One thing worth mentioning is that for the 2444/2445/2449 reference watches from the 40s and 50s (the dial fits into this broader category), the most common dial has a 12 at 12 o’clock (sometimes applied, sometimes punched in), whereas this dial just has a rectangular hour marker at 12 o’clock.

I have seen this rectangular marker on a few dials, its not that unusual, you can see a few on sale now on Chrono24. I did look through my photos of the dial boards in the Heuer archive and I couldn’t find this dial style for valjoux 72 - though they did have it for the 2 subdial valjoux 92 models. I don’t think the dial boards are 100% comprehensive - at a minimum there are certainly some slots where there is a missing dial!

It’s not clear to me if the rectangular marker dial style is later or earlier, my guess is later, but not really based on any sort of detailed study.

Secondly, on the question about solid gold being more valuable: in general it is sort of the reverse to some extent!

The most common view for vintage chronograph collectors (“tool” watches) is that a chrono is functional so should be in steel. For example - I am certainly not a Patek expert - but I believe steel chrono Pateks are generally more sought after than gold. There are some exception for very specific niches with some historic relevance; for example the 1158 gold Carrera is iconic because it was given to F1 drivers in the 1970s, or the gold Speedmaster which was given to some people in the space community (and astronauts). For this watch I don’t see a huge premium; there are a few collectors (including me) that like gold, but its not widespread.

I’m interested to hear more from Jeff’s deeper investigation...

Shaun