Audi-News » The Grand Prix De Monaco Historique

If the film Night at the Museum hadn't taken place at the American Museum of Natural History, but, say, in the South of France (Monaco, to be exact), and during the daytime, and with more people around, then you would have something almost like the Monaco Grand Prix Historique.

Every two years (2024 was the 14th running) the Automobile Club de Monaco hosts the Grand Prix Historique- a living-museum type event where race cars spanning the late 1920s through ground-effect Formula 1 cars built in the 1980s take to the same street circuit that has hosted the Monaco Grand Prix for nearly a century.
Each year, the streets around the marina, up the hill to the Casino de Monte-Carlo, back down again and through a tunnel leading back to Port Hercule are closed off for all but those racing for the checkered flag. Teams enter their cars into one of eight classes, organized by time period, or type of car. These aren't just showpieces, they are also here to be driven, hard. All for nothing more than bragging rights. There's also a trophy.

As a car enthusiast, it doesn't get any better than this. It's one thing to see rare and notable cars parked in a museum, or even driven slowly onto a golf course...but to see and hear them driven to the (driver's) limit on one of the most historic racetracks in the sport? This is what it's all about.
I wore a Monaco for a period of time while I was enjoying the GPH. It's a watch I hadn't given much thought to up to this point. A significant watch, sure. One that I'm glad exists and played an important role for the brand. I mean, it looks so good on McQueen, it's automatically cool. But I guess I just didn't quite "get it."
What I came to learn after walking the streets and seeing these cars race here is really just a straightforward truth: some things are just cool because they kind of don't make sense. It's not exactly a profound revelation. Though, high-powered race cars zooming through tiny streets, in practice, is a bonkers proposition. Even when it does happen today anywhere else, it barely happens in the same sense that it does here in Monaco.

A purpose-built machine being pushed to its limits in a place it's not meant to be is an incredible thing to behold, because it simply should not exist. It almost gives necessary human context to something that otherwise is unrelatable. A race car on a racetrack makes sense: it's sterile, not entirely dramatic (when things are going right). It's a balanced equation.
Put that same car that actually looks like an airplane on a tight city street and have the driver go all out through a narrow tunnel that opens up to a marina full of yachts? Instantly so much cooler. Not that there needed to be any more drama to auto-racing. Still: 10 out of 10, zero notes.
Is the Monaco (watch) as extreme an example? No. It's not. However, that doesn't mean there isn't a parallel. I left Monaco (place) with a new appreciation for the watch. I have smaller wrists and figured a watch this size would be cumbersome or uncomfortable for me. This wasn't the case at all.

I didn't think much about the watch while documenting GPH, which to me is high praise for a piece that's meant to be worn in a lot of situations, for extended periods. You don't want to be thinking about it too much when you're doing activities that require your attention elsewhere; the best tools stay out of your way. I do think a watch this size is better suited in titanium, but a steel Monaco isn't unwearable by any means. And even though I was fortunate to spend my time with a vintage Monaco ref. 1133B, the elder's 40mm x 14mm dimensions, are virtually the same as the modern version of the TAG Monaco: 39mm x 14mm.
A square watch will always wear larger than its round counterpart, but the Monaco commands attention as a point of interest, not intrusion. Not to mention, being a racing chronograph, the size is just right for easy legibility. Function! The design and shape is reminiscent of Heuer dash clocks from the period. Cool and interesting! The Monaco was proving itself to be a fun watch to wear far beyond what I expected.

Again, this isn't a particularly profound revelation, that spending time with something new can challenge your previous notions (for better and worse!), but initially I didn't set out to write a "think-piece" on the TAG Heuer Monaco. The plan was to go see some cool cars in a cool place and see some neat watches. But, nevertheless, it did make me think.