Words: Jonathan Wells
This December, Sotheby’s will stage an auction in New York called Important Watches. There’ll be timepieces that graced presidents’ wrists, watches that visited the wreck of the Titanic, and – in pole position on our wishlist – a Heuer Monaco worn by Steve McQueen in 1971’s Le Mans.
Just six watches were sent to set; only four with leather straps. And the Heuer Monaco 1133B is so notable a prop because McQueen hand-picked it himself. While preparing for the role of racer Michael Delaney, the actor studied the world’s foremost drivers. Motorsport titans of the time were cutting their dashes through the pits in bright-white Heuer suits, embroidered with the name of the same Swiss brand that provided their indispensable chronographs.
McQueen liked the look, so set about deciding which Heuer he’d wear. A Carrera? An Autavia? No. Instead, he opted for the recently launched Monaco – waterproof and with an avant-garde, square design. Hailed for its revolutionary Calibre 11 and domed sapphire crystal, it was a sturdy thing. And that came in handy, as the Monaco (and McQueen) endured much during the shoot for Le Mans. The watch has become something of a totem for the film – one of few constants in a thoroughly plagued production.
This is the story behind the film that made this watch famous.
In the mid-1960s, McQueen was offered the lead in a Formula 1 film called Grand Prix. He turned it down (James Garner eventually starred), but the experience ignited an idea: to film an authentic motor racing movie. Plans were set in motion, and the actor decided Le Mans would make a compelling setting. He’d compete himself, in character, and wanted John Sturges – the man behind McQueen’s The Great Escape and The Magnificent Seven – to direct. The pair clashed almost immediately over creative direction, however, and Sturges soon left, claiming: “I’m too old and too rich to put up with this shit”.
Screenwriter Alan Trustman, whom McQueen had worked with on Bullitt, was the next crew member to lock horns with McQueen – and he too was sent packing. With cameras yet to roll, production company Cinema Center Films approached Robert Redford, hoping he might replace McQueen. Catching wind of this, and desperate to save his passion project, McQueen struck a deal that sacrificed his salary, any percentage of the film’s profits and creative control.
McQueen discovered that he was on Charles Manson’s infamous ‘kill list’
In June, 1970, the shoot began at the actual 24 Hours of Le Mans. McQueen had intended to race a Porsche 917 with Jackie Stewart, but their entry was not accepted. As such, he was forced to let a stand-in, Jo Siffert, perform many of the real-life racing shots. It was a blow for McQueen, the first of many – for, with filming persisting until November, the whole production began to slowly crash and burn (in some cases, quite literally).
The first accident occurred when the Ferrari 512 driven by Derek Bell (who would go on to win Le Mans five times) caught fire during a take. The next was worse, with brake fluid getting into a wound sustained by F1 driver David Piper during filming. His leg required amputation. Piper never spoke to McQueen again – another bridge burned.
Another accident saw McQueen crash his Peugeot 504 with the film’s female lead, Louise Edlind, and his assistant, Mario Iscovich, inside. Driving too quickly in the rain, he hit a curve and rolled the car several times into a field. Iscovich was injured, but McQueen was worried that producers would pull the plug on Le Mans were they to find out, so he refused to call an ambulance, instead attempting to steal a nearby car. The car’s owner, a farmer, caught McQueen. He pulled a shotgun and, shouting and swearing, fired it into the air. Iscovich eventually took the blame for the crash – and also lost his job.
Around this time, McQueen discovered that he was on Charles Manson’s infamous ‘kill list’, so attempted to obtain a gun for protection. His marriage, too, finally fell apart during the shoot after both he and his wife, Neile Adams, had affairs. Le Mans took a back seat and had to be dragged over the finish line. Commercially, the film flopped. McQueen didn’t even attend the premiere – and never raced again.
And yet, on the final day of filming, after tearing down the Mulsanne Straight, McQueen gifted the Monaco on his wrist to his chief mechanic, Haig Altounian. He’d had it engraved. And while this may not be the same watch up for auction at Sotheby’s, it represents one of the only bridges left unburned by Le Mans – that McQueen used it as a token of gratitude says much about its sentimental importance. As the actor handed it over, he said: “I want to thank you for keeping me alive all these months”. In hindsight, he could very well have been speaking to the watch itself.
Want more watch content? For its latest release, Blancpain looks to the valley surrounding its workshop…
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