As part of the ACM treatment the lining of the leather strap is offered in bright orange, while the outside is a glossy black. The perforation is a sporty touch that seems to always look cool. You’ll find that many Monaco watches have perforated leather straps. The strap comes on a folding deployant clasp that is in polished steel to match the crown and pushers versus black to match the case.

On paper the Monaco case is not very large. This timepiece is just 39mm wide. Though by virtue of it being square in shape it sits much larger on the wrist. It is true that the Monaco at 39mm wide isn’t a huge watch, but it does sit well on the wrist. TAG Heuer does make a few versions which are larger, but none that I know of that retain this classic and easy to read dial. I’d say that if you are unsure about how the watch will sit on you, then simply try one on, you may be pleasantly surprised. I enjoyed the size and further found the case to be quite comfortable.

What most impressed me about the case is the design. Like I said, it isn’t quite square, nor is it a perfect cushion. A very clever design mixes curves with angles in an extremely pleasing manner. A good example is how the crystal is square, but that the case sides are curved, cushion-style. This mixture is subtle, but does a lot to the overall composition of the timepiece.

While modern Monaco watches utilize sapphire crystals, they retain the look of the original acrylic crystals used before synthetic sapphire crystal was really available. Note how high up the crystal sits, and that it has beveled edges. This is a key element of the Monaco design’s DNA. Originally the Monaco was designed (like other TAG Heuer chronograph watches) to have the crown on the left and the chronograph pushers on the right. Today Monaco watches are inline with other modern timepieces and have both the crown and pushers on the right side of the watch. Having said that, the design of the pushers is very much true to the original.