Another preowned watch from Tourneau: Heuer Carrera 1964 Re-Edition

[Rdenney]

The late Chuck Maddox has already published the definitive guide to Carreras and I will not repeat it here. It's worth reading, for sure. See it here: http://www.chronomaddox.com/heuer/ar...a_article.html

Some highlights...

One of Jack Heuer's big moves after buying the Heuer Watch Company from his uncle was the development of the Carrera. It was named for the Carrera Panamerica, a race through Mexico held from 1950-1954, covering Mexico's portion of the new Panamerican Highway.

His idea was a chronograph that opened up the dial by moving the minute track to this new metal band his case supplier was using around the crystal to improve water resistance, which we call the rehaut. This prevented all the markings around the inside of the dial, which was the previously common dial style for chronos. The first models of the new Carrera had only these, or they had specialized tracks (tachymeter, telemeter, pulsimeter, or decimal minutes) in lighter colors outside the chapter ring. The case had no separate bezel and the crystal was installed in the thin shell of the outer case. This opened up the dial, allowed long hands, and made the watch wear large, despite its 36mm diameter.

The case also used faceted lugs of the type now associated with TAG-Heuer watches.

Jack Heuer maintained a strong connection to racing, famously trading highly accurate track timing equipment and watches for team drivers for the Heuer logo on the Ferraris that Enzo Ferrari was campaigning in Formula One. And, of course, Heuer provided the watches to Steve McQueen in his role in the movie Le Mans. This was the Monaco, his second car-racing-themed line.

In 1985, Heuer, under duress, sold out the company to Techniques Avant Garde, and Heuer became TAG-Heuer.

I used Heuer sports timing equipment to time bicycle time trials at the Texas track championship which I officiated in 1980, and I have always associated Heuer with sports timing and car racing. I campaigned my own race car in the Texas International Drivers Association in the early 80's, and had followed Formula One closely in the 70's.

So, when the movie Rush came out last year, I was taken back to those times, when Niki Lauda was only slightly short of deity in my mind. And that accurately portrayed mid-70's Ferrari race car prominently displayed the Heuer logo.

Last week, I wandered into the new Tourneau store on Pentagon City, and noted a much-expanded preowned watch display. And I noticed this small vintage-looking Carrera.



In 1998, TAG-Heuer experimented with what became a successful return to its roots, by issue a "Classics" line that started with a re-edition of the first Carrera Deci 12. The original had used a Valjoux 72, which was long out of production, and so TH used the only high-grade hand-wind chronograph movement available, the Lemania 1873. Yes, this is identical to the Omega 1861 used in the Speedmaster Moonwatch.

I left it, but a repeat showing of Rush on Friday presented me with so many non-TAG Heuer logos that I considered it an omen. I went back on Saturday and bought it. Tourneau isn't always the cheapest, but the deal for this one was excellent.


The Heuer CS3110, ca. 1998


The text around the outside has caused some controversy. Some of these have it, and some don't. There is no correlation to serial number or market, and some have insisted that its presence makes it a fake (or those without it likewise). This is silly. My own theory is that people were flipping these as NOS vintage 1964 Carreras and TH added the inscriptions for watches that had not yet been delivered to retail stores to prevent the practice.

But you can't fake this:


Lemania 1873, with Heuer engraving.

You can see the Lemania Maltese Cross logo and caliber number under the balance wheel. This isn't a Poljot 3133 or a Chinese ST-19, as would be found in fakes. The finish is excellent for series-produced movements, and certainly equal to solid-caseback Speedmaster movements.



It's small, at 36mm and 13mm thick (a large portion of which is the deeply domed acrylic crystal. Remember, I have an 8-1/4" wrist.



(The Di-Modell strap is borrowed from another watch while Tourneau orders an extra-long strap from TAG-Heuer, which they provided at no charge.)

Yes, Tourneau services their used watches:



The details are nearly identical to the originals:





Except for the signed crown--the first Carreras were smooth:



It's been running +4 on the wrist with exceptional tight variability. Lemania deserves its reputation.

Yes, it's ironic to have a vintage-style Heuer with a Lemania movement--they would have been part of the competition in the 60's. But it's a great movement. And no longer available to Heuer since 1999 when Lemania was bought by Swatch, so this is a one-shot production not to be repeated with a traditional hand-wind movement.

By the way, I did pay for the extended full coverage from Tourneau, which will get me a new strap every year and even a new crystal in the first three years if I scratch this one. For a watch like this, it's worth it.

Rick "enjoying the trip down Memory Lane" Denney