Sorry this one isn't a Heuer, but rather an Omega...

It's always amazed me to some extent that Heuer [who had a reputation of being pretty experimental back in the day] never put out a Bullhead Chronograph back when the Bullhead trend was an interesting variation and nearly every manufacturer produced one... Interestingly enough the 1969-1979 period is remembered as Omega's "Wild" period and they did produce a Bullhead Chronograph, the 146.011-69.

The tale of my example is that I became aware of Omega's Bullhead in the late summer/early fall of 1999. I know I passed on at least one example off of eBay in the early fall because I was chasing another watch at the time [probably my Heuer Carrera]. If I remember correctly that eBay example I passed on went for more than $800. In fact it wouldn't surprise me if I passed on a couple of them during that season.

Anyway, in the lead up to Christmas 1999 I had purchased a Pre-1960's Gold 3-Register Heuer that I paid something like $500 or so for before shipping. As it turned out, I had taken Christmas Eve Morning off of work [we had a half day on both Christmas and New Year's eve's] as I was spending Christmas Eve with relatives. Of course, that'd have to be the day that 3-Register arrived. Or so I thought. Turns out the seller [a double-digit Positive feedback seller] had used one of these fold together US Postal boxes and hadn't used a speck of tape to secure the package. To this day, I don't know for sure if he simply didn't insert the watch, or some dishonest postal employee simply pressed in the side of the box, removed the content and reassembled the box. It remains the only outstanding, outright postal theft I've suffered in my nearly nine years of watch collecting. The package was insured [but for only the watch, not the shipping/insurance costs], so I spent about an hour on Christmas Eve filling out Insurance forms.

So in the next week Jeff Meyer had this Bullhead listed on eBay. I figured I would eventually be reimbursed for the lost Heuer [which never did turn up] and early on New Years eve morning, I prevailed with a winning bid just under $1,000. As you can see the case is over polished, but the dial is in pretty good shape and the hands could probably be improved with replacements, but it's always been in wearable shape. I've worn it a couple of times, but as it's only a two-register watch [half a chronograph] It doesn't generate the wrist time that my full chronographs do. It's an unusual watch, as you can see from the pictures, which probably contributed to why Omega seem to have made so few. Well as you all know, now a days, rariety and "quirkyness" for lack of a better term means hightened collector awareness, interest and value these days.

About two to three years ago, I helped a regular over on TZOF eieioeieio [Vincent] out of NYC locate and purchase a near mint example from Europe at a price in the $3,200-3,300 range before shipping. I told him at the time that I thought that price was a bit on the looney side. I mean I knew that the value of the Bullhead had increased with time, but I thought $2,500-2,700 might be a more realistic value and it was SUCH an unusual watch, that it really didn't go with anything like a nice Moonwatch or even a 510.500. But he wanted it and bought it and was very happy with it. Well, of course 2007 is the year of Omegamania and insanely inflated prices for Omega's especially if they are rare or unusual...

What are they going for these days? Here's a link to a completed auction search on eBay.

And here is a snap I took of the result of that search:

Now admitedly, these are BuyItNow auctions, but this is the only sort of auctions on eBay for Omega Bullheads these days. The lowest I've seen an Omega Bullhead offered for was in the $8,000 range, the highest was in the $18,000 range. This is definately a case of where the proverbial "Ugly Duckling" has turned into [at least a financial] Swan... Truely a case of "Think Different"!

-- Chuck

Chuck Maddox

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Chronographs, like most finer things in life, only improve with time...