You’ve seen the photo. It’s everywhere. Steve McQueen, the "King of Cool," sitting in the cockpit of a Porsche 917, clad in a white racing suit with those iconic Gulf stripes, staring intensely at something off-camera. Strapped to his wrist is a chunky, blue-dialed square watch that looks like it traveled back from the future.
That watch is the TAG Heuer Monaco. Or, to be pedantically accurate—and we’re going to be accurate today—it was just the Heuer Monaco back then. TAG didn't enter the picture until the mid-80s.
Today, this watch is a titan. It’s the "McQueen Monaco." It’s a permanent fixture in the pantheon of horology, right next to the Rolex Daytona and the Omega Speedmaster. But here’s the thing: almost everything you think you know about how it got there is a little bit wrong. People talk about it like it was a massive hit from day one or that McQueen wore it because he loved it.
Honestly? Neither is true.
The Watch That Nobody Wanted
In 1969, Jack Heuer was in a high-stakes race. He was part of a secret consortium—Heuer, Breitling, Hamilton-Buren, and Dubois-Depraz—scrambling to create the world’s first automatic chronograph. They were competing against Zenith and Seiko. On March 3, 1969, they unveiled the Calibre 11, a revolutionary movement that meant you didn't have to wind your stopwatch every morning.
To house this movement, Jack wanted something radical. He went to a case maker named Piquerez who had patented a way to make a square case waterproof. At the time, square watches were for dress occasions. They weren't for sports. They definitely weren't for racing.
Jack took the leap. He named it the Monaco, after the glamorous Grand Prix.
It flopped. Hard.
People thought it was ugly. It was too big, too weird, and that crown on the left side (meant to show you didn't need to wind it) just confused everyone. By the time 1970 rolled around, Heuer was sitting on a pile of inventory they couldn't move.
How Don Nunley Saved the Monaco
If you’re looking for the real hero of the TAG Heuer Monaco Steve McQueen legend, it isn't Steve. It’s a guy named Don Nunley.
Nunley was the prop master for the 1971 film Le Mans. When production started in France in 1970, McQueen wanted his character, Michael Delaney, to look authentic. He didn't want to look like a Hollywood star; he wanted to look like a professional driver.
McQueen’s real-world inspiration was Jo Siffert, the legendary Swiss driver. Siffert was actually the first-ever racing driver to be sponsored by a watch brand. He had a deal with Jack Heuer: he’d wear the logo on his suit and sell watches in the paddock for a commission.
McQueen saw Siffert’s white suit with the "Heuer" patch and said, "I want to look like him."
Don Nunley brought out a tray of watches. There were Rolexes, Omegas, and several Heuers. Legend says McQueen picked the Monaco because it was the most "different." But there was a more practical reason: Nunley had three identical Monacos on hand.
Continuity is a nightmare in film. If one watch broke or got scratched during a high-speed driving scene, they needed an exact backup so the shots would match. Since the Monaco wasn't selling well, Heuer had plenty of stock to send to the set.
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McQueen put it on. The rest is history.
The $2.2 Million Gift
There’s a persistent myth that McQueen wore the Monaco every day after the movie. He didn't.
In his private life, McQueen was a Rolex Submariner man. He almost never wore the Monaco after filming wrapped. But he did recognize the people who made the movie possible.
On the final day of filming Le Mans, McQueen walked up to Haig Alltounian, the film’s chief mechanic. Haig was the man responsible for keeping the cars—and McQueen—safe during those brutal driving sequences.
McQueen took the watch off his wrist and handed it to him.
"I want to thank you for keeping me alive all these months," McQueen allegedly said.
When Haig tried to refuse such an expensive gift, McQueen told him it was too late—he’d already had the back engraved. It read: TO HAIG LE MANS 1970.
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In December 2020, that exact watch—Reference 1133B—was sold at Phillips in New York. The hammer fell at $2.208 million. Not bad for a watch that was once considered a "commercial failure."
Why It Still Matters in 2026
You might wonder why we’re still talking about a square watch from the 70s. It's because the TAG Heuer Monaco represents something rare in the luxury world: a design that refused to compromise.
Most watches today are "iterative." They look like something else that was popular three years ago. The Monaco still looks like a Monaco. It’s aggressive. It’s unapologetic.
What to look for if you're buying one:
- The "McQueen" Blue: The original 1133B has a specific metallic blue dial that shifts in the light. Modern re-editions try to mimic this, but the vintage "petrol" blue is distinct.
- The Crown Placement: Authentic "McQueen" style re-issues (like the Calibre 11) keep the crown on the left. The Calibre 12 versions moved it to the right for a more traditional feel, but purists hate that.
- The Crystal: Vintage models used plexiglass (plastic). Modern ones use sapphire. Sapphire is better for daily wear, but plexiglass has a "warmth" that collectors crave.
Beyond the Movie Poster
The association between TAG Heuer, Steve McQueen, and the Monaco is arguably the most successful marketing "accident" in history. Jack Heuer didn't pay McQueen to wear it. There was no multimillion-dollar contract.
It was just a prop master, a racing suit, and an actor who wanted to look like his friend Jo Siffert.
If you're thinking about getting into the world of Monacos, don't just buy it for the McQueen connection. Buy it because it’s a weird, square piece of engineering that survived a decade where it was nearly forgotten.
Next Steps for Enthusiasts:
If you're ready to hunt for your own, start by researching the Reference 1133B. Look for "transitional" dials if you want something truly rare. If you're buying a modern version, prioritize the Calibre 11 movement to keep that left-hand crown—it's the only way to get the true Michael Delaney look. Avoid "fauxtina" (fake aged lume) unless it’s done with incredible subtlety; the best modern Monacos acknowledge their history without trying to lie about their age.