£5,750.00
This 1949 Heuer reference 345 is an impressive example of the larger chronographs produced by Ed. Heuer & Co. during the immediate post-war period. By this time, Heuer had established a considerable reputation for precision timing instruments, supplying chronographs and stopwatches to sporting, industrial and scientific markets. This reference is powered by the substantial 14-ligne Valjoux calibre 71, a manually wound, column-wheel chronograph movement with a 30-minute register and 12-hour totaliser. The Valjoux 71 was particularly well suited to larger chronograph cases and represents an important chapter in the development of the three-register wrist chronograph. This example retains a remarkably sharp stainless steel case, with well-defined lugs and crisp original contours. Both the movement and inner caseback carry the Heuer signature, the latter additionally engraved Ed. Heuer & Co. and bearing an 87XXXX serial number.
Perhaps the most interesting feature of this particular watch is its unusual Portuguese-language dial, displaying the word “Taquímetre” in reference to the tachymeter scale. The dial is understood to be a later, non-factory customisation rather than an original Heuer production dial, and its precise origins remain unknown. Such alterations were not uncommon during the working lives of vintage chronographs, particularly in markets where specialist watchmakers undertook dial restoration, refinishing and the adaptation of imported timepieces. The Portuguese-language inscription suggests a possible connection with Portugal, Brazil or another Portuguese-speaking market, although this cannot presently be established. Rather than attempting to present the dial as an undocumented factory variation, it is more appropriate to recognise it as a later alteration that has become part of this watch’s individual history.
The reference 345 belongs to a particularly interesting period in Heuer’s development, preceding the better-known Carrera, Autavia and Monaco collections by more than a decade. During the 1940s, Heuer chronographs were predominantly identified by numerical references rather than the model names that would later become synonymous with the company. Their appeal lay in robust mechanical construction, legible multi-register displays and movements designed for reliable precision timing. This example brings together several desirable characteristics of the period: the comparatively large case, the technically accomplished Valjoux 71, the signed movement and caseback, and the exceptionally well-preserved external case geometry. Its later Portuguese-language dial gives it an additional point of historical interest, making this a distinctive and characterful survivor from the early years of Heuer’s wrist chronograph production.
| Case Size | 36mm (excluding crown) |
|---|---|
| Complications | Chronograph |
| Movement | Valjoux 71 – Manual Wind |
| Delivery | Watch only |
| Reference | 345 |
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