, but with the small second oddly placed at 10), with the distinctive crown at 9 and a black dial mixing two scales: a tachymeter and a pulsometer.
The case is closer in style to the 2000s editions of the Monza than to the original egg-shaped one. It has this squared / cushion shape, with a strongly raised bezel, together with a round aperture for the dial. The 42mm case (that’s 3mm more than before) is now made in grade 5 titanium (sometimes modernity has some advantages…), with flanks polished and flat surfaces brushed. A good point for the choice of material. Usually, watches under 5,000 Euros are using grade 2 titanium. Here, TAG Heuer went for the more expensive and hard to machine grade 5 titanium – the only one that can be polished. The case is then coated with black titanium carbide – much more resistant than the PVD used in the vintage edition.