TAG Heuer and Parsons The New School for Design revealed the winners of a 10-week competition called the “Art of Watchmaking,” that charged eight teams of Parsons product design students with reinterpreting TAG Heuer’s classic Monaco chronograph. Three winning teams were selected by a panel of judges, and TAG Heuer has the potential to produce one of the first-place designs as a limited-edition piece.
For the competition, each team showcased three concepts, and discussed their inspiration, target consumer and design philosophy. First-place honors were for a sleek, black model with a shield over the watch face and edition numbers to appeal to collectors; second-place honors were for a black ceramic timepiece with neon accents; and third-place honors were for a piece with naturally grown crystals in its dial.
The partnership and competition—a first for TAG Heuer—began in early September, when TAG Heuer presented the 24 students with a comprehensive overview of the Monaco, which was first introduced in 1969 as the world’s first self-winding automatic chronograph movement and waterproof square case. Students were able to decide on material choice, color and design of the dial, subdials, and more, but could not alter the distinctive shape of the Monaco’s case.