Had things turned out differently, the top answers to the question: ‘What made the Heuer Monaco so special?’ would probably have been a) at launch in 1969 it was the first waterproof, square-cased watch and b) it contained the first commercially produced, selfwinding chronograph movement.

In reality, even those with no more than a passing interest in horology would probably say that the Monaco is famous for being worn by Steve McQueen in the motor-racing movie Le Mans.

motor-racing movie Le Mans. The story of how Jack Heuer (great-grandson of Heuer founder Edouard) supplied a clutch of Monacos to prop master Don Nunley is a tale that every car watch fan knows inside out – especially since one of those worn by McQueen during filming fetched a record $2.2m at auction in January last year.

But there’s something else that’s as inextricably linked with the gruelling 24-hour race as McQueen’s Monaco, and that’s the unmistakable blue and orange livery worn by the Ford GT40s and Porsche 917s (including the 917 driven by McQueen’s character Michael Delaney) that made the late 1960s and early 1970s the golden era of Le Mans.

The colours signify Gulf Oil and have been inextricably linked with endurance racing since 1966 when Gulf vice-president Grady Davis bought a GT40 and struck up a friendship with Englishman John Wyer, the engineer who built the cars in Slough, Berkshire.

The two men created JW Racing that, during the course of the next nine years, saw Gulfliveried cars secure three world championships and win Le Mans outright on three occasions.

Half a century later, the market for Gulf merchandise is stronger than ever, and there are even collectors who seek out the cars that originally raced decked out in the famous blue and orange – one super-enthusiast, German tycoon Roald Goethe, has amassed no fewer than 38 of them to form the official ROFGO Gulf Heritage Collection (rofgo.com).

llection (rofgo.com).  It’s not at all surprising, then, that TAG Heuer got together with Gulf back in 2007 to create the first Monaco watch to feature a dial decorated with the famous blue and orange stripes. Now, 15 years later, there is an all-new special edition that has been even more “Gulfed” than the last.

The deep blue, sunray dial carries thin blue and orange stripes down the right-hand edge, broken by the circular centre. The colours appear again around the perimeter of the 30-minute subdial and on the perforated rally strap, while the three chronograph hands are finished solely in “urgent orange” for best visibility.

But it’s only when turning the watch over that the most significant difference between this Monaco Gulf Special Edition and the old model becomes apparent – because a peek through the transparent caseback reveals the in-house Heuer 02 column wheel chronograph.

It gets a bespoke winding rotor based on a race car wheel rim, and there’s further orange detailing to both it and the visible “column wheel” – the part of the movement that activates the chronograph’s stop/start mechanism.

But who cares about a lengthy list of all the watch’s technicalities? The point is, it’s a Monaco and it’s got Gulf livery. So, if you’re a fan of Le Mans (the race), Le Mans (the film), Steve McQueen or the famous blue and orange – the chances are you’ll want it.

And it could be all yours for £5,850. The race is on…

tagheuer.com