Footnotes

• Jack Heuer was a visionary of design and future trends who sought to break with the classic round watch creations of the time. During the same period that Heuer started to experiment with square shaped watches, a case maker, Piquerez, showed his new waterproofing system, where four notches clipped into the back of the monocoque case and through tension was able to create water resistance. With this new patented technique, Heuer negotiated with Piquerez for exclusivity. The Monaco would be the first square automatic chronograph with a water-resistant watch case.
  
  Jack Heuer searched for a name that would appeal to the chic, high-end crowd that would enjoy the new bold design, racing enthusiasts who would frequent places like Monte Carlo. Heuer had already developed the 'Monte Carlo' stopwatch, a legendary dashboard timepiece used for the 'Rally Monte Carlo' in the works Minis and Porsche 911's. He realised that "Monaco" would appeal to the elite market strongly appreciating the revolutionary chronograph.
  
  The Heuer Monaco, the world's first self-winding rectangular chronograph was introduced with simultaneous press conferences on the 3rd of March 1969 in Geneva and New York. Jack Heuer characterised this as the most important product launch during his career. The newly developed Cal.11 automatic movement used 17 jewels, an unbreakable mainspring, was antimagnetic, and had shock protection, but its most distinctive feature was the placement of the winding crown at the left side. A successful advertising campaign was highlighting that with an automatic chronograph the user would touch the crown only for time setting.

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Category: Clocks and Watches / Watches

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