
Charles Dower
Head of sale, Knightsbridge
Sold for £12,750 inc. premium
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The Monaco model with the reference 1133 B was worn by Steve McQueen in the famous racing film 'Le Mans'. The connection between McQueen and his Monaco had its origins in the relationship between McQueen and Jo Siffert. Jo Siffert who was one of the most successful sports car racers of the time was involved with the filming of the race scenes in 1970. Siffert arranged for other race car and famous endurance drivers, such as Derek Bell, Brian Redman, Rolf Stommelen, David Piper and others to participate too.
For his Gulf Porsche 917 driving scenes, Steve McQueen wanted them to remain as true and original as possible and he insisted on wearing the same style of driving suit as Jo Siffert, with the large Heuer Chronograph logo on the front. The Heuer Monaco was just introduced with its cutting edge design and Steve McQueen decided to wear a Monaco in the film. Gerd Rüdiger Lang, former owner of Chronoswiss, was a time witness to these events and he himself started during the mid sixties as a young watchmaker at Heuer. He remembers bringing 20 Heuer wristwatches, some stopwatches, Heuer patches and stickers to Le Mans for filming just prior to the race in 1970. The Monaco's starring role on Steve McQueen's wrist helped create its legend, but it was the chronograph's radical look and its complete break with tradition, both inside and outside, that made it stand out. It had a fantastic presence during the film 'Le Mans' of more than 16 minutes.