admin Dwayne Johnson is most definitely a watch guy.
The legendary pro wrestler and prolific action star has been spotted rocking all manner of spectacular wristwear, from an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak to a Panerai Submersible to an IWC Big Pilot. Though the Rock typically springs for larger timepieces, he’s been known to throw on a 40mm Rolex or two as well.
While in Denver on Saturday—where he hung with Coach Prime on ESPN’s College GameDay, just hours after making a shocking return to WWE SmackDown on Friday night— Johnson wore a brand-spankin’ new watch that’s been making the horological rounds for its good looks, excellent movement, and stylish update to a vintage classic: the Tag Heuer Monaco Night Driver.
The Monaco, for the unfamiliar, is a rectangular chronograph powered by an automatic movement—upon its debut in 1969, it was the very first highly water-resistant, automatic chronograph housed in such a case. Famously worn by Steve McQueen in 1971’s Le Mans, its immediately recognizable silhouette has endured for over 50 years.
Tag frequently reissues the Monaco in various guises, some of them limited editions such as this one. Not every one feels special, but the Night Driver has quite a lot going for it: Housed in a 39mm black DLC case made from Grade 5 titanium, it features an anthracite-gray opalin dial with a fine grain pattern that recalls the gray, blue, and black dials on vintage Monaco references. Furthermore, it truly comes to life in the darkness, with a fully luminescent dial that glows for 3 hours after being fully “charged” in light.
When many watch aficionados consider the Monaco, the first thing that comes to mind is its automatic movement—which, in 1969, was the groundbreaking Calibre 11. These days, the Night Driver (like many Monaco references) is powered by the Heuer Calibre 02, which features an 80-hour “weekend-proof” power reserve and a column wheel, making for smooth actuation of the chronograph. (Nothing like a little smooth actuation in your man-jewelry, lemme tell ya.) The entire shebang is visible, FYI, via a transparent sapphire caseback.
What can we say: The Rock has good taste! You might have a slightly harder time snagging a Night Driver than he did, however, as it’s limited to 600 pieces. If your local Tag Heuer boutique still has one in stock—it officially dropped last week ahead of the F1 Singapore Grand Prix—we’d recommend hightailing it over there with all the speed of McQueen behind the wheel of a 1970 Porsche 917K. Because while there are many driving watches, very few of them are this rad.
