Many of the posts on Calibre 11 focus on the deep relationship that Heuer/ TAG Heuer has with motor racing- and in particular with Formula 1. You only have to look through a Heuer catalogue from the 1970s to see model after model named after famous racing tracks scattered around exotic parts of the world.
But despite this motor racing focus, Heuer/ TAG Heuer also has a rich history of supporting other sports where exact timing is essential, such as Diving, Skiing and in particular, Sailing. Of course there are many parallels between motor racing and sailing- cutting edge technology, the quest for speed and the ability to rapidly consume vast quantities of cash.
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Back in February I posted a few photos of a tired Autavia that I had bought with the aim of having it restored. The 11063 GMT Autavia is one of the last of the Heuer Autavia series, and my favourite of the Autavia GMTs, with its all-black dial and over-sized case. They are however difficult to find, which is why I was prepared to buy one in need of some work.
The work was done by Abel Court, a well-known Heuer collector who has the magic touch when it comes to restoring these old watches. Abel’s work has previously featured on Calibre 11, through his customised Autavia and his restoration of his dream watch- a Heuer Monaco PVD. What I love about Abel’s work is the balance between restoring the parts that need to be fixed, but also being ready to leave as much of the watch as possible in original condition.
We’ve all seen a lot of “restored” Heuers and the majority are absolute rubbish- done by people who probably weren’t even sure what the original looked like and almost always featuring a few alien parts from the parts bin. The good news is that there are some Heuer lovers who do great work at reviving these watches and have a great passion for their work…its worth seeking them out rather than going to your local default watchmaker.
So, a huge thanks to Abel for his efforts and skill. My thanks also to Alex Peters and the “mystery man”, who were a great help in tracking down a couple of key parts needed for the watch- much appreciated. So, on to the photos…
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Baselworld was the first chance that I had to put together the new TAG Heuer Silverstone re-edition and a vintage Heuer Silverstone to compare the similarities. Obviously, the two are very similar, with the only differences being:
- New Silverstone (right) slightly larger diameter than vintage (left), as well as having a thicker case
- The vintage blue Silverstone has a metallic inner bezel, where the new model’s bezel has the same finish as the dial
- The word “Swiss” has moved from the top of the date window to sitting either side of the date window
- The sub-dials of the new Silverstone has more hash marks than the vintage version
And that’s it- apart from that, they are identical..and the differences mentioned above are pretty small in the scheme of things.
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One of the reasons that I have spent time looking into the history of the Heuer and Lemania relationship recently (see here and here) was to find out more about the heritage of a watch that I’ve recently bought- a Heuer 510.500.
The watch on the right is a series two 510.500, distinguished from the first series by the Day/ Date feature (the first series 510.500 was date only) and often coming with the TAG Heuer logo on the bracelet, even though the dial is “Heuer”.
The 510.5XX watches were the only Lemania-powered Heuer to survive into the TAG Heuer era, with the TAG Heuer version having the reference number 510.500-12.
This different model number signals more than just the addition of the TAG Heuer logo to the dial- it also signifies that most of these watches use the slower-beating 5012 Lemania movement and not the 5100.
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Heuer’s relationship with Lemania in the early 1980s was brief, but intense. As the first part of the Heuer/ Lemania story detailed, Heuer was actually owned by a consortium involving Lemania for a few short years before being sold to TAG in 1984/5. This relationship explains why there were so many Heuer models using the Lemania 5100 movement in the early 1980s.
However what this doesn’t explain is why are there so many other brands that sold almost identical version of these Heuer watches. Based on the trusty formula of two-parts research mixed with one-part assumption and one-parts guesswork, the conclusion is perhaps surprising: Because for the most part, they were not Heuer designs in the first place.
Before explaining why many of these designs were likely owned by Lemania itself, its worth revisiting the basics of the way that Swiss watch industry was structured.
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A while back I bought this Heuer Autavia 11063 GMT on eBay. It’s the first time that I’ve bought a watch for a restoration project, although I hasten to add that I will be doing none of the work myself due to a complete lack of relevant skills.
The 11063 GMT is the last of the Autavia series from around 1984. Its my favourite Autavia type due to the larger case size and sunken bezel.
Somewhat mysteriously, these GMT watches actually have 11630 stamped on the case, despite being a 11063 series. The catalogue also refers to it as a 11630 GMT- not the only time that Heuer catalogues have referred to a 11063 as a 11630.
The 11063 GMT is also the rarest of the GMT series, with only a few examples coming on to the market each year- which also explains why I was happy to buy one that needed some work. It’s always hard to tell the true condition of a watch until it arrives in your hands, and this was especially true in this case due to the average quality of the photos that the seller had provided.
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One of the more interesting chapters in Heuers history is its relationship with Lemania in the 1980s. Heuer watches with Lemania automatic movements first appeared in the 1983 Heuer catalogue alongside what was to be the last appearance of the Chronomatic watches. Featured in the 1983 Heuer catalogue are the following watches, all powered the Lemania 5100 movement.
