To celebrate celebrate Heuer’s 150th anniversary, Tag Heuer, based on the the shape of the Monaco watch, has created the Tag Heuer Monaco V4 in a limited edition of 150 pieces. It is reported that the first piece will be auctioned off at the Only Watch 2009.

Inspired by the powerful racing cars, Tag Heuer created the first Tag Heuer Monaco/Monza chronograph with its iconic square dial supported by Tag Heuer water-proof system. 40 years later, it pays tribute to the 24 hours of Le Mansagain by releasing the latest Monaco 24 Concept Chronograph.

It seems that a watch of such beauty should only exist in dreams! But now, it becomes reality. The open-worked dial that shows off part of the exceptional movement gives the first visual attack. And I believe few Tag Heuer Watches lovers can resist such perfect mixture of aesthetic design and mechanical beauty. Well, I am an appearance person. I have to admit that I was really surprised and amazed by the distinctive looking and the contemporary style of Monaco V4 limited Edition. I could not even believe that Tag Heuer had created it. The black-textured 40.5mm dial is crafted from industrial-grade tungsten infused with carbon. This material is especially developed for car racing and aerospace use. The TAG Heuer Calibre 36 movement is suspended in the case through four shock absorbers. This innovative design endows Monaco 24 with incredible shock resistance. Monaco 24 will still survive if being dropped from 20-feet height. It is so tough designed that it can even “eat” the impact of 24, 000G. The technical beauty of this movement is visible through sapphire crystal dial face and case back. The front sapphire crystal has anti-reflective at both sides for optimal readability.

By the way, the dial displays just hours and minutes and has a power reserve indicator.And to my knowledge, V4 limited edition is the only Tag Heuer watch made of platinum.To true watch lovers, the secret beneath its charming appearance is much more enchanting! Well, the Monaco V4 is the first watch fitted with a belt-driven movement with 52-hours power reserve and the accuracy at plus or minus 4 seconds a day. The power is stored in in four barrels visible in the rear,and that it is why it is called V4. And another unique feature of V4 is that it has automatic winding system. Monaco 24 features an over-sized “24″ at 12, which is the most notable difference from previous Monaco models. The dial sports blue and orange stripes, which remind me of  Tag Heuer Indy 500, who worn the same colors in his 1970 film classic, Le Mans. Two sub-counters are located at 3 and 9 o’clock with strong sporty feel as inspired by racing cars. Obviously, the dial adopts not a few 3-dimensional design elements. The hands, in particular, seems to hover over the dial and take charge of very moment passing. Instead of having a rotor that oscillates, it has a weight that moves in a linear fashion up and down – just like a piston almost. That movement acts to move gears that wind the mainspring. Besides, the movement adopts mini ball bearings rather than synthetic rubies to have lowest friction between gears and palettes.

Except the one being auctioned, the price for each Tag Heuer Monaco V4 Limited Edition is likely to be $40,000.And I just wonder if V4 will steal the show from the Tag 24 Concept Chronograph which is very hot this year when they are exhibited at the same place.

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