SAVOIR FAIRE Five Heuer Chronographs from the “Golden Era” to be included in Phillips December Auction in New York City

Phillips is offering five vintage Heuer chronographs at its 2021 New York Watch Auction, to be held on Saturday, December 11 and Sunday, December 12.  While many TAG Heuer enthusiasts are familiar with the history of Heuer chronographs from the 1950s and 1960s, a closer look at these five watches highlights some rare models that Heuer designed for racers, sportsmen, travelers and other adventurers.

In the 1930s, Heuer began producing chronographs for Abercrombie & Fitch on a private label basis, and the A & F models were always of Heuer’s highest quality – for example, oversized chronographs in stainless steel, waterproof cases.  Commencing in the late 1940s, senior officers of Abercrombie & Fitch and Heuer would meet regularly to discuss innovative watches that A&F might offer to its customers.  This led to development of the Solunar in 1949, a watch that incorporated a colorful dial showing the moon phase, allowing fisherman to follow the tides and for hunters to determine the times when animals would be on the move.

In 1950, Heuer incorporated the colorful moon / tide dial into a three-register chronograph, creating a new line of watches called the “Seafarer”.  In addition to the tide dial (at nine o’clock), the minute recorder of the chronograph was marked in five-minute segments, helpful for yachtsmen in timing the 15-minute countdown to the start of a race.  The Seafarer was produced by Heuer from around 1950 into the 1970s, but never had a case of its own, always residing in the case of another Heuer chronograph.  The tide dials and minute recorders were always colorful, incorporating green, yellow and blue tones. For a history of the A&F Seafarer, see The Definitive History of the Abercrombie & Fitch Seafarer Chronograph.

Lot 29 offered in the Phillips auction resides in the second case used by Heuer in the Seafarer line-up, the Reference 2443 case, measuring a stout 38 millimeters across the dial.  The most distinctive feature of this execution of the Seafarer is the incorporation of a turquoise tone, not only on the tide dial and the chronograph minute recorder, but even on the main time-of-day hands.  Over the years, the collectors community has seen fewer than a dozen of these models.

The very first Autavias from 1962 incorporated two unique features that are cherished by today’s collectors.  First, the white registers are oversized (sometimes called “Big Subs”), being larger than those on any earlier Heuer chronographs or any later models.  Second, the dauphine hands were covered entirely with luminous material (“Full Lume”), whereas later models would use different styles of chromium plated hands, with luminous inserts.

Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, the Heuer Autavia would be the chronograph most closely associated with racers and motorsports, being popular among the entire spectrum of motorsports, from weekend club racers to Formula One champions.  Still, for today’s collectors, the first execution Autavia from 1962 is considered the “grail”, perhaps the ultimate example of Heuer “getting it right the first time”, with a brilliant model that would pave the way for dozens of models and variations.

Both the Autavia and Carrera were favorites among the racers and their teams, and over the years we see Carrera dials that were specially-ordered to incorporate logos of racing teams (Shelby Cobra, Mercury Cougar and Sunray DX), as well as the “Wings and Wheel” of the legendary racing venue, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.  Actor / racer James Garner went so far as to having his name printed across the dial of a Carrera.

The chronograph offered by Phillips as Lot 136 is another Carrera with an automotive connection, the “MG” logo being that of the MG Car Company, owned by British Motor Corporation in the 1950s and 1960s.  MG achieved success in racing, finishing as high as 12th in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, with its small coupes and convertibles being very popular with sports car enthusiasts in England and the United States.  The story goes that an American MG distributor ordered the Carrera 45 chronographs with the MG logo on the dial, with the names of senior employees or perhaps important dealers or customers also printed on the dials.

It is great to see an interesting selection of vintage Heuer’s from across the spectrum finding their way into the prestigious Phillips New York auction, from more accessible pieces such as a reference 7753 Carrera, through to true grails for collectors including the “big subs” Autavia and Abercrombie & Fitch Seafarer in handsome condition. It will be exciting to follow the results on the 11^th and 12^th December.