Heuer Wristwatches

About Vintage Heuer Wristwatches

Swiss watch maker Edouard Heuer founded the company that still bears his name in 1860. He began as a manufacturer of chronographs for sportsmen, and his early interest continues to be a hallmark of Heuer timepieces today.

It took half a century for Heuer’s firm to add wristwatches to its line of stopwatches, pocket watches, and dashboard chronographs. That occurred in 1913 and was instigated by the late founder’s sons, Jules and Charles...

The earliest Heuer wristwatches were made for women and featured gold or leather bands. Men’s chronograph wristwatches soon followed. A typical antique men’s Heuer wristwatch from the late 1910s and throughout the 1920s had a round stainless-steel case, gold numerals on a white dial, and hands that suggest an Art Nouveau influence. A button set within the crown (the winder) controlled the watch’s chronographic functions.

During this period, in 1916, Heuer made the first timer to record tenths of a second. That led to Heuer’s selection as the official timekeeper for the Olympic Games of 1920, 1924, and 1928.

Despite the Great Depression, the 1930s were a busy decade for Heuer. In 1930, it invented a flyback mechanism for its chronographs and patented a waterproof case. Functions such as automatic winding came shortly thereafter and in the middle of the decade, it produced steel Flieger chronographs for the German Air Force.

By the 1940s, triple-calendar chronographs began to appear. Cases came in steel or gold, with dials ranging from black to copper to white. These are among the most collectible vintage Heuers around. By the end of the decade, Heuer would introduce the Solunar, its first wristwatch to give tidal times.

The 1950s saw the introduction of the first of the so-called "poor man’s" Heuers, which were Heuer wristwatches either manufactured for third parties or for Heuer itself under a different brand. Aristo, Clebar, and Zodiac are examples of the latter, but Heuer also made wristwatches for U.S. watch maker Hamilton and retailers Sears (under the Tradition brand) and Tourneau.

Heuer’s most famous third-party client was undoubtedly Abercrombie & Fitch, whose early 1950s line of Seafarer and Auto-Graph wristwatches were heavily promoted by the clothing retailer. The nautically themed Seafarer featured blue-and-while indicators on white or black dials, giving wearers information on tides and the phases of the moon. The wristwatch design was so popular that Heuer repurposed it some years later as the Mareographe under its own label.

A&F’s Auto-Graph was introduced in 1953. This stylish watch was a triple-calendar chronograph, with numerals around the outside rim of the dial to help wearers calculate miles-per-hour and functions designed to calculate miles-per-gallon.

Another auto-themed wristwatch was the 1962 Autavia, which took its name from Heuer’s dashboard timers from the late 1950s. The elegant Carrera chronograph line was introduced the following year—both it and the Autavia featured movements manufactured by Valjoux.

Changes in Heuer’s ownership structure consumed much of the rest of the 1960s, but the company also produced a number of new models, including the Regatta in 1965, the Bundeswehr in 1967 (a brand picked up when Heuer acquired Leonides in 1964), the Camaro in 1968, and the square faced Monaco, which Steve McQueen made famous when he wore it in the 1971 racing film, Le Mans.

Key terms for Antique and Vintage Heuer Wristwatches:

Flyback: The ability to push a single button on a watch to stop, reset, or restart its chronograph function.

Chronograph: A watch that also records time intervals, like a stopwatch.

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Interviews & Articles

An Interview with Wristwatch Collector, Restorer, and Appraiser Don Levison

I got interested in pocket watches from working on mechanical things. I had an old car, and working on it gave me i… [more]

An Interview With Vintage Wristwatch Collector Jeff Hess

I started with pocket watches as a child, watching old movies on television, watching the cowboys occasionally pull… [more]

An Interview With Vintage Watch and Clock Expert Jonathan Snellenburg

I grew up outside of Philadelphia. I didn’t have any particular interest in clocks or watches as a kid; that came a… [more]



Best of the Web (“Hall of Fame”)

OnTheDash

OnTheDash

Jeffrey Stein's great reference site on Heuer chronographs and dashboard timepieces. This site offers everything yo… [read review or visit site]

