Vintage 1970s Heuer Carrera Ref. 1153S W/MINT Silver Panda Dial
Item History & Price
Up for sale is this handsome early 1970s vintage Heuer reference 1153 Carrera automatic-wind chronograph featuring a beautiful Mint first execution silver Panda dial with original wonderfully patinaed Tritium luminous plots.This example is in overall Excellent vintage condition for a 50-year-old watch and, along with its pristine dial, also features the desirable canted Tachymeter scale in the correct deep gray with white print, as well as the superior Caliber 12 version of Heuer’s p...ioneering modular “Chrono-matic” micro-rotor chronograph movement.
This 1153 also features an early serial number for the model of 148, xxx, which matches the era of the dial & inner Tachymeter scale. It does sport a 3rd execution handset and while this combination is seen often enough in the wild on these silver 1153s it’s probably safest to assume that the hands were replaced at some point during a service in the watch’s long life, either for the superior legibility they provide compared to the thinner previous two execution handsets or because those first two tended to suffer prematurely degraded lume filling. Personally, I prefer the fluorescent orange chrono sweep seconds hand over the earlier red for its pop and pizzaz, as well as the easily read, highly luminous “wide boy”-style hands so I’ve always been fine with the combo. Either way, it’s a super stunning vintage chrono on the wrist, both elegant and sporty, as you can clearly see.
CASE & BACK: Heavy all-stainless steel two-piece screw back C-shape case with polished integrated bezel and sweeping lugs measures a robust 38mm wide not including crown x 45mm long x about 13.5 mm thick to the top of the crystal. The top & sides of the case appear to me to have been re-brushed/refinished at some point but it was done sympathetically and the satin finish is still pleasing to the eye. There are only minor scuffs and light scratches but no heavy dings — Excellent previously polished vintage condition. There is just a touch of corrosion evident to the inner edges of the case lip where it meets the caseback. The flat, notched screw-in caseback is unpolished and shows its original circular milling. It is also very clean and dedication-free with only minimal superficial scratches — likewise Excellent condition. The inner caseback is corrosion free and screws down smoothly and tightly. It has some old service marks and is signed STAINLESS STEEL and with the correct minimalist Heuer-Leonidas nomenclature of the period. The rather early 148, xxx serial number and correct 1153 model number are both fully legible between their respective lugs. DIAL & HANDS: Beautiful original first execution silver Panda dial characterized by just one double marker at “12” and quarter numerals only on the hour counter. The stunning silver sunburst main dial features contrasting dark charcoal-gray engine turned 30-minute & 12-hour chronograph sub-dials, a finely delineated minute/seconds track and framed date window at "6". The dial is absolutely Mint, which is hard to come by on these models, with any defects seen in the pictures merely blemishes on the crystal, and the original Tritium luminous is all fully present and has acquired a lovely café au lait patina. The third execution “wide boy”-style black outlined hands and orange chrono sweep seconds are likewise Mint with the more cream-tinted Tritium lume of the fat hour and minute hands perfectly intact. Desirable canted 50 to 200 inner Tachymeter ring with “TACHY” at the “3” position is also Mint and matches the charcoal gray tone of the sub-dials perfectly. CROWN & PUSHERS: Large signed Heuer push-in crown on the left side of the case is Excellent cosmetically, as are the correct matching fluted pushers on the opposite side. The winding crown winds and pulls out to the time-setting position as it should. The top pusher stops and starts the chronograph and the bottom pusher resets all chrono registers precisely to zero as designed. CRYSTAL: Domed acrylic crystal is in Excellent condition, clear and chip-free with only a few minor marks and scratches from wear. MOVEMENT: Under the hood is the legendary Heuer-Buren Caliber 12 automatic chronograph movement, an improvement over the original Cal. 11, which was a joint project between Hamilton, Heuer & Breitling to create a robust and reliable automatic chronograph for mass production. This iteration is beautifully brass-finished by Heuer, sports 17 jewels and is looking extremely bright and pristine. This watch was last serviced when I bought it some years back but I never had any cause to service it again. This Carrera has always run like a champ for me with excellent timekeeping, all chronograph functions operating flawlessly, including crisp start/stop and reset of the chrono hands, and it also has a strong power reserve. The semi-quickset date change via moving the hands back and forth between around 9pm and 12am is also functioning correctly. Guaranteed to be operating properly at the time of shipment, though you may want to have it serviced again if it’s going to be your daily driver. STRAP: This great Carrera comes on a new B&R Bands textured synthetic waterproof black strap with orange contrast stitching that perfectly compliments the chrono hand. It has a generic brushed steel buckle. This watch has a lug width of 20mm.
