TAG Heuer, the Swiss watch company, and Parsons The New School for Design,
yesterday announced the “Art of Watchmaking,” a partnership that will
let Parsons students reinterpret an iconic timepiece, the  Monaco
Automatic Chronograph
 
The eight-week competition lets students collaborate in the design studio while
being mentored by TAG Heuer master watchmakers, all culminating in the
selection of three winning timepiece designs and the potential for TAG Heuer to
produce the top design as a limited-edition piece.  
 
The project began in early September, when TAG Heuer presented 26 junior-level
Parsons students with a comprehensive overview of the Monaco, which was first
introduced in 1969.
 
Students were then divided into eight teams, to create their own iteration of
the timepiece. Many aspects are open to interpretation, including the material
choice, color and design of the dial, subdials, hands, indexes and folding
buckle.  However, students cannot alter the distinctive shape of the
Monaco’s case, whose clean, geometric lines departed from the rounded watch
dials of the ’60s and ’70s.
 
The general public will be able to vote for its favorite creation on TAG
Heuer’s Facebook page. Awards will be granted in mid-November.

JCK