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- TAG Heuer’s new Monza Flyback Chronograph is a 500-piece limited edition.
- It celebrates the 50th anniversary of the first Monza, a watch that paid tribute to Niki Lauda’s first Formula 1 World Championship win back in 1975.
- The carbon case, matte-black dial, and perforated black leather strap make it a slick and stealthy racing machine.
After a splendid cavalcade of Monacos, Carreras, special collaborations, and more, TAG Heuer’s “Year of the Chronograph” continues with arguably its most unique and interesting watch yet.
Fifty years since (a pre-TAG acquisition) Heuer launched its first Monza timepiece, the Swiss watchmaker has crafted a new limited-to-500-pieces Monza Flyback Chronograph that pays tribute to the pedal-to-the-floor spirit of the 1976 original while demonstrating the leaps in technical expertise and design the maison has made in the intervening years.
Arriving mere days ahead of the 2026 Italian Grand Prix in Monza, the new piece is a vision in forged carbon that celebrates the half-century since the original release, which itself was a celebration of Niki Lauda’s first Formula 1 World Championship win back in 1975.
TAG Heuer Monza Flyback Chronograph Key Specs:
- Reference: CR5092.FC8372
- Case Material: Carbon
- Diameter: 42 mm
- Dial: Matte black
- Strap: Black perforated calfskin leather strap with red stitching
- Movement: COSC-certified Calibre TH20-12
- Water Resistance: 100 metres
- Caseback: Sapphire exhibition caseback
- Price: CHF 12,600
Carbon Case
The watches TAG Heuer has made for the racetrack have long been foundational to the brand’s reputation. Of the new generation, this Monza Flyback Chronograph should prove among its most recognisable.
Marrying the visual cues that have defined the collection since its launch with modern materials and mechanical precision, TAG Heuer’s latest is a formidable piece of watchmaking. It’s also a tempting proposition for those who appreciate a perfectly timed pit stop.
Chances are, its 42-mm cushion-shaped case of forged carbon will be the first thing you’ll notice. Known for its impressive strength-to-weight ratio, the carbon construction also gives the watch an eye-catching marbled texture. This ensures each of the release’s 500 pieces is unique in its own way, thanks to the unpredictable grey swirl that unfolds across its surface.
Race-Ready Dial
Much like the case, the watch’s black dial also rewards close inspection. Key elements from the original 1976 Heuer Monza can be found within it, if slightly reworked. These include a minute counter at three o’clock, a permanent seconds display at six o’clock, and an angled date aperture at nine o’clock.
TAG Heuer has updated the overall aesthetic to meet the expectations of modern watch enthusiasts, with matte-black chronograph counters and white lacquered hour and minute hands (emblazoned with white Super-LumiNova) to maximise readability. Simultaneously, carefully considered red accents recall the historic colour scheme of the Monza line.
Encircling all of this, the watch’s flange combines a tachymeter and a pulsometer scale, nodding to the chronograph’s functional origins.
Movement
TAG Heuer’s COSC-certified Calibre TH20-12 keeps all of these elements in sync, and you can view it in all its glory via the sapphire crystal caseback. As the watch’s name suggests, this movement incorporates the flyback chronograph function, which allows consecutive timing intervals to be measured without interrupting the chronograph.
The complication works by instantly resetting and restarting the timing sequence with a single press. This makes the complication particularly handy in motorsport, where a fraction of a second makes all the difference.
That said, if you’re asking yourself if this is a complication that will be regularly deployed by those outside of the motorsport niche, the answer is no. But that doesn’t mean it’s not cool. Nor does it make me want one any less.
Rally Strap
The TAG Heuer Monza Flyback Chronograph’s finishing touch comes in the form of a black calfskin strap. Perforated, as all the best racing watch straps are, it also features contrasting red stitching, a staple of classic motor racing timepieces.
A black DLC titanium-grade 2 sandblasted folding clasp with double safety pushbuttons completes the strap. All in all, it provides a handsome echo of the red-accented dial, enhancing the retro flair embedded in the watch’s DNA.
Price and Availability
The TAG Heuer Monza Flyback Chronograph is available to order now and has a price of CHF 12,600 (local price pending).
If you want one, you’ll need to be quick. With just 500 to be made, they’re sure to be snapped up by racing enthusiasts as quickly as Niki Lauda could complete a lap behind the wheel of his Ferrari back in 1975.
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