Okay, so, I’ve been a huge fan of Steve McQueen for, like, forever. The guy was just the epitome of cool, you know? And his style? Impeccable. So, naturally, I’ve always been obsessed with the watches he wore, especially that one in the movie Le Mans. I finally decided to get serious about figuring out what exact model it was, and let me tell you, it was a bit of a rabbit hole.
First, I started digging around online, just casual searches at first. I found tons of articles and forum posts about McQueen and his watches. Apparently, the one he rocked in Le Mans was a TAG Heuer Monaco. But not just any Monaco, there are different versions, right?
So, I dove deeper. I scoured collector sites, auction listings, even some old movie buff forums. It was like being a detective or something. I learned that the specific model he wore was the reference 1133B. Apparently, there were a few of these used in the filming, and some are actually in the TAG Heuer Museum. How cool is that?
I stumbled upon a letter, too. Dated November 13, 1970, from some guy named Don Nunley to Jack Heuer. This letter said McQueen took two watches from the Le Mans set. He even gave one to someone named Bill Maher. That’s some serious movie history right there. It’s like touching a piece of McQueen himself.
Then I read about how it all started. In 1970, Jack Heuer got a call from a prop master on the Le Mans movie. Seems McQueen had picked out the Monaco himself. He considered other Heuers, like a Carrera or an Autavia, but went with the Monaco because it was waterproof and looked super modern. Makes sense for a race car driver, right? And McQueen just made it look extra cool.
I also saw that one of these original Le Mans Monacos sold at an auction for over a million bucks! I mean, wow. That’s way out of my league, but it just shows how iconic this watch is. It’s not just a watch, it’s a piece of movie history, a piece of Steve McQueen’s legacy. It makes sense that so many people love racing and watches after that movie.
Here is the breakdown of how I got here:
- Started with general online searches about Steve McQueen’s watches.
- Discovered the watch in Le Mans was a TAG Heuer Monaco.
- Identified the specific model as reference 1133B.
- Found a letter mentioning McQueen taking two watches from the set.
- Learned how Jack Heuer got involved with the movie.
- Realized the watch’s significance and value through auction results.
So yeah, that’s my little journey into the world of the Monaco Steve McQueen TAG Heuer. It’s more than just a watch to me now. It is cool, history, and a connection to one of my all time favorite actors. I just wish I had a time machine to go back to buy one for normal price.
