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Did you ever see “Le Mans”? Probably not. Unless, of course, you are some sort of gear-head or film freak. So for the record, “Le Mans” is the 1971 film starring the one and only Steve McQueen, as a racecar driver in the eponymous French auto race. Anyway, it is a cool movie that quite accurately depicts the auto racing culture of the day, and in the film, Mr. McQueen chose to wear a Tag Heuer Monaco wristwatch while driving his Porsche 917. And as you would guess, sales went through the roof.

But then the watch gradually slipped away from the scene. In fact, Tag Heuer stopped making them for a little while. Well, with our cultural longing for a return to all things vintage, classic and retro, it’s back. And that is a very good thing.

The Tag Heuer Monaco watch was the first chronograph ever manufactured to have a micro-rotor and automatic movement. It also had (and has) a water-resistant square case and matching square dials that, in my opinion, would have made this timepiece a hit with the luxury watch buying public even if Mr. McQueen had never worn it. But alas, he did… and now it’s a classic.

Since it is a Tag Heuer, the “modern day” Monaco is certainly a reliable luxury watch but more than that, it is also vintage and quite likely to become a collector’s item (In fact, for all intents and purposes, it already is) and when you see it up close, it will be hard not to notice how much personality and character is imbedded in this classic timepiece.