Featured image: Ferengi, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Steve McQueen’s most famous watch is the Heuer Monaco reference 1133B, the blue-dialed square chronograph he wore in the 1971 film Le Mans. Off screen, the watch he is best documented wearing is his own Rolex Submariner, usually identified as reference 5512.
Quick answer McQueen wore a Heuer Monaco 1133B (Calibre 11 automatic chronograph) as the film’s racing driver, Michael Delaney. In private life he wore a Rolex Submariner, reported as a 5512. The “Steve McQueen” Rolex Explorer II is a nickname myth: he is not documented wearing one.
Heuer Monaco 1133B: The Watch From Le Mans
Heuer launched the Monaco in March 1969 as an automatic chronograph in a water-resistant square case, one of the first automatic chronographs ever sold. It was powered by the Calibre 11, a movement that put the crown on the left side of the case, an oddity Heuer turned into a selling point.
The reference 1133B is the steel version with a blue dial. It is also the version McQueen wore on screen, and it is the reason the square Monaco is still known as “the Steve McQueen watch” more than five decades later.
| Spec | Heuer Monaco 1133B |
|---|---|
| Reference | 1133B |
| Introduced | March 1969 |
| Case | Square stainless steel, water-resistant design (modern re-editions are 39 mm) |
| Movement | Calibre 11 automatic chronograph, crown on the left |
| Dial | Blue |
| Worn by McQueen in | Le Mans (filmed 1970, released 1971) |
| Price | $2,208,000 for a film-used example at Phillips in December 2020; modern TAG Heuer Monaco chronographs start at roughly $7,000 new |
Where to buy
Compare the same watch on both sites: eBay for pre-owned and vintage pieces, Amazon for new stock.
TAG Heuer Monaco Chronograph 39mm
Tudor Black Bay 54 Alternative
Seiko Prospex Diver 200m Alternative
Prices and availability change; check the listing before you buy.
The Le Mans Story: Why the Monaco Became Famous
McQueen played racing driver Michael Delaney in Le Mans, a passion project about the 24 Hours of Le Mans. According to watch historian Jake Ehrlich’s research published by Revolution, six Monacos were used on the film’s set and McQueen chose the blue-dial version, wearing it on his right wrist.
Proof of how well it aged came in December 2020. A Monaco engraved “TO HAIG LE MANS 1970” on the caseback, gifted to the film’s chief mechanic Haig Alltounian, sold for $2,208,000 at Phillips’ Racing Pulse auction in New York, the highest price paid for a Heuer at the time. Monochrome reported that the last of the six film Monacos to reach auction before it had sold for about $800,000 in 2012.
Today’s TAG Heuer Monaco, with an in-house TH20 movement and 100 m water resistance, is a direct descendant. If you collect racing watches, it fits alongside the story we tell in What Watch Did John Glenn Wear?, another Heuer with real history behind it.
The movement has its own story. Calibre 11 came out of a joint effort between Heuer, Breitling and Burén, which is why the early automatic chronograph is often called the Chronomatic. Collectors prize original Monacos for that engineering history as much as for the McQueen link.
Rolex Submariner 5512: McQueen’s Own Watch
The Monaco was a film watch supplied for the production. The Rolex Submariner, by contrast, was McQueen’s personal watch. Ehrlich’s research places its first documented appearance on his right wrist at the Sebring race in March 1970, and Revolution reports he wore it in behind-the-scenes Le Mans photos, then on screen in Papillon (1973), The Towering Inferno (1974) and The Hunter (1980), his last film.
The reference is usually given as 5512, a 40 mm steel diver with a 200 m rating that Rolex built from about 1959 to 1979. A few sources and photo captions say 5513, so treat the exact number with a little caution.
