The Heuer brand was closely associated with motorsports in the 1960s and 70s. Many racers wore Heuer chronographs, the Heuer logo was prominent on Formula 1 and endurance racecars, racing teams and race organizers used Heuer timing equipment, and engraved Heuer chronographs were presented as top prizes at many races and rallies. Jack Heuer came to the United States in 1959 hoping to sell more stopwatches to racers, peddling them at weekend amateur races and rallies, and with the success of the new Autavia and Carrera models that he designed, by 1971 Heuer had become the official timekeeper for the Ferrari team. Over this period, there was no other watch brand so closely associated with motorsports as Heuer.

Todays’ collectors cherish the Heuer chronographs worn in the 1960s and 70s by racing heroes Mario Andretti, Jochen Rindt, Clay Regazzoni, Emerson Fittipaldi, Niki Lauda and Gilles Villeneuve, among many others. In addition to collecting the same models as were worn by the racing heroes (the “Rindt” Autavia, the “McQueen” Monaco, etc.), there are rare instances in which collectors are able to purchase the actual watches worn by racers or the old timing equipment that was used by racing teams.

On December 6, 2024, in New York City, Sotheby’s is hosting the “Heuer Champions” auction, comprised of 38 lots of vintage Heuer chronographs, dashboard timers and stopwatches closely associated with racing. In this posting, we will look at 10 of the lots from the 1960s and 70s that enjoy particularly interesting racing pedigrees.

It is fitting that the 10 timepieces that we discuss were used across the full range of racing categories — from the highest level of Formula 1, Indy cars, Formula 5000 and endurance racing, to amateur and professional sedan racing (SCCA and Trans Am), and even at the Pikes Peak Hill Climb and a seven-day test of an executive saloon at Monza. This is how dominant Heuer was in motorsports of the 1960s and 70s, always associated with the leading teams, always on the wrists of the Heuer Champions.

We present these 10 lots from the Heuer Champions auction in chronological order. Most of the information in this posting has been derived from the special Heuer Champions Catalog, produced by Sotheby’s for the auction, and excerpts from this Catalog for each of the 10 lots are presented below. You can also see the full Sotheby’s Heuer Champions Catalog HERE.

Mid-1960s — Heuer Timing Board used at the Indianapolis 500 and in Formula 5000 (Lot 126)

Born in 1931, Jerry Eisert was an independent car builder who teamed up with the businessman, J. Frank Harrison, to build a series of cars that would compete in the Indianapolis 500 and other Indy car events. In 1965, Al Unser won the Pikes Peak Hill Climb in a “Harrison Special” built by Eisert, and racer Ronnie Duman made the field for the 1966 Indy 500 in another “Harrison Special,” qualifying 33rd on the grid. Duman’s race would end on the very first lap, however, as he was the victim of a crash that took out 11 of the 33 cars in the field. For 1968, Eisert served as chief mechanic for the Ford Eagle that Johnny Rutherford drove in the Indy 500, and he also built the Eisert-Chevrolet that Peter Revson drove at Riverside.

With the arrival of the Formula 5000 series in the United States, Eisert Racing Enterprises made the transition to this new series, which was attracting top drivers such as Jody Scheckter, Brian Redman, Mark Donahue and Peter Gethin. During the 1973 Formula 5000 season, Australian Bob Muir drove a Lola T330 for the Eisert team, with Clay Regazzoni driving for the team at the last races of the season, a F5000 race in Seattle on September 30, 1973, followed by a European F5000 race at Brands Hatch, two weeks later.

Lot 126 of the Heuer Champions auction is the timing board that was used by the Eisert racing team from the mid-1960s, when the team was active in Indy car racing, through the 1973 Formula 5000 season. Attached to the timing board are two Heuer Autavia 12-hour stopwatches, co-branded “Abercrombie & Fitch”, as well as some photos and timing sheets from the Eisert team racing archives.

1966 — Heuer Autavia Commemorating the Zodiac Endurance Run (Lot 110)

In 1966, Ford introduced their new executive saloon, the Zodiac model, with the new Essex 3-liter V6 engine. To prove the capabilities of the new model, Ford staged a seven-day endurance test at Monza, with a team of five drivers covering 6,658 laps of the circuit (17,312 miles), averaging 103.04 miles per hour, for this run. The new car set an additional eight class records over the test, including highest average speed over 10,000 miles and highest speeds over four, five and six days.

