Heuer - The Geneva Watch Auction: XIII Geneva Saturday, May 8, 2021 | Phillips
  • Manufacturer: Heuer
    Year: Circa 1972
    Reference No: 1158S
    Case No: 240'976
    Model Name: Carrera
    Material: 18K yellow gold
    Calibre: Automatic, cal. 12''', 17 jewels, stamped "SX"
    Bracelet/Strap: Associated 14K yellow gold expandable bracelet
    Clasp/Buckle: 14K yellow gold foldable clasp
    Dimensions: 38mm Diameter
    Signed: Case, dial and movement signed

  • Catalogue Essay

    1969 was a significant year for Heuer. The years leading up to it had seen Jack Heuer reposition the brand as number one in the hearts and minds of motorsports enthusiasts. The company’s name had been placated on the world’s most desirable and fastest cars, most notably on Ferrari’s Formula One cars, and many in the sport swore by Heuer’s timekeeping equipment.

    Heuer’s main competition took place far away from the racetracks. Jack Heuer, the company’s then CEO, had heard rumblings about “Project 99”, a rumored collaboration between Breitling, Hamilton-Buren and Dubois Depraz to create the first automatic chronograph and boost sales of Swiss chronographs which were drastically loosing speed since the beginning of the 1960s. Heuer maneuvered quickly to present his own Heuer-branded version, and in March of 1969, the four watch companies held simultaneous press conferences in Geneva and in New York to announce the arrival of their new automatic chronographs.
    Early examples of the model employed the brand “Chronomatic”, which would later disappear from the Carrera’s language, to be used solely by Breitling.

    To go with the new automatic caliber, the Carrera's design was slightly altered, the crown moving to the left side of the case in order to differentiate it from the self-winding version.

    This example is not only a very well preserved example of the model, but it is also one of the very few produced fully in gold.

  • Artist Biography

    Heuer

    Swiss • 1860

    This iconic chronograph manufacturer has a long tradition of precision timekeeping. As early as 1882, founder Edouard Heuer held a patent for a chronograph watch; in 1887, he received a patent for an oscillating pinion, which is still in use today. These specialized timepieces have been at the heart of the firm's success, enabling the brand to be chosen as early timekeepers for the Olympics. In 1969, the company introduced their first automatic chronograph watch, the Monaco Heuer, which celebrated the Monaco Grand Prix. Other key chronograph models include the Autavia and the Carrera, all of which having become iconic models of the firm.

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Ref. 1158S
An attractive yellow gold automatic chronograph wristwatch, with date and bracelet

Circa 1972
38mm Diameter
Case, dial and movement signed

Estimate
CHF15,000 - 30,000 
€13,700-27,400
$16,500-33,100

Sold for CHF22,680

Contact Specialist

Alexandre Ghotbi
Head of Watches, Continental Europe and the Middle East

41 79 637 1724
aghotbi@phillips.com

 

 

The Geneva Watch Auction: XIII

Geneva Auction 8 - 9 May 2021