Le Mans (1971)

Le Mans

A motor-racing drama starring Steve McQueen, shot around the real 24 Hours of Le Mans. Two car racing champions, an American and a German, face off on the world's hardest endurance course: Le Mans in France. (IMDb)

Watches

Heuer Monaco 1133B

Worn by Steve McQueen as Michael Delaney. The square-cased Monaco became inseparable from McQueen's racing image. Sotheby's sold his screen-worn watch, case no. 160'304, in December 2024, identifying it as the blue-dial reference 1133B and noting a special steel bracelet fitted for it during the production. The dial is signed Heuer: the firm did not become TAG Heuer until 1985. (Sotheby's) Montres de Luxe corroborates the blue-dial Monaco as McQueen's watch in the film. (Montres de Luxe) More than one Monaco served the production, and the sale record shows it: Heritage Auctions' Profiles in History Hollywood Auction 49 (July 2012, lot 663) sold a second screen-worn example, "a Heuer 'Monaco' production 1133b (matt blue dial)" that came with "a notarized letter of authenticity from Le Mans prop master Donald Nunley", an orange caseback sticker reading 1133b rubbed from wear, and an operating manual carrying "a factory typed notation that the watch was sold to '24 h at Le Mans 1970'". The essay records how the watches reached the set, "In 1970, Jack Heuer himself delivered a variety of his chronograph timepieces to Donald Nunley", from which "Steve McQueen himself chose this specific watch", and notes that his "sleeve is often conspicuously pushed up to reveal the watch for the cameras." The Heritage watch and Sotheby's case no. 160'304 are two distinct examples of the same reference from the batch Heuer supplied to the production. (Heritage Auctions) Revolution relays prop master Don Nunley's account that McQueen himself chose the blue-dial Monaco and that there were "six instances of the Monaco availed for Le Mans", worn on his right wrist. (Revolution) Monochrome's Monaco history adds that "In 1970, property master Don Nunley contacted Heuer to supply stopwatches, chronographs, and other timing gear", that McQueen "chose to model his character on Siffert's professional image", and captions one of the six set Monacos as the example "later gifted to Haig Alltounian". (Monochrome) OnTheDash, the vintage Heuer reference site, traces seven Monacos tied to the production, beginning with the watch McQueen wore during filming, which passed from the property master, Don Nunley, to the TAG Heuer museum in 2002. (OnTheDash)

© Cinema Center Films

Rolex Submariner 5512

Worn by Steve McQueen as Michael Delaney. A closer look at the film shows that the first watch to appear on screen is actually McQueen's own Submariner, not the Monaco; behind-the-scenes photography from the production documents that whenever filming did not require the Monaco, McQueen wore his own no-date 5512 on his right wrist, the same watch photographed on him at Sebring earlier the same year. The Monaco was a prop obtained for the production and put on his right wrist only when filming required it; the Submariner was his own. (Revolution)

© Revolution Watch (Getty/Popperfoto)