As a matter of policy, I make NO guarantees for the water resistance of this watch in any way, shape or form. Guaranteed genuine vintage Heuer and guaranteed as described. Pictures serve as an extension of the written description -- anything not described but visible in the pictures serves to inform the buyer of condition. Likewise anything described but not visible in the pictures still serves to inform the buyer about condition. Thanks for looking,
T.
CASE & BACK: Heavy all-stainless steel two-piece screw back C-shape case with polished integrated bezel and sweeping lugs measures a robust 38mm wide not including crown x 45mm long x about 13.5 mm thick to the top of the crystal. The top & sides of the case appear to me to have been re-brushed/refinished at some point but it was done sympathetically and the satin finish is still pleasing to the eye. There are only minor scuffs and light scratches but no heavy dings — Excellent previously polished vintage condition. There is just a touch of corrosion evident to the inner edges of the case lip where it meets the caseback. The flat, notched screw-in caseback is unpolished and shows its original circular milling. It is also very clean and dedication-free with only minimal superficial scratches — likewise Excellent condition. The inner caseback is corrosion free and screws down smoothly and tightly. It has some old service marks and is signed STAINLESS STEEL and with the correct minimalist Heuer-Leonidas nomenclature of the period. The rather early 148, xxx serial number and correct 1153 model number are both fully legible between their respective lugs. DIAL & HANDS: Beautiful original first execution silver Panda dial characterized by just one double marker at “12” and quarter numerals only on the hour counter. The stunning silver sunburst main dial features contrasting dark charcoal-gray engine turned 30-minute & 12-hour chronograph sub-dials, a finely delineated minute/seconds track and framed date window at "6". The dial is absolutely Mint, which is hard to come by on these models, with any defects seen in the pictures merely blemishes on the crystal, and the original Tritium luminous is all fully present and has acquired a lovely café au lait patina. The third execution “wide boy”-style black outlined hands and orange chrono sweep seconds are likewise Mint with the more cream-tinted Tritium lume of the fat hour and minute hands perfectly intact. Desirable canted 50 to 200 inner Tachymeter ring with “TACHY” at the “3” position is also Mint and matches the charcoal gray tone of the sub-dials perfectly. CROWN & PUSHERS: Large signed Heuer push-in crown on the left side of the case is Excellent cosmetically, as are the correct matching fluted pushers on the opposite side. The winding crown winds and pulls out to the time-setting position as it should. The top pusher stops and starts the chronograph and the bottom pusher resets all chrono registers precisely to zero as designed. CRYSTAL: Domed acrylic crystal is in Excellent condition, clear and chip-free with only a few minor marks and scratches from wear. MOVEMENT: Under the hood is the legendary Heuer-Buren Caliber 12 automatic chronograph movement, an improvement over the original Cal. 11, which was a joint project between Hamilton, Heuer & Breitling to create a robust and reliable automatic chronograph for mass production. This iteration is beautifully brass-finished by Heuer, sports 17 jewels and is looking extremely bright and pristine. This watch was last serviced when I bought it some years back but I never had any cause to service it again. This Carrera has always run like a champ for me with excellent timekeeping, all chronograph functions operating flawlessly, including crisp start/stop and reset of the chrono hands, and it also has a strong power reserve. The semi-quickset date change via moving the hands back and forth between around 9pm and 12am is also functioning correctly. Guaranteed to be operating properly at the time of shipment, though you may want to have it serviced again if it’s going to be your daily driver. STRAP: This great Carrera comes on a new B&R Bands textured synthetic waterproof black strap with orange contrast stitching that perfectly compliments the chrono hand. It has a generic brushed steel buckle. This watch has a lug width of 20mm.
As a matter of policy, I make NO guarantees for the water resistance of this watch in any way, shape or form. Guaranteed genuine vintage Heuer and guaranteed as described. Pictures serve as an extension of the written description -- anything not described but visible in the pictures serves to inform the buyer of condition. Likewise anything described but not visible in the pictures still serves to inform the buyer about condition. Thanks for looking,
T.