The Heuer Autavia (reference 2446) included in the Heuer Champions auction as Lot 110 commemorates the record-setting Zodiac Endurance Run, and was previously owned by John Maclay, who of the five drivers who drove the new car to its record results.

1968 — “Motor Age” Autavia Awarded to Tony Adamowicz, as 1968 Trans Am Driver of the Year (Lot 112)

The Trans-American Championship series (“Trans Am”) was created by the Sports Car Club of America in 1966 as a series of road races for production-based sedans. Trans Am cars were divided into two classes based in engine displacement, with cars such as the Chevrolet Camaro, Pontiac Firebird, Ford Mustang, Dodge Challenger and AMC Javelin competing in the over 5.0 liter class and the under 2.0 liter class including Porsche 911s, Alfa Romeo GTs, BMW 2002s and Mini Coopers. In the early years of Trans Am, it was the manufacturers that competed for the Trans Am championships, rather than individual drivers or teams.

For the 1968 season, Chevrolet won the over 2.0 liter championship, with Mark Donahue leading the campaign in a Camaro, and Porsche won the under 2.0 liter championship, led by Tony Adamowicz driving a 911.

Adamowicz won six of the season’s 11 races, including five in a row, and was recognized as the Trans Am Driver of the Year.

As Trans Am Driver of the Year, Adamowicz was awarded a Heuer Autavia chronograph, reference 3646, included in the Heuer Champions auction as Lot 112. The award was sponsored by Motor Age magazine, and the dial has the Motor Age logo across the bottom. Motor Age was a trade publication for independent automotive repair shops, and in the 1960s, the magazine sponsored awards in various series, including Indy Car, stock car racing and Trans Am.

For a detailed look at Tony Adamowicz’s 1968 Trans Am season, see this page on the a2zracer.com website.

1968 — Stopwatches with Indianapolis Motor Speedway “Wings and Wheel” on the Dial (Lot 125)

Heuer timepieces with the “Wings and Wheel” logo of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway are coveted by collectors. We see only one version of the Heuer Autavia chronograph with the “Wings and Wheel” logo on the dial, along with three different versions of the Carrera 45 Dato with this logo printed on the dial.

The pair of Heuer stopwatches (reference 503.220) included in the Heuer Champions as Lot 125 has the “Wings and Wheel” logo of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway printed on the dial, with the pair housed in a red rubber case from Indy 500 sponsor, Champion spark plugs.

Each of these stopwatches has a three-function crown, with the first push starting the timing, the second push stopping the timing, and the third push returning the hands to zero. Using a pair of these stopwatches in a single holder would allow a team member or spectator to time a particular car, one lap after the next.

1970 — Carrera 45 Dato Awarded to John Morton for SCCA National Championship (Lot 108)

In the 1960s, the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) held numerous races in each of its regions, but the culmination of each season was the national championship races for each of its classes. From 1970 to 1993, the national championship “Runoffs” were held at Road Atlanta, with top drivers from around the country competing in approximately 20 classes each year.

In 1970, John Morton won the C Production championship race, driving a Datsun 240Z sponsored by Brock Racing Enterprises (BRE), to finish ahead of a field of four other Datsuns, eight Porsche 914-6 and two Lotus Elans. Morton would repeat as C Production national champion in 1971, with two Porsche 911s and several Triumph TR6s joining the field.

For the 1970 SCCA Runoffs, each class winner received a Heuer chronograph, with Morton winning the Carrera 45 Dato chronograph (reference 3147N) that is included in the Heuer Champions auction as Lot 108.

1971 — Heuer Monaco Worn by Steve McQueen in Filming of Le Mans (Lot 128)

In an article published by the Wall Street Journal in 2016, veteran writer Michael Clerizo meticulously traced the ownership history of the six blue Monaco chronographs that Jack Heuer had delivered to the filming of Le Mans, in June 1970. Steve McQueen would wear these watches during the filming of Le Mans, and the invoice also included a broad range of other Heuer chronographs and timepieces that would be used in the filming.

