: I actually prefer the later execution models, I know it would seem
: like heresy to many regulars here but I find the early 1153
: models ugly. The old early 1960s polished hands in the the big
: thick late 60s / early 70s case just look unbalanced in my
: opinion. The later models of the 1153 look more balanced and
: more like they belong in one era (early 70s).

Ah, but Shaun, there is a third way... :)

The second execution second generation Carrera has single markers and narrower versions of the hands on Laurent's watch (the watch on the left in the photo in my above post), so doesn't have this mismatch of hands and the rest of the dial furniture. The polished steel hands only made it to the first few watches, probably less than a year's worth of production - probably one of those decisions where Heuer had a lot of stock and were damn sure they were going to use it up rather than keep it for spares or throw it away!

That's the optimal configuration for me - the single markers, 3-6-9-12 hour register and narrow second execution hands, but when it comes down to it, I like all the 1153-cased variants.