The late 1960s saw Belgian forces emerge from the divisive "Congo crisis” leading Belgium to heavily invest in its military and air forces. Part of the equipment was a number of timepieces manufactured by Heuer following a very small order. This particular watch was made for the "class of 1970” literally for one year only, making this timepiece exceptionally rare as less than 10 are currently known.
The early models unusually and uniquely housed the Valjoux 7733, as opposed to the Valjoux 7730, found in other reference 7753 models. Whilst civilian examples were in circulation, they would not have had the LuM-FAé (Lucht Macht - Forces Aériennes) military marks on the reverse, nor the year and military personnel number beneath.
This watch is a deceptively simple connoisseur's piece; as a matter of fact, aside from being a very rare and fascinating watch, it is also a stark reminder that Heuer timepieces were also important tool watches that played a crucial role in military history.