Top Ten Vintage Heuer Grails
I often get asked by collectors "what is my production Heuer grail"? The honest truth is there isn't one single watch that ticks all the boxes and I would find it impossible - even over time - to reduce to the point where I only had one Heuer watch left in my collection. I have owned all of the top ten, however my answer has changed over the years as my tastes have developed and one mans opinion isn't that relevant anyway! The list below details a good approximation of what the market over the past ten years has determined to be the top ten vintage Heuer grails by price point...
10 - Heuer Autavia 1163T Siffert Chronomatic
There was a time, ten to twelve years ago when the automatac chronographs would have dominated this list, but no more, and the only two entries on it are the very rare Chronomatic dial variants. The Siffert will always have a place in Heuer's history, worn by the legendary driver Jo Siffert back in 1969. He was a special driver, and with his pit lane wheeler dealing, introduced many drivers to the joys of Heuer. These were the dials that marked the launch of the first automatic "Calibre 11" movements back in 1969. Less rare than the slightly less desirable black dial variant maybe, however there are still less than twenty to have surfaced out of a potential maximum batch of 150-200.
Value in mint condition circa £37.5k+
© Crosthwaite/Gavin
9 - Heuer 2447 Seafarer / Mareographe
If you can't afford or frankly find a 1st execution 2446SF in a screw back case, then this is your alternative and it's a mighty fine one! In fact if you prefer the Carrera case - and many do - then you may view this watch as a relative bargain in comparison. The Seafaring and yachting themed dials are one of Heuer's strongest suits and it looks beautiful on the eggshell finish S dial. The baby blue yachting counter, tide disc and the special left hand pusher mark these out as special pieces. Combined we have seen around 40 with the Mareographe version being the rarer of the two out of a potential batch of fewer than 350.
Value in mint condition £40k+
© Crosthwaite/Gavin
8 - Heuer Monaco 740303N
This reference has gone through some different nicknames but the one that stuck was "The Dark Lord". Not hard to see why, with the stealthy black look and the orange hand that looks rather like a light sabre. It is referred to as a PVD although it's not actually a PVD finish, rather plasma, however it is a moniker that is still used for vintage black coated watches from this period. When these first appeared 15-20 years ago we thought they were prototypes, but we have since realised they were offered for sales in European markets. I have owned about ten with most coming directly from ex Heuer watchmakers and unused or well used from the German market. We have seen just over 40 from a potential batch of less than 400.
Value in mint condition £40k+
© Crosthwaite/Gavin
7 - Heuer Monaco 1133B Chronomatic
It may be the McQueen Monaco and the Dark Lord that take much of the Monaco marketing glory but the rarest and most valuable Monaco is the Chronomatic. Stunning metallic blue dials, with unusual blue lume and plain steel squared off hands complete the look. We have seen less than twenty out of a maximum batch of fewer than 200, although it has to be said that not many of them have been seen with mint dials! Having owned a handful, I have only owned two with mint dials, one now resides with a well known collector in LA for it's own safety, because the other mint one I owned was stored "inappropriately" by me and the dial sadly degraded! Any moisture and sharp temperature changes will attack the fragile beautiful metallic blue dial, which is why there are so many "Paintless Wonders" around! These still have a charm of their own, however the dials which are mint are more desirable and valuable.
Value in mint condition £50k+
© Crosthwaite/Gavin
6 - Heuer Autavia 3646 with 1st execution Mk1 hands
You may prefer the two sub register layout to the three, however the market has ruled over the past years that three sub registers and the Valjoux 72 trump two and the Valjoux 92. In an ideal world you would have both because both are beautiful and there is something special about the extra space on the dial and the Radium filled 6 which the 2446 version misses. The earliest examples came with these "all lume" hands and are approximately four times rarer than the later steel variants. With a maximum batch of 150 units we have seen fewer than 25 to date.
Value in mint condition £55k+
© Crosthwaite/Gavin
5 - Heuer Autavia 2446 1st execution GMT
Now things get tight, and frankly the top 5 could be put in any order desirability wise and it wouldn't be wrong, however past sales results puts it in fifth. This watch is generally agreed upon to be not only the rarest and most beautiful Heuer GMT but it is also perhaps in the conversation for best GMT overall with the non chronograph "Pussy Galore" 6542 Rolex. It's certainly rarer with fewer than 25 found out of a batch of 150 at most. The screw-back case is seldom seen mint and it's not a case that can ever be polished back to factory specs, but when it is in such original mint condition it is spectacular. The all lume markers - shared with the non GMT 4th execution Autavia - with the "Pepsi" bezel and arrow GMT hand add up to a very special piece.
