THE ESSENTIALS

MAKE: HEUER
YEAR: 1940s
BOX/PAPERS: NO/NO
CASE DIAMETER: 35mm
CASE MATERIAL: 18K YELLOW GOLD
BRACELET MATERIAL: LEATHER
MOVEMENT: MANUAL WIND

It is no secret that we love 60s and 70s Heuer chronographs here at Fathom. Over the past few months alone, we’ve had the pleasure of stocking many iconic models, including the Autavia, Carrera, Camaro, Monaco, Monza, Silverstone, and Skipper. While these utilitarian, sports-focused chronographs undoubtedly represent Heuer’s most glorious era, the brand’s chronograph heritage dates back several decades earlier.

The present example dates back to the 1940s, nicknamed the "Big Eye" due to its strikingly oversized subdials. During this time, Heuer released a series of two-register chronographs, such as references 343, 347, 2402, 2406, and 2433, powered by the reliable Landeron 13 and Valjoux 23 movements. Whilst most of these were made in stainless steel, the watch we have here was crafted entirely in 18K yellow gold. The watch is in fantastic condition after 8 decades of life; the champagne dial is unrestored and shows a beautiful speckle patina. The 18K yellow gold case shows minimal signs of polishing. The caseback has a fine engraving, likely from the original owner. 

The watch is running perfectly after a recent service, measuring +3 s/d, 255 amplitude, with a 0.3 ms beat error. Gold Heuer chronographs from this period seem to have been forgotten by the watch world - amazingly, these examples demand much less than their stainless steel counterparts. We have had this for well over a month but were extremely reluctant to advertise it. It's such a brilliant watch, and one that we can stare at forever fathoming about that life that it has led.