Monaco 1133B

The Monaco 1133B is what happened when Heuer decided to put an automatic chronograph inside a 40mm square steel case and hand one to Steve McQueen. It was eccentric at launch and it remains eccentric today, which is most of the reason collectors pursue it. Production ran six years, from 1969 to 1975, and every example you find is vintage.

What it is

The 1133B arrived in 1969 as one of the first watches to house the Calibre 11, an automatic chronograph movement co-developed by Heuer, Hamilton, Breitling, Buren, and Dubois-Depraz in a race to solve the rotor problem in a chronograph. The square case, left-side crown, and blue dial were deliberate departures from chronograph convention at a time when round cases and right-side crowns were simply assumed. McQueen wore a 1133B in the 1971 film Le Mans, and whatever collector appetite existed before that film was multiplied afterward.

Heuer discontinued the reference in 1975 and did not revive it until decades later, which means every original 1133B is now fifty years old or more. The combination of a genuinely significant movement, a polarizing case design, and an unusually specific cultural moment has made this reference one of the most written-about vintage watches in existence.

Buying notes

The Calibre 11 in these examples has had decades to accumulate wear and deferred service, and finding one that runs correctly without needing a full movement overhaul is not common. Dial condition varies enormously: look for consistent lacquer, no moisture damage around the sub-registers, and original printing on the Heuer and Monaco text. The case is steel and the square edges show wear prominently; over-polished examples lose the case geometry that makes the watch recognizable.

Fakes and heavily restored dials exist in the market, and a changed dial on a 1133B destroys most of the value. Buy from a seller who can document the movement serial number and provide close photos of the dial surface under raking light before committing.

Market read

Genuine 1133Bs with honest dials and correct, functioning movements trade in the $15,000 to $35,000 range depending on condition, with McQueen-era provenance stories doing nothing to help buyers and everything to help sellers. Examples with service history from a credible watchmaker command a premium over unknowns. The reference rarely loses ground in price because the supply is fixed and the cultural pull is durable, but condition spread is wide enough that two 1133Bs at similar asking prices can represent very different actual values.

Service expectations

The Calibre 11 should be serviced every five to seven years, and any 1133B that has not been opened in the last decade deserves a full overhaul before regular wear. Parts availability for the Calibre 11 has improved as the movement's historical significance brought reproduction components into the market, but a watchmaker with specific experience on early automatic chronographs is worth seeking out over a generalist.