Collectors revel in the minutia of the watch world. Marks and executions and series’ and make the passion for horology all the more interesting, and thanks to the communities that have around the most important brands including Heuer, clarity over production evolutions have been revealed today that were barely noticed in period.

Case in point the reference 1133B “Transitional” Monaco. When the revolution collection launched in 1969 to pioneer the Calibre 11, the world’s first commercially available automatic chronograph movement, inside the first water resistant square case for a chronograph, the dial looked rather different from that of the Monaco that most are familiar with.

The very first models presented at launch in March of 1969 featured an incredible iridescent vertical brushed deep blue  dial with four simple words printed on it: Chronomatic, Heuer, Monaco and Swiss. While most of the make sense, it is the Chronomatic word that left consumer confused, even it to some it was clearly a portmanteau of automatic chronograph, to many it didn’t make sense and Jack Heuer realised as much.

So very quickly the design design was changed to move the Monaco name above the Heuer shield and automatic chronograph was printed on the lower half of the dial. The amazing chameleon like dial, which shifts from a almost black blue, to a vibrant shade of azure depending on the light, was retailed for the next production batch, as were the unusual start rectangular hands which perfectly encapsulate the form of the watch.

It soon emerged that the gasket placed below the crystal next to the dial due to the unusual architecture of the Monaco case construction, could remove the paint from the dial over time, so to simplify production the finishing was moved from the handsome metallic version, to a simpler matte painted dial. This variant emerged in early 1970, less than a year after the launch of the model, and would be the version present on the set of the movie Le Mans, finding their way onto the wrist of McQueen and eventually acquiring the nickname among collectors.

As a result this short run between the “Chronomatic” models and the “McQueen” have become known as the “transitional” versions among the collector base. Encapsulating the pure design ethos that was intended for the Monaco from the beginning, but carrying the naming format that would become standard, they represent the Goldilocks 1133 for many.

When presented with the strong, sharp angles of an unpolished case and affixed to the early style narrow NSA bracelet, it is clear to see how the Monaco is regarded by some of having laid the foundation for the most celebrated luxury sports watches with blue dials and integrated bracelets that saw their birth in the years following the presentation of the Monaco.