Heuer

The greatest watches are always ones with a sense of intrigue to them and the Heuer Monaco reference 74033N “Dark Lord” makes no exception. Following the launch of the original Monaco in 1969, sales were lackluster as the market struggle to comprehend it’s unusual design language and form, with only great visionary creatives such Oscar Peterson, Stanley Kubrick, Sammy Davis Jr. and of course Steve McQueen recognizing the important of the new design language put forward be the first square water-resistance chronograph.

After a few animations including those powered by the caliber 15 movement with running seconds, and some manual wind models, the Monaco was discontinued in 1974, being replaced by the Silverstone which maintained the square form but smoothed it and introduced hooded lugs in an attempt to try and appeal to a broader market.

Sometime around 1978 a small run of briefly revived Monaco models appeared under mysterious circumstances. Firstly, the case is black coated with a chromium oxide finish, something watch brands had been experimenting with since the early 1970s and Heuer had presented in the Carrera and Monza lines. Secondly, the watch was manual wind, forgoing the revolutionary automatic movement for something more widely available. The dial was a flat finish with no step to the subsidiary dials or fitted with applied markets, indicating it was created to a cost. Lastly the watch would not appear in any catalogs from the era.

All of these factors would result in one of the most desirable and coveted Monaco models to astute collectors, resulting in a watch that was seen as an oddity in period, now commanding some of the highest prices for vintage Heuer. With its austere, all black finish accentuated with pools of orange from the handset, a watch which should be under the radar is often the piece that attracts the most attention when worn.

With perhaps only a few hundred examples produced during a pivotal moment in the history of the company, and with a case finish that proves challenging to maintain in great condition decades later, finding a beautiful example of the reference 74033N is a rare opportunity and should not be missed.