The TAG Heuer Monaco is as legendary as the people who have worn it. To celebrate its first half century, TAG Heuer is releasing five exclusive watches over the course of 2019. Each limited edition timepiece is inspired by different decades, with the first beginning in the 70s and the last in the 10s. This week, TAG Heuer revealed the second of the five limited-edition Monaco timepieces in Le Mans, France – the setting for the 1971 film Le Mans, in which the Monaco was worn by Steve McQueen.

The second watch is the 50th Anniversary 1980’s Special Edition Monaco, a timepiece that pays tribute to the 1980s style. It features a deep red dial with silver & black touches, as well as two silver sub-dials at 3 and 9, and finished of on a black leather strap. The case-back is engraved with the original “Monaco Heuer” logo, “1979-1989 Special Edition,” and “One of 169.” Inside, the renowned Calibre 11 is beating to combine style and performance.

TAG Heuer Monaco 1980's 50th Anniversary edition case-back
TAG Heuer Monaco – 50th Anniversary 1980’s Special Edition case-back

Guests of TAG Heuer in Le Mans included Steve McQueen’s son, Chad McQueen; five-time winner of Le Mans and drive in the movie Le Mans, Derek Bell; actor, race car drive and TAG Heuer brand ambassador Patrick Dempsey; and race car driver, Formula E Champion 2017-18 and brand ambassador Jean-Éric Vergne.

Steve McQueen's son, Chad McQueen and Patrick Dempsey
Chad McQueen and Patrick Dempsey
Steve McQueen in Le Mans wearing the TAG Heuer Monaco watch
Steve McQueen in Le Mans

TAG Heuer Monaco 1979–1989 Limited Edition

TAG Heuer Monaco 1980's Anniversary Edition

Movement: TAG Heuer Automatic Calibre 11, diameter 30 mm, 59 jewels, balance oscillating at a frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour (4 Hz), 40-hour power reserve.

Functions: Chronograph with seconds and minutes; date, hours, minutes and small seconds at 3 o’clock

Case: Diameter 39 mm, case in stainless steel, fixed bezel in stainless steel, sapphire crystal, polished steel crown at 9 o’clock and push buttons at 2 and 4 o’clock, waterresistant to 100 metres (10 bar), steel caseback with “1979-1989 Special Edition” and “One of 169” engravings

Dial: Red dial with sunray finishing, fine brushed rhodium-plated counters, polished, facetted indexes, black and white touches on hands and indexes

Strap: Black calfskin leather strap, polished folding clasp in stainless steel

Limited to 169 watches

You can follow as the limited-edition Monaco timepieces are released via TAG’s 50th Anniversary timeline page.