Today, most watches have some sort of way to view the time at night. From lumed coating to tritium glows to LED backlights, timepieces from the low to high ends are covered in the low light. Albeit, some more than others. Divers and field watches, for instance, are almost exclusively given luminescent hands and indices. Conversely, other types, such as the racing-style chronograph, get the short(er) end of the stick with less focus on low-light visibility and more on how it looks in the daylight. After all, there’s a reason why race cars don’t have headlights. However, with its new offering, TAG Heuer targets those who like to wear their chronographs at night.
TAG Heuer may be the most well-respected watchmaker in the world of auto racing, and for good reason. It’s history with Formula 1 racing is unparalleled, with most of its models named after certain races themselves (e.g., Carrera, Monaco). Now, the Swiss brand has taken its iconic Monaco — a favorite of one Steve McQueen, worn by the actor in his film Le Mans — and given it a heavily-lumed dial.
Dubbed Night Driver, the new Monaco gives a beautiful blue Super-LumiNova, not just on the hands and hour markers, but on the two chrono subdials and surrounding the dial center. Sporting the iconic square case, the new watch is 39mm across and given a grade 5 titanium case material and black perforated calfskin leather racing strap. In the daytime, this watch’s dial will look sort of off-white on the outer dial and subdials where the lume is, while the inner dial circle sports a steel gray hue. It’s powered, like almost all TAG chronographs, with the in-house HEUER 02 Automatic movement, featuring three subdials and a date window, seen through the exhibition caseback.
Limited to just 600 pieces, the Monaco Chronograph Night Driver is priced at $9,550. Head over to TAG Heuer’s website to get one for yourself.
