Over the years, Heuer has released plenty of stand out and even odd timepieces, just think of the Heuer Kentucky or the Heuer Silverstone. Well, another such Heuer timepiece, that was even revived in a homage last year, is the Heuer Monnin Diver ref. 844 – a quartz dive watch from the 1970s.
The story of the Heuer Monnin is pretty interesting, as it was the brand’s first dive watch and was released in the mid-1970s, at the height of the Quartz Attack. Since it was Heuer’s first ever dive watch, they made it in collaboration with a French firm called ‘Monnin’. Initially, these Heuer timepieces were made in 42 mm steel cases with 200-meter waster resistance. While the recent homage is somewhat larger and somewhat more water resistant, there are many hallmarks that stay true to the original design of the Heuer Monnin ref. 844.
TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 300 Tribute to Ref. 844 / Credit: Monochrome Watches
The original, Heuer’s first dive watch, was extremely popular when it was first released, with production soon after moving to Switzerland. They were simply designed dive watches with rotating black bezels, luminous hour markers, and the date at 3 o’clock. The first models made in France used the Cal. E 4611A, while the subsequent Swiss-made models were powered by the ETA 2872.
In my eyes, the Heuer Monnin is an excellent example of a forgotten Heuer model that definitely deserved to be revived, if anything for being the genesis of the Heuer divers that followed.
By: Andres Ibarguen
Read more:
Goulard, Brice. “Introducing TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 300 Tribute to Ref. 844 (Live Pics & Price).” Monochrome Watches, August 4th, 2021, https://monochrome-watches.com/tag-heuer-aquaracer-professional-300-tribute-to-ref-844-review-price/.
“HEUER MONNIN 844: A BRIEF HISTORY AND COLLECTOR'S GUIDE.” Veblenist, https://www.veblenist.com/magazine/heuer-monnin-844.