Any watch brand would love to claim a truly “iconic” chronograph in their lineup, but Tag Heuer Monaco Replica Watches arguably has a couple, among which is the famous square-cased Monaco. When Heuer launched the Monaco back in 1969, it was the first Swiss-made automatic chronograph that was square and water-resistant.
The steel case is 39mm in diameter but being square in shape means it wears much larger than you might think. The bezel and case both have alternating brushed and polished finishing to give the case some visual interest. Unlike the original Monaco, the pushers in the Gulf Special are square, which I think fits the aesthetic of the Cheap Tag Heuer Replica much better. As mentioned earlier, the watch has a highly domed and beveled sapphire crystal.
While the movement and case are similar to many Monaco re-issues and special editions we’ve seen before, the dial is where this version stands out. The base of the dial is the original dark blue with a sunray brush as one would find on the original Tag Heuer Replica AAA. The gulf stripes are then applied to the right half of the dial. While the decision to have the stripes off-centre makes sense given that’s how the Gulf stripes are applied on cars and livery, I suspect this may prove to be a love-hate design element with collectors who demand symmetry.
Thee two subdials for running seconds at 3:00 and the chronograph minutes at 9:00 are again square in shape with a silver opaline finish. The silver opaline gives the sub-dials a nice sharp contrast and with the black baton hands, makes legibility a breeze. The primary hands and the hour markers are rhodium plated and filled with Super-LumiNova. The chrono seconds hand has no luminous material but is lacquered red which suits it well. Finally, there is the date wheel at 6:00 and the Gulf logo right above it. The brand logo, and usual complement of text is found in the usual spots as the other Luxury Tag Heuer Watches. My least favorite element of the dial is perhaps the rhodium markers that are applied outside the chapter ring. These are the silver horizontal indices that start off long at the top and bottom of dial and shorten as they reach the middle. However, this is consistent with the original design and collectors may appreciate that the watch has stayed true to its roots.
