Monochrome Watches » Heuer

Auction of vintage Heuer watches

mono — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 12:23:44 +0000

Auction of vintage Heuer watches is a post from: Monochrome.nl

Most auctions feature vintage Rolex, Patek Philippe or very complicated watches. Coming Wednesday, December 15, a very special collection of extremely rare and well conditioned vintage Heuer watches will be auctioned at Bonhams in London.

The collection of Arno Michael Haslinger has been built up with the aim of representing the best of Heuer. The collection of museum-quality comprises over hundreds of pieces, including the most iconic models such as the Silverstone, Autavia, Carrera, Daytona and Monaco. If you ever considered buying a vintage Heuer, this is the time to take action. The auction sale is organized in partnership with TAG Heuer to celebrate their 150th Anniversary. For more information you can look at the Bonhams website, which contains not only the entire collection, but also three movies about the collection.

Arno Michael Haslinger is a devoted Heuer collector and even wrote a book about vintage Heuer chronographs, that should be on every watch collector’s bookshelf. The first ‘expensive’ watch I ever bought was a vintage Heuer Autavia and since that time, I’ve been a fan of Heuer (and later TAG Heuer) chronographs. That’s probably why my second watch was a TAG Heuer Monaco.

The book Heuer Chronographs shows photos of Haslinger’s own collection of vintage Heuer chronographs and information about these watches, their timeframe and Heuer’s many relations with the race sport. There is for instance an overview of Heuer chronograph in the timeline (click on imagine to enlarge).

Although I’ve been a Heuer chronograph fan since I began collecting watches, it wasn’t until I read Haslinger’s book before I knew how much Heuer was involved in the race sport. Almost every new chronograph that has been released since the early 1960′s has the name of a famous race circuit or race car.

In the book you will find detailed descriptions, illustrations, photos and characteristics of 81 of Haslinger’s vintage Heuer chronographs. Numerous portraits, racing adverts from the time and some unpublished images make this definitive book an absolute delight for all motor sports fans, and remind of the Heuer watch company’s close link with the icons of Formula One racing, including Jacky Ickx, Niki Lauda, Clay Regazzoni, Jochen Rindt, Jo Siffert and Steve McQueen in the cult film Le Mans.

For me the rare Jo Siffert Autavia is still one I would love to ad to my collection. I once owned the re-issue of this particular model, the TAG Heuer Autavia re-issue, with similar white dial and black subdials. Unfortunately I resold the watch within days and already regretted to selling it before it was sent to the new owner by courier.

TAG Heuer have also created a unique watch especially for this auction. It is based on the newly launched Silverstone model and the dial will incorporate Jack Heuer’s signature, a true one-off for the discerning collector. All proceeds will be donated to the Green Cross International charity. Arno Haslinger will also donate his original Silverstone to this cause and Bonhams will add a further 20% to the hammer price.

The photo above is from Calibre 11, a blog entirely dedicated to Heuer and TAG Heuer watches. They wrote extensively about both Hasliner’s book Heuer Chronographs and the collection that will be auctioned. Our friends from Hodinkee invited collectors to the NYC preview and also wrote several times about the Haslinger collection.

The absolutely beautiful book can be bought online for 68 euro or 105 CHF and is perhaps an excellent Christmas present…

If you have a few bucks more to spent, do yourself a favor and take a look at the magnificent collection that will be auctioned this Wednesday by Bonhams.

TAG Heuer Monaco 55

mono — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 07:26:05 +0000

TAG Heuer Monaco 55 is a post from: Monochrome.nl

TAG Heuer and the Porsche Club of America launch the Monaco 55, a very limited collector’s edition.

Last month i wrote about my first ‘love’ in watches, my Heuer Autavia. However the first mechanical watch i ever seriously took a looked at, was a TAG Heuer Monaco, which is still one of my favorites. When i heard TAG Heuer released a (very) limited edition Monaco to celebrate the 55th anniversary of Porsche Club of America (PCA) i was surprised, because TAG Heuer does not makes a habit of such limited editions.The Monaco 55 shows some design elements we know from Monaco Vintage Limited Edition, TAG Heuer released in tribute to the Porsche-Gulf 917k race car in the movie Le Mans.

It’s of course no secret anymore (ahum) that Steve McQueen wore a Heuer Monaco in the movie Le Mans. Steve McQueen’s friend Jo Siffert, a Swiss racecar driver and the first driver ever sponsored by a watch brand. This probably inspired Steve to insist on wearing Heuer’s Monaco in the film, which had just been launched.

