It’s been a while since we’ve posted a story about a great vintage Heuer, but let’s make up for lost time with one of the most special we’ve seen in a long time- a beautiful Heuer Carrera 2447NT. Not familiar with the real history of the Carrera? You can check out our dedicated Carrera mini-site here to read up on the story of this legendary Heuer and TAG Heuer model.
It’s true that many collectors love New-Old Stock (NOS) watches, but the truth is that these watches are very limited- will you be brave enough to rip off that special red caseback sticker that has sat faithfully on the watch for the last 50 years
That’s why watches like this Carrera are so special. Yes, it’s obviously been worn and has the occasional scratch and knock, but it’s in outstanding condition with wonderfully creamy lume.
OK, so we have a very pretty old Carrera- but as you’ll soon see, this one is more special than most.
Valjoux 72
Inside we see Valjoux’s flagship hand-wound chronograph movement, the 72 that was used extensively in the 1960s and 70s across Heuer’s Carrera, Autavia and Camaro watches and of course the Rolex Daytona.
The Carrera 2447
Photo by Abel Court
We’ve shown you the Carrera 2447 in the past- put simply, it’s the original 1960s 36mm Carrera fitted with the three-register Valjoux 72 movement. Collectors have their favourite early Carrera models, but there’s a balance with the Valjoux 72-powered Carreras and Camaros that set them apart.
The two Panda/ Reverse Panda watches here belong to Abel Court, our friend from HeuerTime. Above we have the 2447SN, while below is the 2447NST. What do these letters mean? “SN” means a Standard, or Silver dial with Black (Noir) subdials, while the NST suffix indicated a Black (Noir) dial with Silver Sub-dials and a Tachymeter scale.
Photo by Abel Court
The Panda-duo are probably the most chased variants of the Carrera, but the 2447NT that we’re focused on today is even rarer. The NT suffix indicated an all-black dial with tachymeter scale, and it’s this precise combination that is so special because of its rarity- only a handful of examples are known.
Every Watch has a Story to Tell…
This special Carrera is owned by Andee of Rarebirds.de, a great source of vintage chronographs, including plenty of Heuers.
The watch is all-original and features the big crown and super-domed plexi-glass with a serial is 700xx, placing it towards the later part of the 1960s.
The watch was bought from a collector, who in turn bought the watch from the original owner, who bought the watch from a small watch dealer around 1970 in St. Moritz. What attracted him to the Carrera was the combination of a chronograph and a tachymeter scale, allowing him to time the local ski races.
Having worn the watch for a few years, the original owner lost interest in our Carrera and so deposited it into a bank safe, where it stayed until a watch-collecting friend of his took it off his hands.
Don’t expect to see this one on the market anytime soon, as it’s staying in Andee’s private collection, but at least we can enjoy these great photos of a truly beautiful Carrera.
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