This new Monaco is so close to ticking all of the boxes for me. I love the Monaco- great heritage, a distinct design, etc. However, like so many automatic chronographs, I hate that that the chronograph doesn’t count to 12 hours...but this new Monaco does just that!
However, to me, a quintessential element of the Monaco is having two registers, not three. So much of the Monaco’s heritage feels pushed aside with this third register (however discrete), and the dial feels cramped - the seconds hand is literally obscuring the date window because there’s so little room.
I wish TAG Heuer had consolidated the hours+minutes into a single register, like OMEGA has done on a few of their newer chronographs (unfortunately, they are 44mm behemoths).
I imagine my request is technically demanding - but I’d even consider this version if they simply removed the running seconds hand register all together, and left this new design as-is. Of course, it’s hard to tell if the watch is or isn’t running without a running seconds hand; I imagine that would be a dealbreaker for most folks.
Also, do I understand the movements are being discarded and replaced with a new one at time of service? I realize watchmakers are scarce, but it’s so unromantic. I am really wailing against the ocean at this point! I realize Tudor is doing this same practice, too, and the industry is shifting in the direction of replacing movements at time of service as consumer demand and quality control costs outpace the supply of watchmakers.
)