Perhaps it was McQueen’s influence, or perhaps it was Porsche driver Siffert’s, but the Monaco seemed to become the preferred chronograph of the racing and fashion worlds in the 1970s. This watch, whose unique and uncompromising design helped achieve its almost legendary status, is one of the most recognizable timepieces in the world.

Porsche Club of America (PCA) and Georg Bartkowiak, member of the Porsche Club of Germany, decided to create a limited collector’s watch for the PCA. Georg Bartkowiak, who is CEO of high-end luxury watch brand GRIEB & BENZINGER PLATINUM, has undertaken this project and with a very nice result!

Just take a look…

The official limited edition TAG Heuer Monaco manufactured for the Porsche Club of America can be ordered now. Although delivery will not take place until September, i think those interested should not wait too long… there are only 55 pieces!

Its special dial designed in red and black rally stripes and the racing number ’55′ as well as the PCA`s logo engraved on the back, underscore the uniqueness of this collector’s watch. This PCA limited edition TAG Heuer Monaco 55 has the usual Monaco features: an automatic chronograph movement in it’s recognizable square case, date and hands with applied superluminova so it’s legible in the dark. It comes on a special black leather strap with racing holes and red stitching that is not available at retail.

This TAG Heuer Monaco 55 is only available through the PCA in a limited edition of 55 pieces for the price of $5,500. I can’t imagine this watch to be found for less in the future. Personally i think the price for this collector’s piece will go up rather fast after it’s sold out… which will probably not take long!

The watch can be ordered online at www.PCA-TAG.com

Collecting chronographs

mono — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 09:45:46 +0000

Collecting chronographs is a post from: Monochrome.nl

Most collectors have a personal preference. Some collectors focus mainly on dive watches, some on chronograph and some have a ‘weak spot’ for a certain brand.

A good friend collects Cartier watches, not just any Cartier but mainly from the Collection Privee. Another good friend collects watches from A. Lange und Söhne and he has some extraordinary pieces. My initial personal preference in watches where chronographs and although my preference has changed to watches made by independent watchmakers, chronographs still have a special place in my ‘collectors heart’.

Unfortunately chronographs made by independent watchmakers are rare, very rare and not affordable for me. There are just a few existing chronograph calibers and these are used by most brands. Glashuette Original is one of the few big brands with their own chronograph caliber and it’s available in several model including the beautiful Senator Sixties Square Chronograph.

Jeff Stein, owner of one of my favorite websites Onthedash.com and collector of vintage chronographs, is interviewed at Collector’s Weekly. He speaks about how he got into watches in general and especially into vintage Heuer chronographs. An excellent read and especially interesting for everyone who’s interested in collecting watches.

Another great read, is Jeff Stein’s article Project 99. The article, existing of three parts, is entirely about the race for the first automatic chronograph. Although i’ve already linked to the articles from my post about the first automatic chronograph, i felt mentioning this great article is in order

Go here to read Collector’s Weekly’s interview with Jeff Stein.

My first love… Heuer

mono — Thu, 27 May 2010 20:58:52 +0000

My first love… Heuer is a post from: Monochrome.nl

I think every watch collector remembers that first watch that made an incredible impression. The watch was so beautiful and intriguing, you kept thinking about it. But why was it so expensive?

Over the years i’ve had quite a few watches. Sometimes when i look at the photos of the watches that came and went away, i see how my taste for watches changed. It also makes me remember watches that used to be on my wish-list, that never made it to be part of my collection. With some of them i wonder what attracted me in these watches. But not with my first ‘real’ watch… my Heuer Autavia.

It was before my vacation to Vietnam. I planned to do a scuba dive course, stay some days in the jungle, 6 weeks traveling from south to north and back south again. And i really needed a watch that would be up for such a task. So i started searching the internet, became a member of some forums and searched the online buy&sell websites. And there it was… somehow everything of this watch was perfect and i desperately wanted it.

It took me some internal debate and some time to raise the funds required, but in the end i bought this beautiful Heuer Autavia and i never stopped liking it. Of course i didn’t wear the Autavia during my trip to Vietnam. For that purpose i bought a Citizen automatic dive watch, that still accompanies me on all my vacations and is on my wrist during every dive i’ve made.

During Baselworld i met fellow blogger David, who is the man behind Calibre 11, one of my favorite wristwatch weblogs. At Calibre 11 he shares his passion for vintage Heuer watches, like his recently restored Autavia GMT, and modern TAG Heuer watches.

David told me he had a meeting with Jack Heuer. Wait… hold on… he was going to meet and interview the man who was responsible for the brand that made my beloved Autavia!! A month after Baselworld i received a package that contained something that put a smile on my face immediately…. and it still does now i write about it.

