Another Steve McQueen Le Mans Monaco is coming up for auction and this one has all the receipts
Russell SheldrakeThe Heuer Monaco on Steve McQueen’s wrist in the film Le Mans is one of those mythical objects in the watch world. There is no escaping that iconic image of him in the white jumpsuit, red Heuer patch emblazoned on his chest, and the blue square dial sat proudly on his wrist, seemingly jumping out from the rest of his oil-coverage visage. And because of this legendary status and symbolism that has penetrated the watch world, tracking down and owning that specific watch has become something of a quest akin to hunting the Holy Grail.
However, like most myths, the reality is never as magical as the stories make it seem. There were, in fact, several watches delivered to the set by Heuer, with a supposed four blue dial Monacos among the 12 pieces sent in total. So that begs even more questions: Which one did McQueen wear? Did he wear more than one? Where did they all end up? This is a rabbit hole of collecting that you could spend a significant portion of your life dedicated to and still not have all the answers. After all, things were just done differently back in 1970.
However, we have our second McQueen Monaco coming to auction in just two years, and with the same auction house, Sotheby’s. What might be more impressive about this latest lot, though, is all of the paperwork that accompanies it. The delivery and subsequent distribution of the watches that Heuer provided for the film were handled by the prop master Don Nunley, and thankfully, he was an incredibly detail-oriented man. And he kept all the letters and records of how he got the watches and what he did with them after filming. And this lot comes with all of these letters.
The watch will be coming up for auction at Sotheby’s in New York on Monday 15th of June with the auction starting at 10am EDT. The estimate for this piece has been placed at US$500,000-US$1,000,000 which feels like a great starting point for this watch as the last one to sell in 2024 went for US$1.4m. I always find these kind of auctions exciting to follow. While they cannot be used a barometer for the health of the overall market, they are a great flagship for what collectors are willing to pay for extraordinary provenance, and how far these stories will go. Especially when you consider this has already been a massive year for the Monaco at TAG Heuer, with the new releases we have seen this year, including the reissue of the watch going up for sale. Will you be following along live? Or maybe even placing a bid?
I hope you have a great weekend.
Russell and the Time+Tide team.
Russell’s Time+Tide take of the week: Neo-vintage is the most interesting area of watch collecting today
Yes, this is an incredibly subjective take, but I challenge anyone to dig into the watches produced between 1980 and 2000 and not find a watch they hadn’t seen before that defies conventions we all presume were set decades before. The neo-vintage era was a time when brands were willing to try new things, adopt organic design principles, and experiment with new technologies. The industry had begun to recover from the quartz crisis, in Switzerland, at least, the Japanese brands were still riding the wave of battery power, and there was a sense that all bets were off.
What is even more fascinating to me is that this period is one of the least studied in our community. There are countless books written on vintage Rolex and antiquated Patek, but to dive into a funky-looking Omega from 1985, you are almost going into uncharted territory. And that is the most exciting feeling as a watch journalist.
I understand that not every watch made during this period is going to be to everyone’s taste, but when you consider that even the Holy Trinity brands at this time were continuing to make their most desirable designs from the past, but now with things like sapphire crystal and better shock protection, what is not to love?
And if you want another reason to love this period, as they are often overlooked, the prices on these watches are much lower than you might expect them to be. So now could be the ideal time to cash in on a watch that might be about to become very popular.
Wristshot of the week: Hov, Horology, Hoops
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Sat courtside at Maddison Square Garden for game three of the NBA Finals, Jay-Z didn’t disappoint with another heavy hitter on the wrist, this time reaching for the Patek Philippe ref. 5002 Sky Moon. There have been a lot of sporting events over the last week that have all treated us to a bunch of great watch spots, but this one tops them all for me.
Time+Tide Shop pick of the week: Beaucroft The Arc
A favourite around the Time+Tide office and Studio, Beaucroft has given us another treat with the updated version of their launch model, the Seeker, with The Arc. This refreshed classic brings the model more in line with how the brand’s collectors were actually using the watch. While it was originally intended to be a more dressy piece, Beaucroft clients were using it as a daily driver. So the team decided they needed to update it, bring the water resistance up to 100m and add on a Delugs strap for good measure. There have also been subtle design tweaks on the dial and case that make this feel like a more balanced and pleasing watch overall. The Arc can be bought online from the Time+Tide shop right now, or from any three of our Discovery Studios around the world. Price: US$575/£525.
Our favourite Time+Tide coverage of the week
6 rare vintage Longines watches go head-to-head in a 3-Watch Throw Down
I’m going to keep on my vintage theme of earlier by going straight in with this incredible conversation between Andrew and Matt Hanson, better known on like and Vintage Longines. In this latest Three Watch Throwdown the two go head-to-head over Matt’s incredible collection of old Longines pieces, where stories and facts are brought out that show the true depth of this brand.
We Brought the Best British Watches to New York — And Picked Our Favourites
Next, we are flying over to New York for a tour of our latest British Weekender event that goes at breakneck speed with Andrew, Justin, and Emily all picking favourites from the Great British brands we had on display in our New York Discovery Studio. You get a real sense of the energy in the room here, everyone buzzing to get hands on with these watches that had just jumped the pond for one weekend only.