What’s better than one chronograph? Two chronographs. Small wonder, then, that we chronograph enthusiasts tend to love the rattrapante, also known as the split-seconds chronograph. Who better to take on this most complicated than TAG Heuer, a watchmaker closely associated with the complication? Behold, the new-for-2024 TAG Heuer Monaco Split-Seconds Chronograph watch, one of the more complicated Monaco watches in recent memory.
What a package, this one. The Monaco, with its trademark squared-off angularity and Darth Vader helmet vibes, is an ideal vehicle for complicated movements and engineering solutions. One of the finer examples of this that you may or may not remember is 2009’s Monaco 24 with its Zenith El Primero-derived movement and exceedingly cool movement suspension system. Some 15 years later, the Monaco still looks great in its more complicated versions, and right now, there are none more complicated than this 138,000-dollar TAG Heuer Monaco Split-Seconds Chronograph that we got to experience hands-on at Watches & Wonders 2024.
In the metal (here in DLC-coated black titanium but also available in bare titanium), the Monaco Rattrapante feels a lot like other watches in this rarified segment — specifically, watches fitted with lightweight cases and heavy-weight movements. It’s one of the rare few remaining exercises in watchmaking that is yet to be democratized and brought down in price — and TAG Heuer certainly is in no rush to attach a more realistic price point to such a halo piece as this Monaco Split-Seconds Chronograph.
As befits such a covetable chronograph, the Monaco Split-Seconds looks technical — you could argue busy — from every angle, including the front where the dial has been reduced to a narrow sapphire disc that carries the minute track. The thick applied logo with its polished edges and texts against a matte backdrop is especially cool (just check the photo below), while the squared and squished subdials add a retro Monaco touch without overloading on nostalgia. The thickly lacquered red central seconds hand and openworked hands are a no-brainer — they just work. The cut-outs and appliqués of the “dial” are on-brand for TAG Heuer and remind us of the Heuer-01 and its successors, just all turned up to, if not 11, then at least a solid 9.
The back does its own to amaze, with a massive and, indeed, uniquely shaped and faceted sapphire crystal caseback. If you ask me, this component is the most special one that reveals itself from this angle, a lot more fascinating than the movement. That said, the TAG Heuer Caliber TH81-00 does what it can to keep up, including a center bridge with a checkerboard pattern — “a TAG Heuer signature,” according to the brand — as well as a large and openworked oscillating weight, sandblasted surfaces put in contrast with polished screw-heads, and a fine-brushed balance wheel bridge with polished bevels.
A thick beveled edge is, indeed, present on the center bridge, and if you look elsewhere, you’ll also find thinner, hand-refined edges (such as when peeking through the cutout of the rotor on the image above). Still, the rotor looks a whole lot more industrial — “modern” would be quite the euphemism — than a six-figure-priced component. Then again, no one checks the (aesthetically much less refined and complex) movement on a similarly priced Rolex, Cartier, or Omega, and, to be fair, none of these big brands strive to compete with small independent watchmakers who often try to offer superior hand-applied decorations.
Just in case you missed watch school the day it was presented, a split-seconds chronograph is a stopwatch function with two overlapping seconds hands. A dedicated extra pusher, set into the left side of the case in this instance, can be used to separate the two, marking one measured time period by the stopped center seconds hand while the other keeps on timing. Starting, stopping, and resetting the chronograph function happens in the traditional fashion, by pressing the pushers at 2 and 4 o’clock.
The calfskin strap has a red fabric exterior attached to a folding clasp with a tang buckle. Neither the strap nor the buckle feel like they belong on a $138,000 watch (or even $38,000), but these might just be prototype-related issues. Maybe this is just me saying that if an established and respected engineering company like TAG Heuer goes off-limits with a watch, I would like it to attack every component of the watch with a fleet of engineers very, very high on stimulants with no Excel sheets or expense reports anywhere in sight.
Despite its compromises, there is a lot to like here, and there’s no reason for the Monaco Rattrapante not to do well. It is worth remembering that the appeal for customers here is in wearing a very complicated and rarified big-brand watch, and, as one of those, the TAG Heuer Monaco Split-Seconds Chronograph is a strong contender destined to be lapped up by dedicated well-heeled collectors. The TAG Heuer Monaco Split-Seconds Chronograph is priced at $138,000 USD. For $169,000 USD, you can have TAG Heuer customize certain components to your taste and desire. Learn more at the brand’s website.