During his meeting David asked Jack Heuer for an autograph…

For me as an avid Heuer fan and proud owner of a vintage Heuer Autavia ref.11630 this was just perfect! Thank you David for this more than kind gesture.

Heuer was known for it’s excellent and ground breaking innovations on mechanical chronographs. No wonder they came with the first automatic chronograph, which they developed together with Breitling, Buren and Dubois-Depraz. To this day TAG Heuer is still at the frontier of innovative chronographs, an amazing achievement.

Calibre 11 – Vintage Heuer watches

mono — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 08:42:24 +0000

Calibre 11 – Vintage Heuer watches is a post from: Monochrome.nl

Calibre 11 is the first automatic chronograph and the name of a new weblog dedicated to Vintage Heuer watches. If you’re into vintage Heuer watches, you might want to check it out.

Since my first ‘expensive’ watch, a vintage Heuer Autavia, i’m a huge fan of vintage Heuer watches. Especially their chronographs. The fact they made the first automatic chronograph ever, also adds to my admiration of these watches…. OK, they developed it together with Buren, Breitling and Dubois-Depraz. Although i must admit some of the Heuer dive watches aren’t bad either, i have a thing for chronographs. I ended up buying the diver’s version of the Heuer Autavia

My vintage Heuer Autavia

Unfortunately my biggest love (in watches), the independent watchmakers, hardly make any chronograph. Of course there are a few… the MIH Watch of course and the Habring² Chrono COS. Both beautiful chronographs and made by independent watchmakers.

If you’re into vintage Heuer, take a look at David’s weblog Calibre 11.

Record price for Heuer Monaco and Rolex Submariner ref. 5512

mono — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 12:07:22 +0000

Record price for Heuer Monaco and Rolex Submariner ref. 5512 is a post from: Monochrome.nl

During the last Antiquorum auction, held at June 11th, several pieces that belonged to Steve McQueen sold for record prices.

Heuer Monaco worn in the movie Le Mans

Earlier this month Antiquorum auctioned 2 wristwatches and a motorcycle that belonged to Steve McQueen. Of course it’s always the question if McQueen really used the watches and motorcycle frequently or not. Fellow blogger Robert-Jan wrote about the McQueen Submariner last month. Looking at the price these pieces went for, the bidders apparently didn’t worry about that.

All McQueen’s pieces, the Rolex Submariner ref. 5512, the Heuer Monaco worn in the movie Le Mans and his old motorbike went for much more than initially estimated.

The vintage Rolex Submariner was estimated to sell between € 7.500 and € 15.000 and sold for, hold on to your panties… € 167.000 !! This is a record price for a Rolex Submariner ref. 5512.

Usually vintage Sea-Dwellers like the ref. 1665 double red or single red fetch extraordinary prices. Also the earliest vintage Submariners go for immense prices. BJSOnline made a short historical overview of the different Submariner models, including the early Submariners with gilt dials and no crown guards i’m referring to.

Another record price was set for the legendary Heuer Monaco, McQueen wore in the 1971 racing film Le Mans. This vintage Heuer Monaco ref. 1133 sold for around € 63.000. Never before a Heuer Monaco was sold for such a high price.

In addition, McQueen’s Scott Super Squirrel motorcycle, painted by Von Dutch, fetched an astounding € 198.000 — more than double its estimate.

Although we are in the middle of a severe economical crisis, it seems that prices paid for extraordinary watches increases more than ever before. Not only prices paid for very rare or very complicated watches rise, but now also watches owned by famous people fetch much higher prices than ever before.

Now i’m curious how the next auction will go… check the catalog of the upcoming auction in Hong Kong out on Antiquorum’s website!

Steve McQueen’s watches on auction

mono — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 21:22:16 +0000

Steve McQueen’s watches on auction is a post from: Monochrome.nl

June 11th Antiquorum will auction watches of famous people from the 20th century. Among them two watches worn by Steven McQueen and even his motorbike will be on auction.

The upcoming Anitquorum auction will include timepieces from twentieth century icons President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr and Steve McQueen. Of course there will be a lot of other watches will be auctioned, including several very expensive pieces.

The one with the highest estimated price is a Patek Philippe ref. 5013. The reference 5013 is one of Patek Philippe’s most complicated wristwatches. The 36mm wide and 12mm thick tonneau shaped yellow gold case, features a minute repeater, perpetual calendar and moon phase. Estimated to sell for a price between € 210.000 and € 255.000.

Patek Philippe ref. 5013

On auction are two watches worn by Steve McQueens, the legendary Heuer Monaco and Rolex Submariner ref. 5512. The Heuer Monaco was worn by Steve McQueen during the filming of the 1971 movie Le Mans. After the fliming he gave this watch to his financial advisor. The Monaco watch was originally launched by Heuer in 1969 in honor of the Monaco Grand Prix. Antiquorum experts have placed a pre-sale estimate of € 7,500 – € 15,000.

