Road Sage

How the world’s greatest motor racing stories inspired two of TAG Heuer’s most iconic watches.

- Alvin Wong

AMID THE CHAOS, a bit of clarity. “There was never a script for the movie the whole way through,” recalled Derek Bell, stunt driver for the filming of the 1971 motor racing classic Le Mans. But one thing was never in doubt. The star of the show, Steve McQueen, was insistent on making the ultimate racing movie. To do so, the movie had to be, above all, uncompromisingly authentic.

McQueen demanded that everything had to be as realistic as they could be, from the daredevil racing sequences to the costumes and props worn by the cast. For the latter, this included watches, which in the motor racing realm are considered professional tools essential to gaining a competitive edge.

Legend has it that McQueen wanted to wear an Omega Speedmaster. However, after prop master Don Nunley pointed out to McQueen that his character’s race suit had a Heuer logo on it, the star chose the Heuer Monaco instead, a decision that altered the fortunes of the watch.

The square-cased chronograph was actually introduced two years prior to the movie’s release. Though a forward-thinking timepiece—it featured the Calibre 11, the world’s first automatic chronograph movement, and its angular profile was unlike anything that came before—the Monaco’s success was relatively muted.

At first, the Monaco’s avant-garde appearance and mechanical innovations made waves only within horological circles. Suffice to say, its brief cameo in Le Mans changed everything. Worn by one of cinema’s biggest stars of the time, the image of the Monaco as a high-octane motor racing companion was seared in the minds of the audience and propelled the watch into mainstream consciousness.