Exotic Dial 73443T Heuer Camaro Dato

While the Camaro is not a particularly rare chronograph, some executions are harder to come by than others. The exotic dial 73443 with a date at six is one of the more scarce and attractive. The Camaro was Jack Heuer’s attempt to capture the heart of the American muscle car market in watch form, strategically named after the eponymous Chevrolet in order to get a foot in the US market. Its cushion-case and traditional dial were a blend of the successful Monaco and Carrera lines, a confluence which is a bit of an acquired taste. With its unashamedly 70s aesthetic, the Camaro is today more an echo of a bombastic era of motorsport, when James Hunt openly referenced his huge balls and the Ferrari pit crew smoked while refueling.

The Camaro went through nearly as many variants as the Autavia, Carrera, or Monaco, yet is not quite as highly collected as those ‘big’ three. Many get weak at the knees for the panda or this rarer exotic dial. The Champion spark plug-signed dial is king of the genre for me personally. However, of the two-register Camaros, the 73443 may have the most balanced dial. This was due to Heuer making use of the then-new Valjoux 7734 to integrate a date at 6. It looks as if it were meant to be there.

This exotic dial features a two-tone matte silver base and grey-brown register contrast offset nicely with an orange chronograph hand. This is one of the most attractive dials to grace this 37mm steel case. Compared to the Carrera, its case wears slightly bolder at 37mm vs the Carrera’s 36mm. Camaro production ran just four years, not a terribly strong seller despite the marketing. However, that run was long enough to make it the last of Heuer’s manually wound chronographs. That alone should mean something. I think of it as a Monaco ‘lite’, physically lighter and more diminutive in presence, yet of a Carrera DNA and 70s style at a glance. Plus, who among us doesn’t love a hand-wound, two-register chronograph in 2022? If we may assume that Heuer’s serial numbering was broadly chronological, the 73443 was also very the last Camaro off the production line.

This example features a very strong case with sharp bevels and full factory radial brushing on its upper surface. Its tritium hands and pips have aged perfectly. The dial is the standout here though, with beautiful brown taupe tones taking over slowly. The 7734 has been checked over and is said to be running well. It comes from a well-regarded retailer.

Find this 73443 here from Vision Vintage for 5850 GBP.