Steve McQuee's Rolex Submariner ref. 5512

In addition, Antiquorum will also be offering Steve McQueen’s Rolex, Ref. 5512 Submariner produced in 1967. The watch was given by Steve McQueen to his good friend Jimmy Brucker in early 1980. McQueen stored his airplane, bikes and an extensive memorabilia collection in Bruckner’s airplane hangar at the Santa Paula Airport. Estimated to sell between € 7.500 and € 15.000.

Von Dutch 1929 Scott 596cc Super Squirrel Engine

Another Steve McQueen piece to be auctioned is his Scott motorbike. To be precise it’s a Von Dutch 1929 Scott 596cc Super Squirrel Engine. The motorcycle was restored, painted and pin striped in the 1970′s by the legendary Kenny “Von Dutch” Howard. By mistake Von Dutch lettered the date on the front number plate ‘1926′ instead of the correct ‘1929.’

Later McQueen gifted the bike back to Von Dutch so that he may personally own his masterpiece. This old Scott Super Squirrel Engine has is estimated to sell between € 60.000 and € 90.000.

(TAG) Heuer Monaco – plexi is sexy

mono — Sun, 24 May 2009 20:20:53 +0000

(TAG) Heuer Monaco – plexi is sexy is a post from: Monochrome.nl

The newest TAG Heuer Monaco Classic Chronograph is the first Monaco, since March of 1969 when the first Monaco was released, to have a sapphire crystal. Why… have they forgotten that PLEXI IS SEXY….?

Since the first Heuer Monaco was released in March of 1969, all of them had a plexi crystal. The Heuer Monaco reference 1133 was the first automatic chronograph to be released and it was the first chronograph ever to appear in a square case. So you can easily say it’s quite a remarkable watch.

Heuer Monaco - ref. 1133G

The Heuer Monaco reference 1133 is the original Monaco, designed by Jack Heuer. It had the word ‘Chronomatic’ at the top of the dial and ‘Monaco’ at the bottom. Later models didn’t have the ‘Chronomatic’ on the dial anymore. The watch was named in honor of the Formula One race and now a days is very popular because Steve McQueen wore it in the movie Le Mans.

Chronomatic - Caliber 11

In March of this year it was the 40th birthday of both the first automatic chronograph caliber 11, also referred to as Chronomatic, and the Heuer Monaco reference 1133. Caliber 11 was later replaced by the improved caliber 12. Monaco’s with this caliber 12 are also quite rare as most sources claim that no more than 800 where produced before this model was discontinued.

Heuer also made another Monaco, ref. 1533, with caliber 15, which has small seconds at 10 and 30 minutes counter at 3. In 1972 Heuer released a cheaper version, ref. 73633, with the manual wind valjoux 7736 movement, 3 registers on the dial and the crown at the right side of the case.

All vintage Monaco versions where available with blue dial or grey dial, in the same distinct square case. Except the Monaco Sixty Nine, all other versions had a plexi crystal… This year TAG Heuer released the new Monaco Classic Chronograph, the first Monaco with a sapphire crystal.

Heuer Monaco - ref. 1133G

This particular Monaco ref. 1133 G (G stands for grey dial) is in a superb condition. You can see on my photos that all edges are as sharp as when it came out the factory. On Chrono24 you can find them starting from around € 5.500,- and the cheaper version with manual wind valjoux 7736 starts around € 3.000,-.

Since plexi is sexy, I regret TAG Heuer’s choice to bring out the new Monaco Classic Chronograph with a sapphire crystal. Previous re-issues still had the plexi crystal. Although the crown is on the right side of the case, they do have an automatic chronograph movement. Here my TAG Heuer Monaco re-issue, reference CW2111, together with it’s ancestor

TAG Heuer Monaco ref. CW2111 & Heuer Monaco ref. 1133G

For more information you can check OnTheDash and Wikipedia.

Watch from my year of birth – part 2

mono — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 22:24:13 +0000

Watch from my year of birth – part 2 is a post from: Monochrome.nl

More about my quest for a watch from my year of birth. A few days ago i already blogged about this quest, now the story continues….

