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The Heuer 2447 Seafarer For Abercrombie & Fitch
Heuers relationship with Abercrombie & Fitch led to some of Heuers most beautiful and rarest chronographs.
The Abercrombie & Fitch Seafarer chronographs first appeared in the 1940s but here I concentrate on the 2447 version that Heuer produced for A&F in the now famous 1960s Carrera case. Abercrombie was founded in 1892 selling hunting and fishing equipment but it wasn't until the early 1900s that it became "& Fitch" after Ezra Fitch bought into the company. At various points it was proclaimed to be the greatest sporting goods shop in the world and was frequented by presidents and the glitterati of their day. President Theodore Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, Charles Lindbergh, Amelia Earhart, and Ernest Hemmingway were all fitted out and frequented the stores, the latter was even said to have bought the gun that ended his own life from A&F. After several cycles of success, it fell upon hard times (just like the watch industry) in the 1970s and closed its doors at the end of that decade. However, the brand was strong and it was reborn, becoming the trendy fashion retailer we know today in the 1990s. This special chronograph very much harks back to those "classier" glory days when life was simpler!
Buy The Heuer Carrera Book
Heuer’s special relationship with Abercrombie & Fitch harks back to the 1940s and Jack Heuer even spent some time working as an apprentice in the watch department of the New York A&F store as a salesman. If you are lucky it is possible that you may wear a Seafarer from the 1950s that Jack himself sold! The Seafarer was conceived to appeal to the man at sea, whether that be a fisherman, a yachtsman or just an all round adventurer. It allowed the owner to not just tell the time and to time things on a traditional chronograph, but it also had a regatta timer and the magical "tide disc". It was this tide disc which was the chronograph’s point of differentiation and, once set, it effectively tells you the two high and low tides for each day on an ongoing basis.
These Seafarer chronographs have become legendary for collectors and of course it does not hurt that the dial design is truly beautiful, combining the already classic understated lines of the 1960s Carrera case, with the blue highlights and an eggshell style dial. Although the 1960s Carrera case measured only 35.5mm, once it is on a killer DBOR (double beads of rice) GF bracelet it wears larger and I think appears even more beautiful than on a strap. The chronograph is powered by the Valjoux 721, basically a Valjoux 72, slightly modified to allow for the tide disc operation. Collectors should note that although the 1950s A&F Seafarers and the unicorn that is the 2446SF 1st execution in the screw back Autavia case had A&F signed movements, the 2447 version does not. Instead they have Heuer Leonidas signed bridges with AXF (to denote Abercrombie & Fitch) stamped on the balance cock.
Although the Carrera housed 2447SF was available for several years (circa 1964-68) it was produced in very small numbers, with three small tight batches seen to date. Cases were selected with concurrent serial numbers to be machined specifically for the tide button (which drives the tide disc) and so, unusually for the 1960s Carrera, there is no overlap for other references within these strict ranges. The estimate for the 2447 A&F Seafarer is fewer than 200 units, with fewer than 15 documented on my database to date (with Heuer signed ones even rarer). Values vary enormously depending on condition, between £10000 and perhaps as much as £25000-30000 for the very best, although it has to be said that due to the intended use, not many are to be found mint!
If you would like to learn more about the Vintage Heuer Seafarer or the Carrera in general click the link button below to buy the Heuer Carrera 1963-85 collectors reference book.
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