Tag Heuer is Throwing It Back with Its New Monaco 'Dark Lord'

Tag Heuer and the Monaco has made many evolutions over the course of it’s lifetime and history. Being the quintessential racing chronograph that it is, the iterations have been numerous and hard to keep up with at times. One of the more “Fan Favored” models has been a little out-of-the-box for the Monaco Collection - The ‘Dark Lord’ Monaco.

THE BASICS:

Brand: Tag Heuer

Model: Monaco ‘Dark Lord’ (ref. CBL2180.FC6497)

Case Material: Black DLC Titanium Case

Case Size: 39mm

Water Resistance: 100m

Movement: Calibre HEUER02 Automatic

Movement Specs: Automatic chronograph, 4-Hz, 80H Reserve

Strap Options: Black Leather

THE JUICE:

If you’ve followed my writing over the years, you’ll know that I’m a big fan of the Monaco - Both for its historical significance and its stylistic aesthetic. The 1974 release of the ‘Dark Lord’ felt, truly, ahead of it’s time. I can’t vouch for its popularity of it at the time, but it’s become a hot commodity on the vintage secondary market of late.

The watch was an (ahem…) Dark Horse for Tag. It was less than 200 pieces because of the production issues with coating the case (the first Tag Heuer watch with a DLC coating), and was released before Fan Favorite Monza.

To mark the start of the 2022 Monaco Grand Prix, the brand has modernized and released the new Dark Lord. Measuring in at 39mm in Titanium, the case is completely coated with DLC - Pushers and Crown included. The case also features an open sapphire case-back while still maintaining the 100m of Water Resistance of it’s stainless steel counterpart.

New vs. Old Monaco “Dark Lord”.

The dial converges quite a bit from the original, and really shows where the modern touches come into play with the 2022 version. Gone are the thin indices, and instead rose gold baton hands flank the edge of the dial. The central chapter ring houses the chronograph sub-dials and presents a much cleaner look overall. The date window has been shrunken a bit, and included above it is a small-seconds hands with a thin crosshair backdrop.

Overall, the dial simply feels… better. Perhaps it lacks some of the vintage charm of it’s original influence, but is a much cleaner presentation.

I won’t lie, I’m in love with this new iteration of the ‘Dark Lord’. I am a huge fan of what Tag Heuer has been doing recently. The brand has faced some awkward years, for sure, so it’s refreshing to see a more uniformed direction that respects the heritage of the brand but modernizes a lot of popular vintage favorites.

So, how much is the new Tag Heuer Monaco ‘Dark Lord’?

So far, a limited number hasn’t been announced, but the model will be available through Tag Heuer Boutiques, and come with a price tag of $8,500 USD.

Read more about the watch on Tag Heuer’s Website.