I’m considering (trying to find a reasonably priced) Rolex GMT Master 1675 or Submariner no-date ref. 5512 or 5513. But there are of course other options. Heuer and Omega also had some incredibly nice watches in that time. And although i’ve searched the internet, i’m sure there are many more nice watches from that time, that i haven’t stumbled across yet. So i’m open to suggestions. Mostly i prefer chronographs, divewatches and GMT’s, so toolwatches from the past

I’m a Heuer fan, but i just can’t think of many vintage Heuers that would meet my requirements in this case. Maybe a vintage Heuer Monaco would do, but somehow i would feel uncomfortable wearing such a watch on a daily basis. Most other Autavia models would only be less interesting as the one i already have and the vintage Carrera or Camaro are less appealing to me. The only one that rocks my boat big time is the Autavia Jo Siffert. The Autavia 1163T, also referred to as the Jo Siffert Autavia, was released in the same year as the first Heuer Monaco using the chronomatic movement i blogged about before. This one does have the chance of becoming a watchbox princess like my current Autavia, but maybe when it comes on the steel bracelet it would be easier to wear. I wouldn’t mind giving that a try

Heuer Autavia 1163T Jo Siffert

The last option i have been considering is the Omega Speedmaster Professional. The Speedmaster was a suggestion by Robert-Jan from Fratellowatches, who is a true Speedmaster addict. He started a website dedicated to the Speedmaster. Online there are many available, but finding one from 1971 seems quite difficult. Especially because many sellers state the wrong year because they thing the number in the caseback is the best way to tell it’s ago. This is wrong because Omega used to produce loads of casebacks in that year that where used on watches sold in years to follow. It seems that the best way to tell the age of a Speedmaster is the serial number of the movement. The late Chuck Maddox has written about it on his website Chronomaddox.

Omega Speedmaster Professional

If you have suggestion that might help me in my quest, than don’t hesistate to respond to this post or sent me an email.

For the best reference about vintage Heuer watches, check On The Dash.

Lots of information about Omega Speedmasters can be found at Omega Addict, another website started by Robert-Jan.

Watch from my year of birth – part 1

mono — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 21:27:20 +0000

Watch from my year of birth – part 1 is a post from: Monochrome.nl

After the loads of information from the SIHH and Baselworld i am taking a break from blogging about news, more news and even more news. I still have lots of photos and a lot of information about the novelties released at Baselworld. No worries, i will blog about it later.

One things that’s been keeping me busy for a long time already, is finding a watch from my year of birth. In my case this is 1971. Although no one of my watch buddies has been looking for a watch from their year of birth, I do wonder if this is common quest for watch addicts. For me finding a watch from my year of birth is really something special and i’ve spent many hours online searching for one. But no luck so far….

Finding a vintage watch in original condition and in reasonable to good quality isn’t easy, especially not if it’s that old. Of course my taste is not making it any easier either. I’ve been thinking of some vintage Rolex sportswatches or maybe an old Heuer or maybe an old Omega Speedmaster. Although these aren’t the cheapest choices, i’m not ready or able to spent a forutne on it. So since the rise of prices for especially vintage Rolex sportswatches these are almost ruled out fo the game. This is a shame as my absolute favorite would be a Sea-Dweller or Submariner, but due to the sky high prices of both watch i’m not even considering these. A very good second best for me would be a Rolex GMT Master 1675 with pepsi bezel insert. Since the early seventies the 1675 was also available with an all black bezel insert.

vintage Rolex GMT Master 1675

Another good option would be the more reasonable priced vintage Submariner no date, reference 5512 or 5513. Although prices of these models have been exploding as well lately there is a chance to still find one that’s affordable. The good thing about these Rolex sportswatches is that they can be used as a daily watch and does not have to be a watcbox princess. This is really important to because my very first ‘expensive’ watch, a Heuer Auatvia 11630P with decompression bezel, is actually a watchbox princess. Somehow it just does not get any wristtime and that’s a shame. Since it was my first, i don’t want to let it go… On the other hand, if it would be traded for a nice watch from my year of birth, i would seriously consider it.

Here are two photos of my Heuer Autavia 11630. This is actually quite a rare one, because it has a decompression bezel. I bought it years ago from an older gentleman who used it in the seventies as his divewatch. Since he thought the watch was far from comfortable this one was actually only worn when diving and he told me he made exactly 100 dives in the North Sea. After it’s service as divewatch it was stored in a vault only to come out more than 25 years later!

Heuer Autavia 11630 decompression bezel

I will write more about my quest, so if you’re also interested in finding a nice watch from your year of birth or just like to read more about very nice vintage watches, than check my weblog regularly.

If you have suggestion that might help me in my quest, than don’t hesistate to respond to this post or sent me an email.

You can read more about the evolution of the Rolex GMT Master at DoubleRedSeaDweller.com and at BJSOnline.com and even Wikipedia has some information about this watch. On these websites you can also find more about othe vintage Roelx sportswatches.