They seem to have been pretty much on top of their Carrera volumes, certainly by '72 when they were introducing the Cal 15s. I'd say it would be quite rare to see a Carrera in the "wrong" case and I suspect most of those we do see have had a movement/dial transplant.

I think they were surprised the Cal 12 Carrera lived as long as it did, but the 15s were intended to supplement sales of the 12s rather than cannibalise them. That said, it's very clear that Heuer often used parts that were on hand, which is why we end up with so many transitional watches that appear to be original rather than put together later.

About the proliferation of V cases in non-Viceroy watches - my understanding is that Heuer were initially caught short by the unexpectedly high demand for the Viceroy promotion, did they then over-react and order in many more cases than they needed? Meaning they were then producing watches in leftover cases for years after the promotion had ended?

Seems incredible nowadays that they would associate their brand with smoking like that, but I guess it was a different age - and it's not that long ago that McLarens looked like rolling fag packets (sorry, cigarettes, before I bewilder our US readers too much!!). At least it's more subtle on the Ferraris, although it does mean they aren't the "proper" shade of red...