Congratulations, Chuck! This is quite a catch, and I think you owe Jeff at least a couple of drinks for that one... ;-)

As you well know, this watch has been on my wish list as well for quite some time, actually since that day in 2004 when I gave up on an auction for one on eBay, with the watch finally selling for $835. I could almost cry thinking about it now, but of course at the time I didn't know what this chronograph really was...

Regarding the case, according to the e-mail exchange I had with Marco Richon regarding this particular chronograph, it was made by the Star Watch Case Company in the US. So I assume that both Heuer and Lemania sourced their case from the same supplier when they decided to make their similar chronos a few years later. The Omega was made in 1979, still according to Marco Richon, and as far as I know the Heuer Cortina appeared around 1982/1983.

Actually, my theory is that Heuer contracted Lemania to make some of their completed watches using the Lemania 5100. The first piece of evidence is my recently acquired Heuer Audi Sport, which shares its case with a chronograph Lemania was selling at the time. The second element leading me to this conclusion is the Heuer 510.543 delivered to the A.M.I. (Italian Air Force) since an identical chronograph branded Lemania was also issued by the A.M.I. during the same period. Finally, there is this Cortina. Its case reference is 510.513, and strangely enough it is also the case reference found on my black-dialed Lemania using the exact same case...