My first attempt to collect vintage Heuers was in 2005. I acquired an 1153 Carrera. This was followed in the same year with a Monza and the following year by a 2446C Autavia. But in between, I got sidetracked by the lure of collecting Omegas, Seikos and Rolex. I eventually sold them to concentrate on these brands. But I guess the lure of collecting a brand with so much pedigree and history made me go back to it. Unlike other brands, vintage Heuers were more of a challenge. I think it has something to do with the fact that Heuer (then) was always under the radar. Hence, the lack of reference materials. Thank God for OTD. Yes, it so much more difficult to date a vintage Heuer compared to an Omega, Rolex or Seiko. Rules of thumb have already been established for the last 3 brands.

And so here I am to pay tribute to HEUER with the hope that this will serve as my personal reference for the future.

1st box. L-R

Here’s the watch that got me BACK to collecting vintage Heuers- a SWISS domestic market 2446T from 1967. I posted the story a few years back on OTD

http://chronocentric.com/forums/heuer/index.cgi?md=read;id=50941

Have since replaced the bezel to a NOS bezel. Thanks to Rich Crosthwaite for making this possible.

One of the most beautiful watches I’ve owned. A 2446C GMT. Seller’s pic. Thanks to OTD for making this possible.

Next is an Exotic cal. 15. Sourced off-line from an OTD member. The relative scarcity of this piece was the attraction. 1 of 4, 8, 10, 12, 100 or whatever number. This was a must have for me.

The look of a military green pvd 111.603 Autavia has always attracted me. I put out a WTB ad for this a few months back but no response. An excellent example came up on OTD sans the bracelet but that’s fine with me. It was on a vintage bund leather as pictured but I have since replaced it with an olive green DB10

Up next is a 1163 Viceroy. Not just an ordinary Viceroy. This one was advertised as NOS at OTD with papers and the all-important hang tag. Wouldn’t have kept this but the complete set was too much of an allure. I love the way the dial has turned tropical plus the bezel has transformed to a gun metal color

One of the acquisitions I will never forget. I was so excited I posted it at OTD. An early Siffert

http://chronocentric.com/forums/heuer/index.cgi?md=read;id=56376

Another Siffert ( a later one). I think this marked my crossover from vintage Omegas to Heuer. I traded my Omega Bullhead for this one. Never really got to wear the Bullhead anyway

Having delved into vintage Rolex and tropical dials. This one was too much to resist. Not sure if everyone else will agree with me but collecting vintage Heuers is so much more different than Rolex. For Heuers, the newer looking, the better. My guess is this is because of the scarcity of parts etc. For Rolex, the more vintage-looking, the better. When this 1163 Chocolate dial GMT with matching faded bezel was offered to me off-line via an OTD member, I just had to say YES.

I’ve always liked the 11063 cases. It’s a cross between the slimmer 1163 and the bulkier 11630. But if there’s one 11063 I wanted to own, it had to be a Diver 100. A WTB ad on OTD was a success.

Speaking of 11630, I was fortunate to acquire a 11630P from OTD.

Seller’s pic

But I have since replaced the strap with a GF

Next is a Silver dial Autavia. I’m a great fan of these Silver dials. This was actually a project as I first bought a NOS dial hoping to hoard it for the future and hope that I could get a donor watch for it. Surprisingly, within a few weeks, an opportunity presented itself for me to complete a 11630 Silver. Of course, I had to rely on OTD for the research

http://chronocentric.com/forums/heuer/index.cgi?md=read;id=61405

Here it is now with a spare GF that I had kept. A deal is in the process for a NOS 11630 T bezel. Keeping my fingers crossed it will push through. My NOS 11630P bezel is at stake but I have no use for it.

Next is a deal I could not pass. With the GF bracelet, it was a bargain. Acquired from OTD is this 11630GMT

Seller’s BEAUTIFUL! pic

On to the second box.

Sourced off-line from OTD is a 7863 Dato. This was actually 1 of a batch of 5 watches offered to me. Got them all in installment except for one. And that one I left out was an ORANGE BOY! I have since replaced the strap with an unmarked beads of rice with the correct endlinks

Seller’s pic

And mine

Up next is a Skipper 7764. Compressor. Close to NOS with very crisp caseback. Sourced off-line from an OTD member

On a vintage corfam and sun buckle

I also collect movements and valjoux 72s are on the top of my list. I also think that Camaros are very underrated. They actually wear better than Autavias. A Panda 7220SN with valjoux 72 movement was difficult to source but found the perfect example off-line from OTD.

Seller’s pic

But nothing beats having a double grain GF on it. I acquired a NOS GF separately from eBay. This has got to be one of my favorites! The simplicity of the dial and the beauty of a double grain is a perfect combo.

Another Camaro. And NOS at that. Offered to me off-line (what’s new). Another favorite but sadly I haven’t really worn it because it is NOS. A 7220NT

Seller’s pic

Since I collect vintage Rolex as well, can’t help but be attracted to divers. This is probably the only Heuer diver I will ever own- a Monnin 844 1st gen with cathedral hands and original bezel

A Heuer collection can never be complete without a Monaco. While this is not a Blue McQueen, I could not pass on this as it was offered to me dirt cheap. This was a project watch I was challenged to take on. The gaskets had melted (as always expected in Monacos). But sourcing for the near perfect dial proved too much of a challenge. I think I was a few months late as a friend had sourced a NOS dial from our resident OTD Monaco expert a few months back. Yes, supply of parts are slowly drying up.

It’s a good thing a friend had offered to purchase this from me affording me a tidy profit to purchase a near perfect 1163G specimen

Seller’s pic

In purchasing a Monaco, one has to always look at the dial and make sure there is no damage. By the way, I’ve always wondered why some of these dials have cut-out edges

Despite having a 1133G, I can't let go of this 73633G. This comes with excellent provenance. Nothing beats having acquired a watch from the OTD founder himself.

I was able to source an original bracelet for it

Last but definitely not the least- POOR MAN’S HEUERS. I’m a great fan of these PMH watches. Lots of Heuer DNA.

Here’s a Bulova cal. 15

Baylor 2446GMT. I wonder if the bezels on these can be interchanged with the original Heuers

And my prized PMH- a Dugena Siffert in NOS condition sourced from an OTD member’s website. True Heuer DNA with all the case markings and serial

Seller’s pic

Lastly, a Zodiac cal. 11

If you’ve gotten this far, thank you for your patience. My aim was to take a snapshot of my Heuer collection and document it for future reference. Who knows what it will be like a year from now. Definitely not more but less- lest I eat my words. Where am I taking this? I hope to consolidate a bit and go for more exotics and very early Autavias. This has been a fun journey so far. Thank you to OTD for making this possible. More importantly, I treasure the friendships I have made in the process. Truly priceless!!!