2026 is shaping up to be the year of the Monaco at TAG Heuer. Following the spectacular Evergraph and the trilogy of left-hand crown Monaco chronographs presented at Watches and Wonders, the house shows no sign of slowing down with its latest release, the Monaco Speed 12, unveiled on the eve of — what else? — the Monaco Grand Prix. But instead of a chronograph, which one typically associates with the Monaco, the TAG Heuer Monaco Speed 12 marks time through a spectacular jumping-hour mechanism.

The hour is told off the rotating pistons, while the sole hand tracks the minute around the dial

Limited to just 50 numbered pieces, the Speed 12 is a stunning new interpretation of the Spin Time movement developed by Michel Navas and Enrico Barbasini of La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton (LFDTLV), now housed in TAG Heuer’s equally distinctive Monaco case. As watchmaking collabs go, it is quite a perfect match that brings together two icons.

“The collaboration was driven by a shared spirit of innovation and a willingness to challenge conventions,” says Maria Laffont, TAG Heuer’s Head of Product Design. “Both TAG Heuer and La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton are known for pushing the boundaries of traditional watchmaking and exploring new ways to express mechanical creativity.

TAG Heuer Monaco Speed 12 (©Revolution)

“When we discovered the iconic Spin Time movement, we immediately saw an opportunity to reinterpret this remarkable calibre through the lens of TAG Heuer’s racing DNA. Its dynamic display offered the perfect foundation to create something unexpected, technical and deeply connected to our world of motorsport. The result is a timepiece that combines the inventive watchmaking expertise of La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton with TAG Heuer’s long-standing passion for speed, performance and avant-garde design.”

The Spin Time, Redux

First introduced in 2009, the Spin Time was a complete reinvention of the traditional jumping hour. Instead of the traditional hour hand, it used 12 rotating cubes connected to the movement via pinions to tell time. When the minute hand completes its trek around the dial, two cubes instantly “jump”, or more accurately, rotate — one to show the correct number marking the new hour and the other to hide the number showing the previous hour. The inspiration, as Navas and Barbasini have shared, hailed from the rotating flap displays once commonplace in airports and train stations.

The Spin Time made its debut in Louis Vuitton’s Tambour Spin Time to great acclaim, and over the years, Louis Vuitton has reworked and refined its expressions in the Spin Time Air (2014), where the cubes appear to float in mid-air, and the Tambour Taiko Spin Time (2025), which features a mechanical upgrade to the original caliber that allows the time to be adjusted backwards and forwards without damaging the gear.

A Racing Spin

In this latest collaboration, the Spin Time mechanism once again takes center stage, this time with an inspired twist from TAG Heuer’s world of high-octane racing. It is housed in the signature Monaco case in Grade 5 titanium with an open-worked dial that showcases the action to brilliant effect.

TAG Heuer Monaco Speed 12 (©Revolution)

“The Monaco was a natural choice as it is one of TAG Heuer’s most iconic timepieces and has represented avant-garde watchmaking ever since its launch in 1969. From its distinctive square case and left-sided crown to its bold blue dial, the TAG Heuer Monaco has always challenged the conventions of its time. It has consistently served as a platform for innovation within TAG Heuer, beginning with its role as one of the world’s first automatic chronographs and continuing through groundbreaking creations such as the TAG Heuer Monaco V4, the TAG Heuer Monaco Split-Seconds Chronograph, the TAG Heuer Monaco Evergraph and now the TAG Heuer Monaco Speed 12,” says Laffont.

“This timepiece has always been a watch that embraces the unexpected, making it the ideal canvas for a project that reimagines time display in such a bold and unconventional way.”

TAG Heuer Monaco Speed 12 (©Revolution)

Instead of cubes, there are 12 rhodium-plated pistons that resemble the cylinders in a supercar engine. Each piston is engraved with an Arabic numeral for the hour, which is lacquered in black. As in the original Spin Time watches, two pistons rotate on the hour to tell the time, bringing a dynamic energy to the dial.

The rotating pistons are inspired by the 12-cylinder engines of racing cars

It is powered by the automatic Calibre TH84-00, which retains the same technical architecture and performance characteristics as the original movement developed by LFDTLV, but with clever references to the world of TAG Heuer and motor racing.

For instance, the round movement is suspended in the square case via four DLC-coated open-worked arches at each corner, like an engine mounted within a chassis. The oscillating weight, meanwhile, is shaped as TAG Heuer’s signature shield.

TAG Heuer Monaco Speed 12 (©Revolution)

As Laffont points out, the TAG Heuer Monaco Speed 12 continues what has now become TAG Heuer’s tradition of using the TAG Heuer Monaco as a platform for some of its most ambitious watchmaking projects. These include the brand’s collaborations with leading movement specialists such as Vaucher Manufacture Fleurier for the TAG Heuer Monaco Split-Seconds Chronograph and the TAG Heuer Monaco Evergraph released earlier this year.

“It is a new vision of the TAG Heuer Monaco that places the movement itself centre stage and transforms mechanical watchmaking into a kinetic spectacle inspired by the world of racing.”

Indeed, this is something surely that Monaco fans will appreciate. Vroom, Vroom, we say!

Tech Specs: TAG Heuer Monaco Speed 12

Movement Self-winding Caliber TH84-00
Functions Hours and minutes
Case 40mm; Grade 5 titanium; water-resistant to 30m
Dial Open-worked dial with black opaline minute ring and white printed minute track
Strap Black rubber strap with red stitching with polished Grade 5 titanium folding clasp with double safety push-buttons
Availability Limited to 50 pieces
Price CHF 70,000