He had a personal Rolex, yes, a 5512/5513 Submariner. But he was no puppet.

McQueen became a friend of Jo Siffert, a Heuer sponsored driver, and in the interest of authenticity he sought an association with Heuer for the movie.

McQueen hired Siffert to supply cars and drivers for the movie via a company Jo had established. Jo wore an Autavia at the time, around the time the movie was being planned and the Autavias/Monacos were released.

It most likely was a product placement deal for Heuer too (that also worked well for them), but it also lent authenticity to the film, reflecting the current racing sponsors of the time: Gulf, Firestone, Shell etc etc. He funded the film, so well done if he received a deal from Heuer.

So no, McQueen was no puppet. He had a quantity of Heuers which were used on set by the drivers. These are clearly visible in the film, and help give it that authenticity that makes it such a good record of the time today.

The Monaco is a design icon in its own right....the McQueen association just adds to the mystique.

Cheers

Stewart.