Value in mint condition £65k+
© Crosthwaite/Gavin
4 - Heuer Skipper 7754
Aka Skipperera. This is often thought of as the most beautiful and charismatic watch of vintage Heuers output and could only be matched by the Heuer 2446 Seafarer above when it comes to desirability of any yachting themed production chronograph. Like the metallic blue dials on the early Monaco it was affected by moisture and temperature changes, which of course in hindsight was not ideal for where it often found itself! When the dial is mint, the combination of the colourful sub dials - a colour match to the green deck of the famous Americas Cup boat "Intrepid" - it is spectacular. Jack Heuer commissioned the Skipper after Intrepid won the Americas Cup in 1967, as a celebration and to take advantage of the following Heuer had in the community. In 1970 and in 1974 the boat came within one race of being the only boat to win the cup three times! As is often the case with vintage watches, there is some incorrect and/or out of date information on the internet when it comes to the rarity of this watch, with some claiming only 20 were made! However serial number batches point to less than 250 being made with fewer than 40 found to date.
Value in mint condition £65k+
© Crosthwaite/Gavin
3 - Heuer Autavia 3646S Indianapolis Motor Speedway
One of only two Heuer references to have sold for circa $200,000 back in the crazy old days of the 2016/17 peak market (Christies June 2017)! There is something special about a logo dial, but not all are created equally! Whilst there are other very cool logo dials such as the Cobra and Volvo Carrera and the Motor Age Autavia, there is no doubt that the combination of the shimmering gold "wings and wheel" logo on the only silver dial Autavia in the first series case is the pinnacle. This stunning watch was commissioned by the owner of the IMS and a batch was gifted to some lucky recipients. As with almost all vintage watches, and all the other Heuer logo dials, some have been discovered via both modern builds and complete from ex Heuer watchmaker collections, which naturally won't come with official IMS history. Under fifteen have surfaced in total with an expected batch of fewer than fifty.
Value in mint condition £75k+
© Crosthwaite/Gavin
2 - Heuer 2446 Seafarer
A slightly different dial finish to the 2447 version and even rarer, this is the only yachting related dial to feature in the first series screw back Autavia case. The serial database shows that there are two batches, one in the earliest 1st execution case (with small pushers) and one in the slightly later 2nd execution case, however both batches are tiny, and in total I am certain a maximum of 50 were produced. Fewer than ten have been observed with none in truly mint condition, so that's definitely something to keep an eye out for ;)
Value in mint condition £80k+
© Crosthwaite/Gavin
1 - Heuer Autavia 2446 1st execution Mk1 hands
If one watch tends to be highest up on most Heuer collectors lists, it is this one. When I ran the "Chronograph Cup" competition on Instagram it beat all comers, including Rolex Daytona PN's and Universal Geneve Exotics, enough said! This is Heuer's version of the Omega 2915-1 Speedmaster, the earliest Autavia and was their first named chronograph series back in 1962. Similar details to the 3646 further down the top ten, but with three oversized sub registers - AKA "Big Subs". These early Radium dials and hands often aged beautifully as the tobacco patina on this one shows, although not many were preserved as well as this one. This reference is the other example of a Heuer that once sold in the market for $200,000 and whilst the market has cooled we haven't seen a truly spectacular one come up for sale again to gauge what it might be now worth. The batch covers a maximum of 150 exam[ples in this early Mk1 hand guise with fewer than 25 found to date.
Value in mint condition £80k+
© Crosthwaite/Gavin
Honourable mentions:
There are of course plenty of watches that fall outside of the top ten that many may see as their personal grails and the next ten places could easily be made up of the following...Autavia 3646 Motor Age, Autavia 2446 and 3646 1st exec with Mk2 hands, Carrera 2447SN, Autavia 2446 4th Exec, Carrera 1158 S Chronomatic, Autavia 1163M Chronomatic, Carrera Cobra, Autavia 2446 tachy dial, Carrera 2447NS, Autavia 2446 2nd execution, Carrera 1158CHN snd the 2446c Mareographe.
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