Offered for sale is the below pictured Heuer Carrera 3147 (45 Dato) with the “Wings & Wheels” logo of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on the dial. This watch came out of an estate in Indianapolis, Indiana. The people selling the estate said that the Gentleman who owned the watch was an executive at a local company who worked at the Speedway during the month of May when the run the Indy 500. The estate contained a lot of other Indy 500 memorabilia including tickets, pit passes etc from the late ‘30s through the ‘60s.

I have no written proof of how the watch came to be in the estate of this man but I know for a fact that Tony Hulman who owned the Motor Speedway gave these watches to important friends and to people who did work at the track as thank you gifts. I know of at least 3 of these Wings & Wheel watches including two Carreras and one Autavia which have come out of local Indianapolis estates and the story has been the same each time.

The Watch is not NOS or Mint but it is in very good shape and seems to be completely original including the crown, pushers and the case finish. The edges of the case are very sharp, all of the brushing is still very sharp on the back and I can’t see any evidence that it has ever been polished. It has some light scratches and nicks including the scratch on the back which you can see in the picture. The plexi crystal seems to be original and has a few scratches and a few fingerprints but is very clear. The serial number which you can see in the photos is 1276XX. The dial is very nice. As you can see in the photo there is some dust and grit on the dial. I think the only thing which will not blow off is the very small mark in the right hand minutes register. The hands are original and the lume on the dial and hands is intact and seems original. The logo is in very good shape. The movement is the appropriate manual wind Laderon and is in excellent condition with little or no tarnish. The movement runs well with good balace motion. All of the chrono functions work as they should but the pushers are a bit sluggish. I doubt the watch has been cleaned in a long time. I brushed off the dust and wiped it with a damp cloth but otherwise it is as found from the estate.

The pictures below are of the exact watch which is for sale. Most of you know that I am a professional photographer. I have tried to take pictures which show the watch as it is and not beauty pictures. These photos are un-retouched with the exception of taking a couple of pieces of dust off of the surface. I wanted the pictures to show the watch and all the scratches and blemishes. I think the watch actually looks better in hand than in the photos.

The price of this watch is $65,000 USD or close offer. Only wire/bank transfer payment will be accepted. I do not really want to ship this watch and I will absolutely not ship it out of the USA. I travel extensively in the US and Europe for work and depending on the purchase price of the watch I would like to make arrangements to deliver the watch to the buyer or the buyer’s agent in person.

Please email me with any questions and or offers. I will not be insulted by any offers but I don't need to sell the watch and I won't accept any low balls.

JohnCote