Lauda's watch, rebuilt in carbon
By Julien Moreau, Geneva ยท
Heuer brought out the Monza in 1976 to celebrate Ferrari's world championship of 1975, Niki Lauda's first, and the original is a cushion-cased thing with a black dial and a faintly sinister air, rather like a well-dressed villain in a Bond film. It is a cult watch among Heuer collectors and, until fairly recently, it was an affordable one.
The modern Monza Flyback Chronometer is a very different animal. The case is round, 42 mm across and 15 mm thick, in forged carbon, so it is light and each case has its own marbled pattern. Inside is the TH20-04, a flyback chronograph with chronometer certification and 80 hours of reserve, visible through the open back. The dial is black, the strap is fabric, and it is water resistant to 100 m.
I have a serious objection, which is the price. At twenty-three to twenty-four thousand dollars, TAG Heuer is asking for Vacheron and Patek money, and that is hard to accept for a brand whose watches mostly sell for a quarter of that. A Zenith Defy Extreme costs less. A Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon costs much less.
I also miss the cushion case. The round case loses what made the 1976 watch distinctive, and the result could, from across a room, be any modern carbon chronograph.
For a racing enthusiast with a big wrist and a large budget, it is a striking object. I would rather find a good original Monza from the 1970s and spend the difference on a car.