2447SN Heuer Carrera

The early Carrera has always been every bit the watch a 6239 Daytona or 105.012 Speedmaster is (perhaps just a hair less to the Speedy for the 321). However, it’s always been the odd one out, a sort of third-musketeer. Yet, in quality of design and fulfilling its role as a racing chronograph, the Carrera is not lacking even slightly. One could argue thanks to Jack Heuer’s obsession with Bauhaus, it’s a purer dial. Further, this case is not shared. With its long, sharply faceted lugs, well . . .it’s just obectively sexy, isn’t it? It’s as if Heuer was built next to a second Bauhaus school, which was built next to Spa Francorchamps.

Jack Heuer was like us. He looked at chronographs of the time, littered with tachymetric, telemetric, and pulsometric scales and thought, ‘that’s just busy.’ Jack penned a 36mm steel case a dial clean enough to be read at speed. That was always the idea, it’s somewhat ironic that the more collectible Carrera now is the NST with a tachy, on rarity. But this panda ‘SN’ just optimizes for clarity. The dial puts you at ease just glancing at it, it’s ruthlessly efficient.  Like Rolex, Heuer also utilized a Valjoux 72. This allowed the Carrera to be relatively accessible in period, and as such it became, arguably, the watch of racing for the majority of the paddock.

Despite all this brilliance, these aren’t 6239 values. They’re not even on the same planet. Heuer has not recovered since the Heuer Parade Phillips sale in 2017, though there have been signs of life. Heuer seems to be perenially perfectly poised to be extremely collectible in a decade or two, and yet I’ve alive long enough to see that cycle not quite start. That’s just fine by me, it’s means that, at least for now, examples like this gorgeous orange-tritium SN on a Heuer-Gay Frères can be reasonably aspired toward by mere mortals like us. For the degree of beauty and significance in motorsport, there’s very little that can come close on a value basis to early Carreras. For those who just love pure chronographs, it’s as pure as it gets: hypeless, gorgeous, and historic.

This 2447SN is lovely. Most important, the case is as god and Heuer intended. When these cases are polished, you lose that faceted character quickly. This one is great. It’s on its original Heuer Gay Freres too. The only thing that should be noted is that while the dial and the hands are perfect and period correct, they are not original to the example. Apparently, this example was catalogued in 2015 with a different dial. However, they’re not service components or in any way lesser. And more props to the retailer for noting that fact, as it would be missed entirely by everyone otherwise. I wouldn’t let it deter me even the tiniest amount. It comes from a well-regarded California retailer.