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Re: 1971 Heuer 73353 S Carrera
In Response To: 1971 Heuer 73353 S Carrera ()

Welcome to the forum Pedro.

First off, let me say that's a very nice watch you've got there - we'd love to see some pictures if you have them (because we like to see pictures of Heuers and for another reason I'll get to later). I've just come into possession of a 73453 S myself, which is the same watch as yours but with a date window.

And then onto value.

This depends on a number of factors - the automatic versions of these Carreras attract a premium over the manuals, and the manuals with a date (73453) or 3 registers (73653/5) a smaller premium over the 73353. Though in the example of the 73655, that premium is probably equalled out by the fact its case is gold-plated and this is often considered less desirable than steel for tool watches.

One of the biggest factors, though, is originality and this is where those photographs come in. TAG-Heuer aren't able to source every original part nowadays and use replacement hands etc on occasion. For real collectors, this may be more of an issue than for the person who decides a vintage Carrera is just what they need - the collector may well want to source original hands on the market and expect this cost to be reflected in the asking price.

And I'm not sure whether you're looking to sell, just interested in value or after an amount to insure the watch for... so I'll just give an idea of what I expect the purchase price would be, after all that preamble!

On the open market, e.g. on eBay or other public sales channel, I'd expect a 73353 to start around the 800 Euro mark (~ $1125) and maybe reach 1200 Euros (~ $1700) on a good day, though it would have to be in great condition and the vendor a bit lucky. For dealer prices, you're probably looking at anything up to double that lower amount. Where watches are coming in under that 800 Euros, I'd expect the watch to require some work - significantly under and I'd start thinking of it more as a "project", but I think a lot of collectors factor in the cost of a possible service anyway.

Hope that gives you a good idea, but happy to try and narrow it down a bit if you can send in photos etc. All of that is just my feel for the value, others on the forum may disagree and it may vary considerably by location, but I try and stay on top of the Carrera values as much as I can!

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