Strap Guide: TAG Heuer Monaco Calibre 11

Strap Guide written by @mch.wis. Thank you Michael Chu!

Introduction

I approached this strap guide with the intention of showing how versatile the Monaco can be, despite being such a chunky square watch. In all honesty, it’s a watch I don’t wear that often because it seemed like a one trick pony. So to challenge myself, I wore this watch for a week straight (a long time for someone who changes watch daily) to all of life’s daily micro-adventures. My only rule? I could only wear the Monaco, but I was allowed unlimited strap changes. Intrigued? Well, continue reading to see how it fared.

Natural Buttero Slim

In its natural color, this Buttero Slim Strap graces the Monaco with an elegant yet casual and chic aura that wouldn’t look out of place when paired with a suit, sweater, or t-shirt. The supple Buttero leather also adds a touch of luxury when you strap it on your wrist. This is a very versatile strap.

Shown here with a navy wool/silk crew neck sweater and stone chinos.

Navy Saffiano Signature

The Navy Saffiano strap really brings out the blue of the watch and surprisingly, reminds me a lot of the old Corfam straps of the original Heuers (sans perforations). While on paper the watch is “dressier”, it actually also brought out a lot of the vibes of the original 1133B which worked well in more casual settings as well.

Shown here with a white polo under a light beige quarter-zip sweater with khaki chinos.

Grey Barenia Signature

With its medium grey tone, this strap really muted the Monaco’s in-your-face, look-at-me colors. As a result, this is the strap choice for when you want exactly that: to tone down the watch. Crafted from Barenia leather, the strap is very soft and provides the perfect texture that can easily dress up or down: it’s the do-it-all strap.

Shown here with a forest green merino wool quarter-zip sweater with khaki chinos.

White Rubber CTS

Every sport watch deserves a rubber strap and the CTS Strap is unlike any other - it truly feels like a strap befitting of a luxury sport watch. The tapered strap (22-18mm) along with its well-finished butterfly clasp really feels high quality, while the white color acts as a blank canvas for the blue dial to rest upon. The strap, once sized, is extremely comfortable and really puts the “sport” in sport watch.

Shown here with a dark navy harrington hooded jacket and grey chinos.

Red Alcantara Signature

If you believe in matches made in heaven, then the Monaco and red Alcantara is exactly that. The Alcantara material, often seen in interiors of luxury sports cars, really emphasizes the true motorsport spirit of this watch. Crafted in bold red, the strap complements the red details of the watch’s dial while providing a worthy partnership to match the Monaco’s iconic design - it's Robin to Batman, Scottie Pippen to Michael Jordan, Yin to Yang.

Shown here with a white polo, white hoodie, and navy shorts.