The Geneva Watch Auction FIVE

124. Heuer – A rare and fne early stainless steel chronograph wristwatch
with two-tone cream dial
Manufacturer
Heuer
Year circa 1963
Reference No. 2447
Case No. 56’348
Model Name
Material
Calibre
Bracelet/Strap
Clasp/Buckle
Dimensions
Signed
Estimate
CHF 8,000-12,000
$7,900-11,900
€7,400-11,100
Carrera
Stainless steel
Manual, cal. 72, 17 jewels
Racing style leather strap
Stainless steel Heuer pin buckle
36mm. Diameter
Case and movement signed Ed. Heuer & Co,
dial signed Heuer
One of Heuer’s most iconic designs, the Carrera reference
2447 is a superb example of the seductive and sporty
chronograph watches produced by the brand during the
1960s. With powerful faceted lugs, a thick case and round
pushers, the reference 2447 was manufactured from 1963 until
approximately 1970.
The name Carrera is a tribute to the Carrera Panamericana, an
automobile race on open roads in Mexico that ran from 1950 to
1954 and was considered the most dangerous and deadly of car
races at the time.
The present lot is one of the earliest Carrera models. The dial
features long applied markers for all 12 hours, the dial has
“SWISS” marked inside the hours sub counter at 6 o’clock and
does not have the letter “T” indicating the use of tritium as
found in later models. The movement and case back are signed
Ed. Heuer (for Edouard Heuer, founder of the company and Jack
Heuer’s great grandfather). With the purchase of Leonidas in
1964 Heuer started using “Heuer-Leonidas” signature on the
casebacks and movements.
This early Carrera can be considered as the equivalent of the
frst Omega Speedmaster Broad Arrow or the Rolex Daytona
reference 6239, what these watches have in common is to have
defned the genetic code of all the following watches bearing
their name and as such the present reference 2447 is the
foundation of the Heuer Carrera as we know today.
The present lot with its serene dial and refned case is more an
ode to leisure driving on the winding roads of the Riviera than a
fuel injected race at ground-breaking speed and will appeal to
the collector looking for one of the frst original Carrera models.