The Heuer Monaco reference 1133 was launched on 3 March 1969 in Geneva and New York. It has a 39 mm square stainless steel case with sharp angles, brushed and polished surfaces and the crown on the left, and it was fully water-resistant, a first for a square case (no rating is given in the sources read). It is powered by the automatic Calibre 11 chronograph. The first 1133B “Chronomatic” had a metallic sunburst blue dial; production examples had a matte blue dial with white registers, and the 1133G came in grey. It matters as the first square, water-resistant automatic chronograph in Swiss watchmaking.

The Calibre 11 came from Project 99, a joint venture with Breitling, Buren and Dubois-Depraz. The “Chronomatic” wording was dropped from the dial soon after launch because of confusion, particularly in the United States. Steve McQueen wore a blue-dial 1133B in the 1971 film Le Mans, and the watch became known as the “McQueen Monaco”. One example was given by McQueen to the film’s chief mechanic and is engraved “TO HAIG LE MANS 1970”. The Monaco left Heuer‘s catalogue in 1974 and returned in 1998.

The Monaco never resonated widely when new: its square case and blue dial were too unusual for conservative buyers. It was later recognised as a classic, and demand now exceeds supply on the vintage market. One of the six Monacos used in Le Mans sold for about USD 800,000 in 2012. The original 1133 is no longer produced; TAG Heuer still makes the Monaco, including the 2025 Monaco Flyback Chronograph.