Bullitt (1968) Watches: Steve McQueen's Benrus Series #3061

Bullitt (1968) is better known for its Mustang chase than for any watch, and its one watch is a modest one. Steve McQueen's San Francisco detective Frank Bullitt wears a small, black-dial Benrus Series #3061 , a civilian version of a military field watch. It is not a Rolex or a Heuer, and it was identified by collectors rather than by the production. This is a short guide because the documented subject is short: what is on screen, how the identification came about, what the watch costs, and which popular claims do not hold up.

Who wears what: quick reference

Frank Bullitt (Steve McQueen)

Bullitt is a San Francisco police lieutenant, and the watch is plain costume, not a plot device. It sits on his right wrist on a well-worn brown leather strap. Apart from a thin gold necklace with a St. Christopher medal under his shirt, it is reportedly his only accessory. Costume design is credited to Theadora Van Runkle, with the navy suit tailored by Douglas Hayward, per BAMF Style. Worn & Wound's 2014 piece, credited by later outlets as the first to draw attention to the watch, notes that the three visible features match a #3061 but that the film never gives a close-up.

Collectors tell the civilian #3061 from military Benrus watches by three features: a red-tipped seconds hand, “BENRUS” on the dial, and the caseback marking “Series # 3061”. The case is also polished rather than the matte parkerized finish of the military versions. One commenter on BAMF Style argues the watch is more likely an unbranded military-style manual-wind watch from the Korean War or early Vietnam era. That is a reader's view, not evidence, but it is a reminder that the identification rests on small visible details.

Other characters (Robert Vaughn (Walter Chalmers), Jacqueline Bisset (Cathy), Don Gordon (Delgetti), Robert Duvall (Weissberg), Simon Oakland (Captain Bennett), Norman Fell (Captain Baker))

No watch has been identified for the rest of the cast in any source we could read. We could not open the main film-watch database, so this is an absence of sources, not proof that no other watch appears.

Principal cast per Wikipedia. The film was directed by Peter Yates, from a script by Alan R. Trustman and Harry Kleiner, with Lalo Schifrin's score and William A. Fraker's cinematography.

Reissues, and the watches that are not in this film

No plot watches. We found no watch used as a gift, clue or theft in the story. One outlet, Oracle of Time, says McQueen gave his “Bullitt stuntman” his old Rolex Submariner with a dedication on the back. It names no stuntman, and we found no second source tying the gift to this film. The best-known inscribed example is a different story and is contested, as covered in our Steve McQueen watches guide.

The 2022 edition. Benrus and Worn & Wound released a Series #3061 through the Windup Watch Shop in October 2022: 39.5 mm steel, a Soprod P024 automatic with a 38-hour reserve, matte black dial and red-tipped seconds hand, at $595. HiConsumption, Fratello and Watchonista dated the announcement October 11, 14 and 19, so we say October 2022. Edition size was not stated, and we did not check current availability.

The 2025 Benrus range. Benrus's own #3061 page lists a 39.5 mm case with a Swiss ETA 2892, a 42-hour reserve and a transparent caseback. Prices fetched on October 14, 2026 were $1,895 for the BU and GT, $1,995 for the BOR and $1,776 for the 250th. The GT has a green “California” dial in the shade of McQueen's Mustang, with a grid texture suggesting San Francisco's streets. Benrus calls it a tribute; Hourstriker calls it a thematic re-imagining rather than a direct reissue. Both modern versions are larger than the roughly 34 mm original.

Not in this film. McQueen's famous Heuer Monaco is from Le Mans, and his personal watch was a Rolex Submariner. Neither is documented as the watch in Bullitt. For TAG Heuer's side of the story, see the TAG Heuer Monaco history.

Get the look for less

Current watches that carry the film's lineage, with indicative US prices. These are editorial suggestions, not the screen watch, which is a 1960s original.

Myths and mix-ups, corrected

• “McQueen wears a Rolex or a Heuer in Bullitt.” The documented candidate is a Benrus. The Heuer Monaco is from Le Mans (1971), and the Submariner was his personal watch.
• “The Benrus is confirmed by the production.” We found no costume-department, prop-master or McQueen statement. The identification dates to a 2014 Worn & Wound piece and has since been adopted by Benrus. The watch is never shown in close-up.
• “The modern Benrus is the film watch.” The 2022 and 2025 versions are 39.5 mm, against about 34 mm for the originals, and use different movements. They are modern interpretations.
• “McQueen gave his Bullitt stuntman a Submariner.” One outlet says so and names no one. We found no second source linking the gift to this film, and the best-known inscribed Submariner story is contested.
• “The watch is rare and expensive.” Worn & Wound reported vintage examples at roughly $100 to $500 in 2014. That figure is dated and not a current market price.
• “The specifications are settled.” Outlets differ on the details, including the movement (DR 2F2 versus DR 2F3, described as essentially a Benrus-signed ETA 2372) and the case dimensions.

Sources

Wikipedia for film credits; BAMF Style for costume, tailoring and wear; Worn & Wound (August 2014) for the identification features and vintage prices; Benrus for the #3061 and GT pages, retrieved October 14, 2026; Fratello, HiConsumption, Watchonista and Acquire for the 2022 edition; Oracle of Time and a Wannabuyawatch listing for collector context and specifications. We could not open the main film-watch database, a Hodinkee article or the original 2014 identification piece, and the production left no statement we could find. Prices are in US dollars and carry their dates.