TAG Heuer Introduces the Monaco Purple Dial Limited Edition

One of my favorite watch industry guessing games is one I like to call “What’s the Next Green?” This game is named after the dial color that just a few short years ago barely registered as an option, but has since become omnipresent across watches of all types. Green has penetrated the market to the point where it’s no longer novel – it’s just a standard color that most would expect in a watch range where variety is a goal. Green’s pervasiveness begs the question: what color is next? Some might say orange, but in my mind that’s too sporty, and too associated with a small handful of specific dive watches. Yellow? A mustard toned Oyster Perpetual excluded, I don’t see it catching on. Red is too severe and tough to pair with, well, anything. You could argue that “Tiffany blue” has already peaked and flamed out, but I’d submit that this doesn’t count as it’s so specific and tied to a color that’s already very much a standard. No, my choice is a color that’s not only attractive on a variety of watches, but well suited to all kinds of nicknames (an important factor in this game, I think) and is starting to make its presence on the scene felt with some surprisingly popular releases. Yes, reader, I’m putting all my chips on purple. 

Before we get into the limited edition TAG Heuer Monaco with a deep purple dial that spurred on this little thought experiment, let’s take stock really quickly of just a few recent purple releases of note. We wrote about William Wood’s latest just this past May, and like another recent release from Fears, the color here capitalizes on Royal tradition. But it’s not just the Brits who are inspired by Paisley Park and children’s television in equal measure. The Formex Field Watch introduced earlier this year included a purple variant which apparently was among their quickest sellers, and G-SHOCK got in early with an all metal release almost a year ago. And I can’t forget what is still among my favorite watches of the year: the giant purple sapphire Big Bang Automatic Tourbillon that Hublot debuted at Watches & Wonders. Purple’s stock, I think you’ll agree, is on the rise. 

And here we have a new limited edition of a sports watch that’s easily in the Icon category with the not so cleverly named Monaco Purple Dial Limited Edition. I’ll be honest, here: the Monaco has never been a personal favorite of mine. I enjoy its aesthetic when I see a photo, but the square case has always felt a bit clumsy to me whenever I’ve tried it on. That said, I recognize this is a minority view. The Monaco’s long association with motorsport, and more specifically Steve McQueen, who wore one in Le Mans, has made it an enthusiast and collector favorite for decades. 

According to TAG, the decision to go the purple route for this LE wasn’t left to a random spin of the color wheel. This new model pays a subtle tribute to a vintage Monaco, reference 1113B, an early pre-McQueen version of the watch that used a metallic paint that has been known to patinate to a purple color with a dégradé effect similar to what’s seen here. The purple tone on this watch, at least in the TAG provided photos, is quite dark, and while it certainly reads as purple to me and nothing else, it’s not particularly loud or bright. If it’s possible for purple to fly under the radar, that might be what’s happening here. 

The Monaco Purple Dial Limited Edition runs on the Calibre Heuer 02 Automatic movement, TAG’s in-house chronograph caliber, here decorated with purple accents throughout, along with a skeletonized rotor finished in black. The watch is 100 meters water resistant, which is a nice feature to have on any chronograph these days, and the case is a 39mm wide square. Watches of this shape tend to wear larger than a similarly specced circular watch, but that’s part of the reason people love the Monaco. It’s naturally imposing, and the uncommon shape makes it that much more noticeable. With a purple dial, even this dark one that fades to black, it will definitely leave an impression. 

Only 500 examples of the Monaco Purple Dial Limited Edition will be made. The retail price is $7,150. TAG Heuer