A Submariner from McQueen’s estate sold at Antiquorum in New York in June 2009 for $234,000 including the buyer’s premium, listed as ref. 5512/5513. Another Submariner, a 1964 ref. 5513 that McQueen reportedly gave to his stuntman friend Loren Janes, was later offered by Phillips with a letter from Janes. McQueen was known for giving engraved watches to people close to him, and Chad McQueen reportedly told Ehrlich that his father gave him two Submariners.
For more of what a Submariner stands for today, see our guide to Rolex Submariner homage watches and the Rolex hub.
The Rolex Explorer II “Steve McQueen” Myth
Collectors call the 1970s Explorer II ref. 1655, with its bright orange 24-hour hand, the “Steve McQueen” Explorer II. The name is everywhere on dealer listings. The evidence is not.
Ehrlich’s interviews with McQueen’s former wives and his son Chad turned up no sign that McQueen wore an Explorer II, and no photograph is known that shows one on his wrist. The nickname appears to be a collectors’ and dealers’ label, not a documented fact. If you want the real McQueen Rolex, it is the Submariner.
Other Watches Linked to Steve McQueen
Seeing which watches he wore, and which he did not, is the best way to cut through the mythology that now surrounds him. Every identification below traces back to a photograph, a film credit or a documented sale rather than a dealer’s nickname.
McQueen’s wrist history is wider than two famous pieces. The following are reported from photo and film research, so the models are sometimes uncertain.
- Hanhart 417 chronograph: visible on his wrist in a May 1963 Palm Springs photograph, probably the steel “ES” version.
- Memovox alarm watch: owned around 1966 and seen in The Thomas Crown Affair (1968); the exact version is unknown.
- Patek Philippe pocket watch and Cartier Tank Cintrée: worn by his character in The Thomas Crown Affair, not by McQueen personally.
Affordable Alternatives to McQueen’s Watches
The square Monaco case has no cheap clones worth owning, so the most direct route is the current TAG Heuer Monaco, available in steel and titanium in a 39 mm case with 100 m of water resistance.
For the Submariner side of McQueen, a 200 m diver in the same spirit costs far less. The Tudor Black Bay 54 is a 37 mm vintage-style diver rated to 200 m, while Seiko’s Prospex line offers 200 m divers at a fraction of the price. Both capture the clean black dial and bezel McQueen wore.
The best budget advice is the usual one: buy the case size that fits your wrist and read our best dive watches guide before you spend. If you like a Hollywood-era story, What Watch Did Ernest Hemingway Wear? is a good next read.
FAQ
What watch did Steve McQueen wear in Le Mans?
He wore a blue-dial Heuer Monaco reference 1133B, a square automatic chronograph with the Calibre 11 movement. Six Monacos were reportedly used on the film’s set.
What Rolex did Steve McQueen wear?
His personal Rolex was a Submariner, most often identified as reference 5512, though some captions say 5513. He is documented wearing it from 1970 until his final film, The Hunter, in 1980.
Did Steve McQueen wear a Rolex Explorer II?
There is no documentation that he did. Research by Jake Ehrlich, including interviews with McQueen’s ex-wives and son, found no evidence, so the “Steve McQueen” Explorer II is a nickname rather than a fact.
How much did Steve McQueen’s Heuer Monaco sell for?
A film-used Monaco engraved “TO HAIG LE MANS 1970” sold for $2,208,000 at Phillips in December 2020. An earlier example from the film’s six reportedly sold for about $800,000 in 2012.
Is Steve McQueen a TAG Heuer ambassador?
No. McQueen died in 1980, so he never held an ambassador role. The Monaco’s link to him comes from his on-screen use in Le Mans, which TAG Heuer celebrates in its marketing and re-editions.
Sources
- Revolution: Steve McQueen, The Watches
- Monochrome: Phillips sells the 1133B Heuer Monaco worn by Steve McQueen in Le Mans
- TAG Heuer Magazine: Savoir Faire, Four Sides to the Story
- Europa Star: Steve McQueen’s vintage Rolex sells for $234,000
- Revolution: Steve McQueen’s Rolex Submariner ref. 5513 goes to sale at Phillips