The King of Cool’s most iconic watch could wind up on your wrist.

The Heuer Monaco that Steve McQueen famously wore in the 1971 cult classic Le Mans will star in Sotheby’s Important Watches sale in New York this summer, carrying a pre-sale estimate of $500,000–$1 million.

Launched in 1969, the Monaco was one of the first automatic chronographs to hit the market and marked the start of a new square-shaped era for Heuer (or TAG Heuer after 1985). The sports watch was not a commercial success upon release, but it was cemented in pop culture history by McQueen and his beloved motorsport movie.

“The cultural moment of Steve McQueen wearing the Heuer Monaco in Le Mans has reverberated across decades and would play a huge role in giving birth to the icon that the collection has become today,” TAG Heuer’s heritage director Nicholas Biebuyck said in a statement.

 Seven Heuer Monacos with blue dials were sent from the Heuer workshop to the set of Le Mans, but this particular piece ranks as “the most storied and most screen-worn,” according to Sotheby’s. Property master Don Nunley, who reportedly sourced the watches and looked after them during filming, acquired three of the Monacos when production wrapped in late 1970. He sold two, including this one, and the other eventually ended up at the TAG Heuer Museum in Switzerland, where it remains on permanent display. 

The watch comes with a lockbox containing extensive documentation, including letters between Jack Heuer (then-Heuer CEO) and Nunley, and over 200 archival photographs from the set. The correspondence shows how the watch was selected for McQueen and used during filming and promotion, giving a glimpse into how product placement was orchestrated in the golden age of cinema. Such collabs remain a crucial element of marketing in watchmaking today, demonstrated in partnerships such as the F1 movie and IWC.

This will be the first time the historic watch and accompanying archive have appeared at auction. The lot is likely to fetch a pretty penny, too. A Monaco that was most likely used in pre-production for Le Mans sold for $1.44 million at Sotheby’s New York in December 2024.

“It is an honor for Sotheby’s to bring to market one of the most exceptional examples of any timepiece used in cinematic history,” adds Geoff Hess, Sotheby’s global head of watches. “With continuous provenance and incredible documentation now emerging from the collection of one of the greatest watch and car enthusiasts in the U.S., we look forward to offering a fuller perspective on a story that has long fascinated and inspired collectors.”

The Important Watches sale will take place in New York on June 15.