: Interestng subject.

: By "modern day "fakes"" you
: mean franken-heuers (watches put toghether
: from parts of various watches, some of them
: true Heuers) or you mean 100% fake? Where
: did the movement came from? I have never
: seen a "fake" one pusher chrono
: movement.

Kav:

you make a very good point. We have all seen Heuers being put together from other Heuers (which you call a "Franken-Heuer"); one example previously shown on this Discussion Forum had pieces from the Daytona, Montreal and Verona.

The following is based on a previous message that I posted on this Discussion Forum, and is my best guess as to how these are being produced. There have been at least a dozen of these "oversize Heuers" offered through internet auctions and dealers over the past eight months; some stated to be from the 40's, others from the 50's and others from the 60's . . . my conclusion is that they were not made by Heuer, and that they are not "vintage", so "fakes" is the accurate description. The following is my best guess as to how they are being made:

(1) find a vintage pocket chronograph with an appropriate movement (Valjoux 76 being the ideal); if it is a genuine Heuer pocket chronograph, all the better, because it will have the "correct" marking on the movement (as described in step 3) - - - cost should be $200 to $500.

(2) have the dial refinished so that the numbers and markings are rotated 90 degrees (because the crown will be at 3:00 o'clock on the wrist chronograph rather than at 12:00 o'clock on the pocket chronograph); I understand that this can be done in Germany, at a cost in the $100 range

(3) if the "donor" pocket chronograph was not a Heuer, add Heuer marks to the movement; note that many pocket chronographs of the period did not have any "brand" or "logo" marks on the movements, so adding the Heuer markings is relatively easy

(4) have a high grade steel case produced to house the movement and dial; I have heard that these are being produced in Poland, the Czech Republic or Germany; cost may be in the $400 to $500 range; the quality is excellent, which is part of the reason that prospective buyers can be convinced that they are genuine Heuers

so there you have it -- a vintage movement in a shiny new case covered by a refinished dial, with a total cost in the $700 to $1100 range. If you put "Heuer" on the dial and movement, you have produced a "fake" (and broken the law) . . . but this is one explanation of how some of these oversize chronographs are being produced. Typical selling prices have been in the $2800 to $4000 range, which explains why someone would go to the effort to have them produced.

let the buyer beware!!

Jeff