Heuer Camaro

The humble Heuer Camaro has finally attracted the attention of collectors. And for good reason, we might add!

With a funky, retro vibe, it exudes '70s style, combined with the functionality of its more famous Heuer racing chronograph brethren, the Autavia, Carrera, and Monaco. Perhaps the timing of the Camaro's release accounts for its being overshadowed by the other Heuer racing chronographs: It debuted in 1968, just one year before the premier of the Caliber 11 — or Chronomatic — automatic movement. The Autavia, Carrera, and Monaco all received the brand-new movement while the Camaro did not, and production of this forgotten model ceased in 1972, making it a relative rarity among Heuer racing chronographs in today's vintage watch market. 

But for all this, the Camaro's distinctive style — just as unique as that of the Monaco — reserves it a place in the pantheon of great Heuer chronographs. Like the Monaco's case, the Camaro's is square, but where the Monaco's is all sharp, beveled edges, the Camaro is a softened cushion with straight lugs. The case is thin, comfortable on the wrist, though like all square cases, it wears larger than its 37mm would suggest.

While the Camaro was produced in numerous configurations, many people are drawn to the symmetry of the Reference 7743.

Housed in that excellently sized 37mm stainless steel cushion case, it features an acrylic crystal, a matte black Tritium dial with applied indices and two sub-registers — giving it a balance that feels reminiscent of gauges on a vintage dashboard, barrel pushers, and comes fitted to a Ralstra® perforated leather rallye leather strap as all great driving watches should be! As with most Camaros, the 7743N is driven by a Valjoux 7733 manually-wound chronograph movement, a true workhorse caliber used extensively throughout the motorsports heyday.

The Camaro's "big brothers" (the Monaco, Autavia, and Carrera) might have stolen the spotlight in the collector market, but in our opinion, you'd be hard pressed to find a legitimate vintage motorsports chronograph with more style and charisma. It's the total package: it's distinctive, rare, and has one hell of a heavyweight chronograph movement. With all that going for it, the Camaro definitely deserves your consideration.

In 1962, Jack Heuer inherited the company that his great-grandfather had founded in Saint-Imier nearly a century before.
He had already played a role in the design of some timepieces, starting with the Solunar in the late 1940s. But in 1962, the responsibility of running the company fell on his shoulders, and he found himself faced with the daunting task of safeguarding his ancestor’s legacy while at the same time forging his own. His chosen path? Moving into a line of technical instruments for use in sporting and transportation applications.
The Heuer name was not unknown in motor racing and aviation circles. Starting in 1911, when the sport of automobile racing was still in its infancy, the company produced dashboard clocks for cars, boats, and even airplanes. Jack Heuer, a longtime racing aficionado, saw an opportunity to revitalize — or at the very least, to reexamine — the company’s already-successful line of chronographs.
He had first tried his hand with the Autavia, which at the time of his succession was a stopwatch with a virtually illegible dial. In its place he launched the line of Autavia wrist chronographs, the first line of chronographs produced by Heuer to be named, rather than simply numbered. The Autavia was purpose-built for racers and pilots, and attracted the attention of Formula 1 racers and devotees such as Jochen Rindt and Steve McQueen.
In designing the Carrera in 1963, Jack Heuer created something that was entirely his, and is without question the chronograph that is most associated with the brand today. Heuer's obsession with legibility led to a dial design that was simpler to read than the Omega Speedmaster or the Rolex Daytona (released the same year as the Carrera). What resulted was a chronograph with plain baton markers that gave only the most necessary bits of information — clean, uncluttered, undeniably attractive.
The brand grew to become a powerhouse in chronographs in particular, and the list of famous designs from the 1960s and 1970s can’t be counted on two hands. However, one innovation from 1969 deserves particular mention: the famed Caliber 11. This caliber (and its successors) was the result of a multinational race to build the world’s first automatic chronograph movement. It would go on to power the famed Monaco — made famous by actor Steve McQueen — as well as automatic versions of the Autavia, Carrera and more.
Falling on hard times in the wake of the Quartz Crisis, Heuer was ultimately purchased by Technique Avant Garde (TAG), and subsequently by Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessey, who brought the brand into the modern age. Early TAG Heuer quartz divers from the 1980s have found newfound appreciation in collector’s circles, while the brand’s modern catalog is a mix of vintage-inspired reissues and unique collections, such as the Connected smartwatch line.

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Since our pieces are vintage or pre-owned, please expect wear & patina from usage and age. Please read each item description and examine all product images.

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We welcome international buyers, please contact us prior to purchase for additional details on shipping and payment options.