Every year it seems that a different Vintage Heuer model enjoys its moment in the sun- collectors suddenly realise that there are some under-appreciated models out there (with under-appreciated prices to match), a few examples are bought and photos posted…and the Heuer collecting world has a new favourite.
Of course, there are always the “blue-chip” models- 1133B Monaco, Siffert Autavia, Carrera 12 that will continue to appreciate (although my view is that the Siffert and 1133B values will slow in their appreciation), but the real fun comes in finding models that are off the radar of most collectors and so can still be bought at reasonable prices.
I have tried to limit my list to models that are reasonably easy to find- some models have such a low “Samples Per Year” count (see http://onthedash.com/priceguide.shtml) that a some collectors will pay whatever the asking price when one is available…because it will be a long time before the next one comes long.
Here are five models that I believe could be the big price movers for 2010:
1) Heuer 510.500/ 501/502/503
These Lemania 5100 powered watches were released in the final days of Heuer and survived through to about 1986 as TAG Heuer models. Through their production run they were offered with a date window and later a day/ date window as pictured left.
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One of the most popular topics on any watch forum is the authentication of watches, a problem that has come about as 1) replica watches come onto the market and 2) lack of available spare parts means that sellers get “creative” in replacing authentic parts. People are very quick to accuse a watch as being “fake”- but what does this actually mean?
When you analyse watches, there are five categories of “realness”:
1) Genuine: A genuine watch is one that features 100% original parts and was made and sold by the watch company. It may have had replacement parts over the years, but these should be original parts. In the case of a vintage Heuer watch, I would argue that a watch can be fitted with service hands, but still be classified as genuine, as these parts were “officially” made and used by Heuer, even though they are different to the hands that came with the watch when bought new.
2) Assembled from Genuine parts: As the old watchmakers retired, many took the opportunity to clear out their spare parts drawers by using a collection of spare parts to assemble a complete watch. All of the parts are correct for a particular mode, so the biggest difference here is that the watch was never “made” by Heuer, but rather made by a watchmaker from genuine Heuer parts. Its a small distinction, but an important one.
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I bought a “NOS” Heuer Calculator earlier this year- it was an impulse buy really, as I had never previously liked the Calculator that much…they always look a little ungainly and over-sized in the photos.
In real life, they look fantastic. Yes, its a big watch, but no bigger than many new watches that are on sale today, so it has a very contemporary look. I’ve received more compliments around the office for my Calculator than I have for my Monaco 1133B!
Have you spotted what’s wrong with the watch yet? Yes, it has service hands. But what about the dial? Its missing the “Automatic Chronograph” on the dial, despite being an automatic watch.
You might assume that this is because some back-yard operator fitted a dial meant for a manual-wind Calculator to an automatic watch. And you’d be right…almost
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The TAG Heuer Monza was launched in 2000 as part of the Re-edition series of watches released by TAG in the last days before the acquisition by LVMH.
The first model was the CR2111 which was available with a white or black dial, with simply “Heuer” on the logo- no “TAG” for this first series.
Interestingly, the second hand of the watch changed between the time that the catalogue photos were taken and the time that the watch hit the shops- you will never see a CR2111 Monza with the sweeping second hand shown to the left.
The use of the the Monza name was a somewhat controversial choice by TAG, as the new Monza bore no relationship at all to the old Carrera-based Heuer Monza of the 1970′s. In actual fact, the design was more based on the Heuer Camaro, with a little of the second-generation Heuer Silverstone thrown in for good measure.
Its certain that the choice of name was influenced in the changing perception of the worthiness of the Camaro brand- Chevrolet had well and truly destroyed any cache that the Camaro had by the late 1990′s, so I guess when compared to the historic relevance of the Monza name, it was probably an easy choice..but one that automatically put the vintage Heuer collectors offside.
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Cheers Arno