Old-Omegas.com

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Gruen: The Art and Mystery of Watchmaking

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Paul Schliesser's elegant site offers a comprehensive history of the Gruen Watch Company of Ohio. The easy-to-navig… [read review or visit site]

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Rob Berkavicius' labor of love for Accutrons and Accutron technical information contains extraordinarily detailed d… [read review or visit site]

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National Watch and Clock Museum

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This gallery of hundreds of LCD and calculator watches from the 1980s includes nerd-friendly brands like Casio, Sei… [read review or visit site]


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Unique Heuer Montreal - Ref:110.501 Black Pvd - Nos!$1,710 Ends in 22 hours 20 bids 66 watchers
Tag Heuer Carrera Automatic Chrono Cv2017.ba0786 Nib$1,700 Ends in 3 hours 10 bids 13 watchers
Tag Heuer Aquaracer Automatic Chrono Caf2011.ba0815 Nib$1,675 Ends in 2 hours 13 bids 8 watchers
Tag Heuer Carrera Automatic Chrono Cv2014.ft6007 Nib$1,650 Ends in 2 hours 26 bids 18 watchers
Tag Heuer Carrera Cv2014.ft6007 Mens Wrist Watch $1,500 Ends in 21 hours 1 bid 5 watchers
Ladies Tag Heuer Aquaracer Diamond Steel Mop Watch$1,432 Ends in 20 hours 26 bids 40 watchers
Vintage Heuer Autavia Gmt Automatic Cal.11$1,290 Ends Sunday 14 bids 119 watchers
Tag Heuer Link Automatic Mens Watch$1,200 Ends Friday 1 bid 2 watchers
Awesome Heuer Camaro Valjoux 72 No Reserve$1,176 Ends Sunday 25 bids 234 watchers
Tag Heuer Carrera$1,100 Ends Saturday 1 bid 4 watchers
Tag Heuer Formula1 Wac1216.ba0852 Ladies Diamonds $1995$1,075 Ends in 2 hours 1 bid 6 watchers
Tag Heuer Monaco Chrono Auto Mens Watch Cw2111.hn1958$1,035 Ends Saturday 29 bids 73 watchers
Stunning Tag Heuer Carrera Chronograph Auto!! 18k &ss$1,033 Ends in 5 hours 2 bids 12 watchers
Mens Tag Heuer Link Chronograph Cjf 2114$1,009 Ends in 5 hours 21 bids 30 watchers
Tag Heuer Carrera Twin Time Automatic Mens Watch$1,000.00 Ends Sunday 1 bid 5 watchers
Mens Tag Heuer Link Chronograph Cjf 2115$1,000.00 Ends in 5 hours 20 bids 30 watchers
Tag Heuer Aquagraph Men's Diver Watch Buy it Now$999.00 Ends Saturday 1 bid 18 watchers
Tag Heuer Auto 1000mt Dive Watch$876.38 Ends in 2 hours 1 bid 6 watchers
Steel Tag Heuer Monaco Automatic Date 100% No Reserve$859.00 Ends Sunday 6 bids 47 watchers
Tag Heuer Link Mini Diamond Ladies Watch Wt1418.ba0561$825.00 Ends in 18 hours 1 bid 8 watchers
Lady's Ss Tag Heuer Link Watch W/mop Diamond Dial$800.00 Ends Saturday 3 bids 12 watchers
Tag Heuer Automatic Chronograph$800.00 Ends Monday 3 bids 6 watchers
Mens Tag Heuer Link Black Face In Box Wj1110$799.00 Ends Monday 1 bid 2 watchers
Tag Heuer Mens Ss 18k Solid Gold Link Wt1150 Watch$795.00 Ends Tuesday 1 bid 7 watchers