- 510.50X series- “Lemania 1000″ series
- 510.511/523- “Lemania Carrera”
- 510.513- “Lemania Cortina”
- 510.403- “Lemania Silverstone”
- 510.508- “Gold Lemania Carrera”
Heuer would later add two other limited production Lemania models- The Heuer AudiSport (seen right with its Lemania branded counterpart) and the Heuer A.M.I.
And yet by 1986, almost all of these Lemania watches are gone.
So how can this all be explained? Why did Heuer and Lemania form such a close relationship? Why did it all come to an end so abruptly? And why do these Heuer watches look the same as designs offered by other companies?
In this two-part story, each of these questions will be examined as the Heuer and Lemania relationship is explored. Part One will focus on the corporate relationship between the two companies and Part Two on watches produced during the union.
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Normally when I take photographs of watches I spend most of the time on the head-on shots of the dial- after all, this is the view that you have when you look at your watch. This angle offers the best view of the hands, the sub-dials and any pattern on the dial (oh, and you can also tell the time).
However today I want to focus on the Heuer Montreal- and ignore its dial and hands and instead focus on its amazing case finishing. That is not to say that the dial of the Montreal is not something special: this white example (ref. 110.503W) is one of the most colourful Heuer dials- white, blue, red, black and orange/ yellow all making an appearance. But its the case of the Montreal that really sets it out from other Heuer models and makes it unique.
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You may recall that back in October, Calibre 11 posted an interesting Monaco project that was for sale in Singapore- a chance for a very brave soul to bring back a what looked like a PVD Monaco from very poor health.
Almost exactly two months later, we can now bring you the full story of that watch and the work that was done. Want to read all the details? Take a look here at the dedicated page to this fantastic Heuer restoration project.
There is also a link to the Heuer Monaco restoration page at the top of the Calibre 11 homepage.
My thanks to Abel Court for his time in detailing the work done on his Monaco.
Last month I wrote about the amazing Heuer Chronosplit- the space-age LED/ LCD watches released by Heuer in the 1970s. I mentioned that there were a number of experts on these watches, making the decision a little easier about whether or not to enter the potentially frustrating world of Chronosplit ownership.
Without doubt one of the best websites dedicated to the Heuer Chronosplit is LED-forever , which has pages on all sorts of funky LED and LCD watches, including a special Chronosplit section.
There are separate pages on both versions of the Chronosplit (LED/ LCD and LCD/ LCD) as well as photos of the various models offered. You’ll also find photos of the Chronosplit modules, copies of the Chronosplit instruction manual, photos of various F1 drivers wearing their Chronosplits and a repair service which would be useful if it all goes bad with your watch.
Its an amazing site with some great photos and useful information, so anyone with a passing interest in these watches should certainly check it out. The main page is here and the Heuer section can be found here
I still haven’t been brave enough to buy a Chronosplit, but the day is getting closer…
Generally I find that being in a different time-zone to most of my fellow Heuer collectors can be a disadvantage when it comes to buying watches, as many of the best watches can get listed while Hong Kong sleeps, meaning that you get to read about what you missed out on over breakfast the next day. This time, however, I got lucky.
This New Old Stock (“NOS”) Heuer Autavia 11630 GMT had only been listed for about 20 minutes when I saw it on eBay with a Buy it Now price. One week later, the watch has arrived and certainly lives up to my expectations.
The 11630 GMT came in two models- one model with white sub-dials and the other rarer model with black sub-dials. The crucial aspect of these watches is the quality of the blue and red bezel. Its impossible to get genuine Heuer GMT bezels from TAG Heuer- and has been for several years now. There are a range of aftermarket GMT bezels that are pretty good, but the blue tends to be too bright and the font on the numbers not quite right. With the bezel being the main driver of the value of the Autavia GMT, it means that you have to be very careful wearing the watch- a fact that doesn’t really appeal much to me because, as we all know, knocks happen.
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Vintage Heuer collectors are usually difficult to please on the subject of originality, with watches being heavily scrutinised for any sign of non-original parts.
However, as this Autavia shows, there is nothing wrong with a customised Heuer, so long as its not pretending to be an original vintage piece- you know, the stories about an Autavia model that never appeared in any catalogue and was apparently only sold in a three small cities in Argentina during 1977…
This Autavia is the work of Abel Court, who details his creation- and collaborators- here
What you are looking at is a watch that uses all original Heuer parts, but from different watches and models- the case of a 11063V that has expertly had a PVD coating applied, a Calibre 15 movement and sub-dial hands from a Carrera. The watch has produced a very favourable reaction- and why not? It looks fantastic and doesn’t pretend to be anything more than what it is- a creative, limited edition of one sourced from the very best of the Heuer parts bin.
Some more photos from Abel below.
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Cheers Arno
