A Heuer Carrera watch classic in vintage sixties design has found its way to the auction rooms of Birmingham based auctioneers Fellows & Sons. The stainless steel, automatic gentleman’s watch, circa 1970, will be going under the hammer on Monday 6 July.
The watch features the calibre 12 movement, successor of the infamous and controversial calibre 11. The Heuer Carrera calibre 11 was the birth child of a collaboration between Heuer, Breitling, Hamilton and Dubois-Dpraz, and was the outcome of a race with the Zenith Movado group to manufacture the world’s first automatic chronograph wrist watch. Both launched their designs at the 1969 Basel Watch Fair and the jury is still out as to who was the first to the finishing post, with Heuer being the first to patent their micro rotor based design. However, Zenith still contest that their movement patented just a few months later was the first truly integrated example.
This collectable timepiece has been given an estimate of £1,000 – £1,500. Also to feature in the auction is a Tag Heuer re-edition of the Monza chronograph wrist watch, circa 2006 which has been estimated at £600 – £800.
Both watches will be auctioned in Fellows & Sons next auction of Wrist & Pocket Watches which will be held on Monday 6 July.
The auction contains over 500 lots and all items can be viewed on the website at www.fellows.co.uk.