Now, eight years later, Clerizo has published an article on Hodinkee, tracing the lineage of another blue Heuer Monaco that was critical in the filming of Le Mans. Indeed, some days before property manager Don Nunley would call Jack Heuer to place his order for the big box of Heuer timepieces came the magic moment when Nunley offered McQueen a selection of watches and chronographs, for the star to select the one that he would wear as racer “Michael Delaney” in the movie.

Nunley or his prop team had shopped at local Le Mans area stores to be able to offer McQueen a variety of timepieces that would be suitable for Delaney. That table included watches and chronographs from Heuer, as well as from Bulova, Longines, Omega, Rolex and Tissot. In his first reaction, McQueen picked up one of the day’s most popular watches, an Omega Speedmaster. Nunley suggested that this would not be the ideal choice for two reasons — first, the Omega chronograph would create something of a mismatch, as Delaney’s racing suit would have a very prominent red and white Heuer patch, and second, with the sudden popularity of the Speedmaster after the 1969 moon landing, people watching the film might assume that McQueen was being sponsored by Omega.

Having put aside the Speedmaster, McQueen focused on the Heuer Monaco that Nunley displayed on the table. With its square case, midnight blue dial and white registers, Heuer had introduced this radically-different style of chronograph one year earlier, as the brand’s very futuristic chronograph for the 1970s. McQueen strapped on the Monaco and said, “Yeah, I want to wear this one.”

We see images of McQueen wearing this watch, the one he selected from the table, in several pre-production photos, the “marker” being an aftermarket stainless steel bracelet that Nunley must have also sourced locally, to suit McQueen’s preferences.

When the full shipment of watches arrived from Heuer, this distinctive Monaco on the bracelet was set aside, most likely to avoid any “continuity” problems between it and the six Monacos on Corfam straps that McQueen would wear during the filming.

At the end of filming, the property team sold off many of the props that had been used in the filming, hoping to recover some of the outlays of a production that had gone far over any imaginable budget. Bevan Weston, one of the mechanics who had been involved in the filming from the start, visited this sale of props and picked out several pairs of mechanics coveralls, along with some tools and a Solar Productions jacket. When Weston was ready to pay, he noticed the blue Monaco on the metal bracelet sitting on the counter, and he learned that it was also available for sale. The price? Exactly $40, payable in cash.

Weston purchased this Monaco at the prop sale, and wore it regularly during his career as a race mechanic and crew chief. In 2010, Weston sold this Monaco to an anonymous collector, who is the Sotheby’s consigner of Lot 128 in the Heuer Champions auction.

1971 — Heuer Autavia Commemorating 1970 and 1971 Indy Car Championships by Vel’s Parnelli Jones Racing Team (lot 119)

After a successful career as an Indy car driver, including a win in the 1963 Indy 500 race, Parnelli Jones launched his career as a team owner in 1969, with his business partner, Velko Miletich. The Vel’s Parnelli Jones Racing Team team enjoyed quick success, with Al Unser dominating the Indy car series in 1970 and his teammate Joe Leonard winning the championship in 1971. Both years, Unser drove a Ford-powered car with the “Johnny Lightning” livery, while Leonard’s 1971 championship car was sponsored by the Samsonite luggage company.

To celebrate the back-to-back championships in 1970 and 1971, the Vel’s Parnelli Jones team ordered a batch of Heuer Autavias (reference 1163), with the case-backs engraved to commemorate the championship seasons. The Vel’s Parnelli Jones Autavia being sold as Lot 119 in the Heuer Champions auction comes together with a coat that was issued to the VPJ team member who had received the watch.

1971 — Autavia GMT Chronograph Awarded to Tony Adamowicz for Winning the 9 Hours of Kayalami (Lot 111)

In the 1971 Nine Hours of Kyalami, American racer Tony Adamowicz (teamed with the inexperienced Mario Casoni) drove a Porsche 917, that had been assembled largely from parts found in the bins, facing off against Brian Redman and Clay Regazzoni in one of the brand new Ferrari 312P cars, with Jacky Ickx and Mario Andretti driving a second 312P. The Porsche 917 was in the Lucky Strike cigarette livery.

