The difference being that product endorsement, if there is one in the days of McQueen and Newman, is not official, and any watches associated with them is purely because they are seen wearing them in private and public. Take the case of Daniel Craig wearing Omegas in the Bond series, and wearing them at Bond premieres etc, and privately wearing vintage Rolexs on the side(contrived, but also doesn't mean Craig doesn't like Omega). How about having a watch named after you...AP RO Sebastian Beumi...or the Richard Mille Massa...what are they to you? They get free watches and monetary awards plus the ego for wearing them?
I guess I am saying, there was a air of authencity versus the more contrived and commercial approach these days, and the point of this thread is to gauge fellow forumners feelings, if any, positive or negative if any.
Best,
Horo