PecosBill

While I think the Monaco is a pretty timepiece, it's an auto, so it really holds no interest for me. Same goes for later Speedies. A finely crafted mechanical chronograph is a beautiful piece of machinery though, and would seem to have a lot of qualities that would lend itself to being appreciated by a fan of air-cooled German transportation.

cgfen

special?
not from my perspective, but i am happy with $100.00 Seikos

gonzilla

Not so much. Think of it as a Rolex-made case with an ETA movement. Lots of Tudors used as military watches in years past.

And for my money, you can't get a cooler watch than a Tudor Snowflake.



The old chronos aren't bad either!

initial

Back on the OPs question as to what is special with the Monaco.

McQueen wore it in LeMans, but more importantly, its the watch Jesse gave to Walt.

doberdog

I love my Snowflake.

GeorgeK

Heuer (not TAG) has a very long history in watchmaking, combined with a long history of timing sports events, mainly auto racing, athletics, diving and skiing. They were pioneers in timing sports event,s and have developed many setups for those specific purposes.
Besides that, the wristwatch side has introduced the first wristwatch with microrotor, in the... Monaco.

Heuer has been bought by TAG (Techniques d'Avant Garde), Mansour Ojjeh's company. From then on, they have slipped into the hoplessly kitsch, fashion, marketing driven side of the business.
The Monaco was reintroduces as a limited series, with Heuer logo only, with no plans to make more than the 3000 re-editions (so were dealers instructed). I bought one, and I am very happy with it.
The ink on that promise was not dry yet that countless versions of the monaco started rolling off the shelves, labeled TAG-Heuer. Marketing back in force.

Any vintage, pre-TAG heuer is an interesting watch.

axl911

That seemed to be also the case for the Omega Speedmaster? (Another of my favorite.)

It seemed there are MANY variations of the Speedy, dates, tripledates, multicolored dials.

Am I better off getting one closest to the original moon watch (which one is that)?

Or have to bite the bullet and find a vintage Original Speedmaster???

71-3.0-911

I would go for vintage. If you are into aviation/space, I completely understand the attraction. I am looking at getting a vintage Speedmaster but for now, I am loving my Breitling Cosmonaute. For me, vintage always has the attraction.

PecosBill

I would kill for an early Speedy, but they are pretty precious, and go for big bucks. If you like early mechanical chronographs, there are quite a few out there that the mainstream hasn't even heard of. They still pull some serious money, but they don't attract those just looking for a flashy name. I'm partial to Jardur Bezelmeters, which were specifically made for pilots back in the late 30s through the 40s.

Those earlier timepieces don't have the huge cases that are in fashion today, so they don't tend to draw attention, except for from people that really know their watches.

Tom T.

Get the original hand-winding one. It is closest to the original. The "sapphire sandwich" automatic movement watches are engraved with "The first and only watch worn on the moon" which is not quite correct. According to this astronaut David Scott wore a Waltham on the moon.

doberdog

The Pre-Moon Speedy Pro is the most collectable, with the calibre 321 movement. The original Moon watch that was issued in 1969 and 1970 had "the first watch worn at the moon", the later versions came with different text and the sapphire sandwich. These first edition moon watches are slightly more collectable. The Speedy Pro is a great starting point for anyone wanting a good watch, then maybe move to more expensive brands like rolex.
Here is 1969 Speedy plus my 1976 Snowflake.

bart1

Some great watches mentioned in this thread. The Monaco is a cool watch and an original would be really cool to have. I have an old speedy and its great. Also a Tudor snowflake is the top of the list of watches I'd like to have. My most valuable and favorite is an Omega Ploprof.

logan2z

The Monaco is a very cool watch. I've been on the hunt for a vintage one for a while although, like air-cooled Porsches, their prices have skyrocketed in recent years. Another very cool Heuer with a tie in to cars/racing is the Autavia. You can buy vintage Autavias in excellent condition for less than $3K. I recently sold my 1163MH (pic below) but hope to replace it with a vintage Monaco soon.



The Speedmaster has been mentioned a bunch of times in this thread and it's a great choice too. If going modern I'd go for the 3570.50 which has the acrylic crystal and solid caseback. It's the closest thing to the original. They've recently changed the model number to something completely incomprehensible and upgraded the packaging significantly. Same watch, better box/goodies included and about $600 more than the 3570.50.

Sam P

exactly and a pic of when he left on the phone stand

I have one and love it

Sam