In 1976, TAG Heuer introduced its Monza model, named for the world-famous Italian Formula 1 racetrack. Forty years later, the Monza Calibre 17 recalls the glory days of racing while offering a great deal more than retro design. Read on for an in-depth review from the WatchTime archives, with original photos by OK-Photography.

Good news for fans of the retro look – the Monza is back. Good news for racing fans, too, with a design that’s just as dynamic and full of automotive references as the original version from 1976. It’s also remarkable since TAG Heuer has experimented over the last 15 years with a more refined version with no black coating and colourless dial elements.
A glance at the new Monza Calibre 17 might call to mind the familiar roar of Formula 1 engines. After all, the watch was first introduced to celebrate Ferrari’s World Championship title in 1975. On Sept. 7 of that year, Niki Lauda won third place in the Italian Grand Prix at the Monza racetrack and secured the title in a Ferrari sporting the Heuer logo. Scuderia Ferrari also won the Constructors’ Prize – a long-sought double victory after an 11-year dry stretch.

The new Monza combines the best features of two historical models – its dial design can be traced back to the original Monza from 1976 and its case to a Heuer chronograph from 1933. The cushion-shaped case is a style holdover from the earliest days of the watch. The Monza from the 1970s had an oval case shape that was typical and was available in chrome-plated or black-coated brass. That watch contained Calibre 15, which necessarily placed the crown on the left-hand side. Calibre 15 was the successor model of the Calibre 11 developed in 1969 by Heuer-Leonidas in collaboration with Breitling, Hamilton-Büren and Dubois Dépraz – one of the world’s first automatic chronographs.

Calibre 15 had a small seconds subdial set at 10 o’clock that gave the original Monza a strikingly asymmetrical look. TAG Heuer omitted this daring design element for its newest version due to its use of the ETA 2894, known at TAG Heuer as Calibre 17. This standard movement reverses the small seconds and minutes counter position and relocates the crown to the right side of the case.

All in all, these changes benefit the new Monza, giving it a sporty and relaxed look that is not quite so idiosyncratic as the original. Whatever it may lose in coolness, it gains with the polished and matte finishes of the cushion-shaped case. Titanium contributes to its excellent wearing comfort, and the titanium carbide coating makes it highly resistant to scratches.

Just as before, the Monza has a sealed caseback – even though the technology beneath is in no way so unattractive that it must be hidden. TAG Heuer uses the essential movement quality “Elaboré” and adds various decorative finishes and an individualized rotor. Black enhanced engraving instead of gold on the oscillator fits the overall sporty design of the watch.

All in all, the TAG Heuer Monza Calibre 17 is more stylish than the original model from the 1970s (combination cushion-shaped case), of higher quality (titanium with PVD coating) and, therefore, more attractive (ideally in line with current retro trends). What was good in 1976 – it’s even better today.