The iconic TAG Heuer Monaco, Steve McQueen and the French customs control
“We wanted to create an outstanding, innovative product, something avant-garde,” says Jack Heuer, Honorary Chairman of TAG Heuer. The second piece can be found here.
This is the first piece in a series looking at watches and some of the lesser stories behind them, which often relate to law and international trade.
The TAG Heuer Monaco is one of the most instantly recognizable and iconic pieces in watchmaking history. Watch enthusiasts widely know how this status was attained, but there is more to the story.
If you are unfamiliar with the Monaco, it is fair to say that it should have never become an icon. It has a quirky and larger-than-life design that goes against traditional watchmaking, and yet, it works! At the time of its launch, being too avant-garde proved detrimental, but precisely due to this unique character, coupled with a masterstroke by Jack Heuer and the King of Cool, Steve McQueen, the Monaco made its bones. The 1971 pseudo-documentary directed by Lee H. Katzin, “Le Mans”, proved instrumental in cementing the Monaco as the icon we know today.
That is the story most know. However, a lesser-known story is the role customs procedures, specifically those of France, had to do with this emblematic piece. Indeed, unexpectedly, customs are very likely to play a more prominent role in our lives than one may think.
The customs component of the Monaco rise-to-the-top story is contained in Jack Heuer’s 2013 autobiography, “The Times of My Life”. It goes something like this.
In June 1970, Dan Nunley, the property master of the film “Le Mans,” called Jack Heuer to request watches and other haute horlogerie paraphernalia for the film. Jack immediately thought about getting the equipment ready and crated to ship from Switzerland to France. However, the notion of securing a temporary import seemed like a time-consuming headache, so instead, he chose to have a driver smuggle the equipment, including three Monaco wristwatches, into France. While this was probably not the first thought that would come to mind in such a situation, it was one of the crucial events that turned the Monaco into an icon.
The driver soon after departed from Bienne, Switzerland to France. Following the plan not to declare the equipment, and as he crossed the border, he was stopped by the French authorities, confirming the adage that anything that can go wrong will go wrong. The driver, facing the prospect of not making it to his destination on this crucial assignment entrusted by Mr. Heuer, decided to use most of his traveling funds to pay for the customs duties and the corresponding fine. Adding insult to injury, all of this was at the wheel of his own vehicle. As he drove into France, he likely wondered if he would encounter further obstacles. Luckily, there were no others recorded.
The watches were delivered to Dan Nunley, who, in turn, presented them to McQueen. Steve McQueen picked the Monaco because it was the only watch they had in three identical models. Having a trio would come in handy to use in live racing shots, still photography, and in case of damage. In the end, the Monaco was included in the film. Even though the film failed to gain success upon its release, its legend grew with time, much like the Monaco’s.
Dan asked Jack what to do with the watches after the film ended, and after considering the customs hassles of bringing them back to Switzerland, Jack Heuer instructed Dan to give the watches away as gifts. One of these watches recently fetched over $2.2 million in an auction, but in Jack’s mind, the job was done, and the rest is history.
When Jack Heuer decided to send the watches to Le Mans, France, he accounted for what he perceived to be complex customs procedures. Apart from the fine, which could have put the whole endeavor at risk, the process was less complex than he initially expected. Ultimately, this little customs snafu has become a tiny part of the growing Monaco legend. The Monaco watch was relaunched after TAG acquired Heuer and has become the crown jewel of the TAG Heuer family.
The image of Steve McQueen wearing the Monaco is ingrained in the collective conscious, just as the equally iconic image of him driving the 1968 Ford Mustang GT through the hilly streets of San Francisco in 1968’s “Bullit”, but that is a story for another day.
About the Author:
Rodolfo Rivas is a qualified lawyer from Mexico, he holds several university qualifications including an LLM in Law and Information Technology from Stanford Law School. He also boasts extensive experience in international law, arbitration and international affairs. He designed and launched the Trade Lecture Sessions @ the WTO, is an author with over 11.1K downloads across various platforms, a Panelist for domain name disputes and a creator and host of the podcast The Rodolfo Rivas Project.
