Screen-worn Steve McQueen Le Mans TAG Heuer Monaco heading to Sotheby’s auction

Zach Blass

The word iconic is perhaps thrown around too much within the watch world, but to describe the TAG Heuer Monaco as a watch icon is irrefutable. Some watch enthusiasts have begun to dismiss the value of celebrity ambassadors and provenance, but legendary figures like Steve McQueen undoubtedly add rich dimension and backstory to a watch. Already significant in its own right, the Heuer Monaco was groundbreaking for its time – known for being one of first-ever automatic chronographs and notably packaged in a distinct and novel square-shaped case. What ultimately brought its then-quirky design to the masses was Steve McQueen donning the watch in the 1971 film Le Mans. As the King of Cool, McQueen’s endorsement, for lack of a better phrase, made it that much more desirable to the marketplace at the time and decades later continues to be a winning narrative that pulls at the heartstrings of modern buyers. Six Heuer Monaco ref. 1133B watches were delivered and worn during the production of the stunt-laden film, and it has been revealed that one of the six Steve McQueen Monaco watches will be auctioned by Sotheby’s on December 11, 2024.

While some of the six total Steve McQueen Monacos supplied for the film have been sold previously, this particular lot is hitting the market for the first time. Sotheby’s explains: “Interestingly, this Heuer Monaco has never come up for sale, making it a particularly rare and coveted piece. Two of the six are in the TAG Heuer museum collection, two have sold through public auctions and others privately. The last time one came up for public sale was 2020, and that one sold for $2.2 million.”

Two of the six 1133Bs sent to the Le Mans set were outfitted on a bracelet, while the other four were outfitted on a leather strap – which Sotheby’s notes was exclusively how Steve McQueen wore the watch in the film. Along with it being the first time this particular watch is offered for sale, the fact that it’s on a leather strap potentially makes it the strongest one of the six to acquire. Furthermore, with the traceability of ownership history paramount in vintage watches, Sotheby’s elaborates in its lot description the origins of the watch and who it was first possessed by at the conclusion of the film’s production.

“It comes to sale with notable provenance, with a continuous history of possession from initial production through to today. It was part of the dispatch of other watches and timing equipment sent from the Heuer factory in Switzerland to the set at the request of the property master, Don Nunley,” Sotheby’s remarks. “After filming, it was acquired by Bevan Weston, a young mechanic, who was working on set supporting the number 8 Ferrari 512. Weston was part of the crew recommended to the production team by Derek Bell, who helped train McQueen to drive the Porsche 917, together with Jo Siffert. We actually have a great image of Bev Weston wearing the watch, seated next to McQueen.”

The fact Bev Weston extended the motorsport racing provenance of the watch beyond Le Mans, rather than it simply collecting dust in a film studio’s storage, arguably enriches the story behind the watch and its journey to market further. The condition of this Monaco looks great at first glance, but we would always recommend checking these things out in person as imagery never tells the full story. For example, the lume on the hour and minute hands appears to be a very different colour to the lume on the dial, but the only sure way to check if these have been replaced or relumed is to check it with a UV light.

This Steve McQueen Monaco, worn by the man himself, will be hammered off during Sotheby’s Important Watches Auction on December 11 in New York City. The estimate has been conservatively set at US$500,000 to US$1,000,000. As we mentioned earlier, considering one sold at Phillips for US$2.2M in 2020, it’s fair to assume the watch will have a high result. Having said that, that sold at the peak of the watch buying market, with some folk left with plenty of disposable income during the pandemic, going towards watch purchases. Alongside the mismatched lume of the hands and indices, it may hinder the lot’s final performance, making me think the watch will sell closer to the US$1M mark.