2447NST Heuer Carrera Second Execution

TThis may very well be the most killer iteration of all those very killer early Carreras. Reverse panda, three register, inner tachymetre scale. What this unpretentious chronograph has lost in minimalism, it makes up for in being true to form: motorsport heritage. A racing chronograph without a tachymetre scale is like GT3 without a wing (yes I went there): it may seem superfluous and cluttering, but is fundamental to the very core of what its underlying design is trying to be. Touring-spec gang come at me. In that light, it is not difficult to understand the appeal of the ‘NST’ 2447, a watch that has become something of grail for devotees of On The Dash; Heuer’s Carrera, with a wing. 

In fact, it even made the grade on one of my all-time Jeff Stein articles: Chasing the Grails (just). The three-register 2447 Carrera, colloquially called the Carrera 12, was penned by Jack Heuer and remained iconic since. You likely already know the 2447 story. Let me add a little extra color. Jack observed that post WWII, many chronograph dials were cluttered with their artillery telemetre multi-scales to the point of being illegible. He created a unique case and crystal design aimed toward maximizing dial real estate. That huge and uncluttered mass was made to be legible, and later marketed to be legible at speed (hence the racing connection). An inner tachymetre scale just feels at home in this design in a way that not all executions of this configuration do. The same can be said of panda contrast. This is a Carrera variant which is very true to the core of what the Carrera stands for.

This example has the signs of original ageing we all love. A crisp case, slightly grimey pusher stems, correct signed crown. The all-important dial is free of marks, corrosion, and lume pips are present. The tritium has aged to a deep golden tone, echoed in the handset. All components appear correct to my eye. It comes from a well-regarded German retailer.

Find this 2447NST here from Brevet Watches for 16200 EUR.