Vintage Heuer Autavia Chronograph #1163 Cal.#12$762.00 Ends Saturday 9 bids 67 watchers
Tag Heuer Men's Aquaracer Chronotimer Watch $739.00 Ends Friday 1 bid 8 watchers
Authentic Tag Heuer Carrera Autamatic Watch Cv2013$730.00 Ends Friday 12 bids 45 watchers
Tag Heuer Watch Diamond Face $700.00 Ends Saturday 1 bid 2 watchers
Tag Heuer Aquaracer Calibre S Box And Books $699.00 Ends Tuesday 1 bid 6 watchers
Tag Heuer~link~mens~stainless~diamond Dial Watch~wj1113$685.00 Ends Sunday 25 bids 35 watchers
Tag Heuer 6000 Chronometer Watch - Black Dial$660.00 Ends Saturday 3 bids 11 watchers
Mens Tag Heuer Formula 1 Grande Date Chronograph Watch$620.00 Ends in 3 hours 31 bids 39 watchers
Tag Heuer Kirium Ladies Blue Dial Watch Wl131f.ba0710$620.00 Ends Tuesday 1 bid 1 watcher
Tag Heuer Aquaracer Mens Chronotimer Caf1010.ft8011$611.00 Ends Friday 12 bids 13 watchers
Heuer 1969 Carrera Chronographe Auto Kal.12 Rarity$565.55 Ends Tuesday 11 bids 37 watchers
** Mint!! ** Tag Heuer Calibre 1 Limited Edition Watch $565.00 Ends Saturday 19 bids 66 watchers
Tag Heuer Formula 1 F1 Mens Divers Chrono Watch Set$520.00 Ends Sunday 16 bids 40 watchers
Heuer Chronosplit Watch Works!! Quartz Solid State$515.00 Ends Sunday 6 bids 22 watchers
Tag Heuer Men's Aquaracer Watch 300 Meter W/ Diamonds$515.00 Ends Saturday 10 bids 19 watchers
Tag Heuer Carrera Stainless W Silver Face$510.00 Ends Friday 6 bids 27 watchers
Smoking Hot Tag Heuer Formula 1 Grande Date Chronograph$504.99 Ends Sunday 2 bids 21 watchers
Men's Tag Heuer Link Automatic$500.00 Ends Friday 8 bids 13 watchers
Tag Heuer Carrera Cv2011.ba0786 Automatic Chronograph$499.99 Ends Sunday 1 bid 17 watchers
Tag Heuer Men's Link Quartz Chronograph Watch #cj1110.b$499.99 Ends Tuesday 1 bid 5 watchers
Men’s Tag Heuer Ck1111 2000 Chronograph Watch$475.00 Ends Sunday 7 bids 7 watchers
Tag Heuer Sel S/el Sports Elegance Link Mens Watch$470.48 Ends in 6 hours 20 bids 29 watchers
Vintage Heuer Leonidas Easy Rider Chronograph$467.00 Ends Saturday 7 bids 35 watchers
Vintage Heuer Autavia Chronograph ~ Vg Run$455.00 Ends Wednesday 2 bids 29 watchers
Tag Heuer Carrera Cv2010-0 Lh9298 $454.99 Ends Friday 10 bids 34 watchers
Tag Heuer Rattrapante Split Second Chronograph Watch$449.00 Ends in 18 hours 18 bids 42 watchers
Beautiful Tag Heuer Link Chronograph Quartz Watch Mint!$430.00 Ends Thursday 9 bids 25 watchers
Tag Heuer Carrera 1964 Re-edition Chronograph Cs3110$405.00 Ends Wednesday 7 bids 40 watchers
Professional Tag Heuer 18k Gold Men's Watch W/box$403.00 Ends Saturday 5 bids 7 watchers
Beautiful Tag Heuer Wrist Watch. Only Worn Once!!$401.00 Ends Sunday 10 bids 11 watchers
Vintage 14k Heuer Automatic Wrist Watch$399.95 Ends in 3 hours 1 bid 13 watchers
Tag Heuer Automatic Chronograph Ck 2112$399.00 Ends Friday 1 bid 11 watchers
Tag Heuer Exclusive 1/10 Chronograph Blue Dial/ss Diver$398.52 Ends Saturday 11 bids 30 watchers

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