As with most things, provenance in watches is everything – see Paul Newman’s Rolex Daytona or Jackie O’s Cartier Tank. Now Steve McQueen’s Heuer Monaco, as worn in the legendary driving film Le Mans (1971), is up for auction at Sotheby’s New York on 15 June. In a heady mix of horological history, Hollywood glamour and the thrill of endurance racing, it’s an object that far transcends the sum of all its parts.
Heuer (today known as TAG Heuer) launched the Monaco in 1969 to much fanfare. Billed as the world’s first square, water-resistant, automatic chronograph, it landed just as the Swiss-watch industry was struggling against the rapid rise of quartz watches. This was a moment to fight back and to also celebrate a freshly inked association with Formula 1, with a watch named after the circuit that offered one of the most challenging and technical drives of the season.
A year later, six Heuer Monacos would be sent to the Le Mans movie set to be worn by McQueen as he filmed the cult classic during the 1970 running of the race. The model under the hammer this summer is considered to be the piece that spent the most amount of time on his wrist during filming. Offered with a trove of archival documents from the set and more than 200 photographs, the estimate is $500,000 – $1 million, but it will likely climb higher.
Heuer 1133B Monaco, as worn by Steve McQueen in Le Mans, estimate $500,000 - $1 million, sothebys.com
After relaunching in the late 90s, the Monaco has become a key pillar in the TAG Heuer lexicon, given the respect that a design icon deserves, while acting as a vehicle for the latest technical advancements and partnerships. Last year it announced, in addition to the brand’s role as Official Timekeeper of Formula 1, that it is now the Title Partner of the Grand Prix de Monaco, for the first time in the nearly 100-year history of the race. A Split-Seconds Chronograph was presented in a form of titanium that took four years to develop, and a Monaco Chronograph Stopwatch, in an overt nod to its motor-racing roots. This year, the offering includes the TAG Heuer Monaco Evergraph, with a new highly precise movement containing groundbreaking flexible parts. It promises the convergence of performance, durability and design – a winning combination that McQueen would have surely approved of.