Adamowicz / Casoni finished fourth in the race, well behind the Ferraris, but Adamowicz was awarded the Autavia reference 2446C GMT being sold as Lot 111 in the Heuer Champions auction, for recording the fastest lap time during the race.

1974 — Heuer Carrera to Celebrate McLaren’s World Constructors Championship (Lot 122)

The 1974 Formula 1 season was pivotal for the McLaren team, the team’s first season with Texaco and Marlboro as lead sponsors (replacing the previous Yardley), and also the first season with the red and white Heuer shield on the car. Emerson Fittipaldi and Denny Hulme drove the Marlboro Team Texaco Mclaren-Ford M23 cars, and with the retirement of three-time champion Jackie Stewart at the end of the 1973 season, it would be a wide-open contest. The title would come down the 15th and final race at Watkins Glen, in New York, and three drivers started the race with a chance of winning the title. Fittipaldi in the McLaren and Clay Regazzoni in a Ferrari 312B3 both went to Watkins Glen with 52 points, followed by Jody Scheckter in a Tyrrell 007 with 45 points.

With Scheckter retiring after 44 laps, and mechanical issues leaving Regazzoni in the middle of the field throughout the race, Fittapaldi’s fourth place finish was enough for him to take his second Drivers’ Championship, with McLaren edging Ferrari to take its first constructors championship. Of course, this would be the first of many team and drivers’ championships for McLaren.

To celebrate the occasion, Heuer produced a special version of its reference 1553 Carrera chronograph, with the usual words “Automatic Chronograph” replaced by “McLaren World Champions 1974” across the bottom of the silvered dial. It is estimated that approximately 20 of these Carrera chronographs were made for key members of the team, including the one offered as Lot 122 in the Heuer Champions auction.

1977 — Heuer Chronosplit with Ferrari “Prancing Horse” from F1 Champion Phil Hill (Lot 121)

Heuer introduced its first electronic chronograph in 1976, with the very futuristic Chronosplit incorporating two digital displays. This was the time when the Heuer-Ferrari partnership was at its peak, with Heuer providing timing equipment for the team, the Ferrari drivers wearing 18 karat gold Carreras and the bright red cars carrying the Heuer shield.

Circa 1977, Ferrari elected to make a special edition of the Chronosplit that would be made available to VIPs of the brand, removing the word ‘Chronosplit’ for the prancing horse – or cavallino rampante – and moving the Heuer logo down to make room for the Ferrari logo. According to some estimates, there were only 200 Ferrari examples produced.

It’s not surprising that American Formula 1 racer Phil Hill received one of the special Ferrari Chronosplit watches. Hill competed in Formula 1 from 1958 to 1966, winning the 1961 Drivers’ Championship in a Ferrari. He also drove for Ferrari in endurance racing, and won each of the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the 12 Hours of Sebring three times. With a win in the 1964 24 Hours of Daytona, Hill became the first driver to complete the Triple Crown of endurance racing (Le Mans, Sebring and Daytona).

The Ferrari Chronosplit watch received by Hill is included in the Heuer Champions auction as Lot 121.

Additional Images

The gallery below includes images of all the watches discussed above, as well as some of the additional images relating to these watches that are included in the Sotheby’s online catalog.

Consignment by the Author of this Posting

I have consigned seven lots to Sotheby’s for inclusion in the Heuer Champions auction, as follows: Lot 93 (two split-second stopwatches, in red cases); Lot 100 (Abercrombie & Fitch Auto-Graph chronograph); Lot 117 (Autavia reference 1163 GMT Mark 2); Lot 118 (Autavia reference 73633, “Villeneuve” model); Lot 119 (Autavia, reference 1163 “Pre-Viceroy”, engraved to commemorate the 1970 and 1971 championships won by the Vel’s Parnelli Jones Racing Team, with coat from team member); Lot 125 (two Indianapolis Motor Speedway stopwatches, in red rubber holder marked “Champion”); Lot 126 (Timing Board with two dashboard Autavias).

Jeff Stein
December 1, 2024