Clebar Reverse Panda Chronograph 'Poor Man's Heuer', 1960s — view 1 of 6 — View 1 of 6 · Image: S.Song Watches · original image source (opens another website in a new tab)

View 1 of 6 · Image: S.Song Watches · original image source (opens another website in a new tab)

Wristwatches · Wristwatch

Clebar Reverse Panda Chronograph 'Poor Man's Heuer', 1960s

DocumentedDocumented from a dealer's listing; attribution and date as stated by the dealer.

Maker / attribution: Clebar (maker)
Date: 1960s
Historical period: Modern Mechanical Horology (1945 – 1969)
Country of origin: Unrecorded in source
Object type: Wristwatch
Dimensions: Case 36 mm
Dealer: S.Song Watches (dealer), Seattle
Stock no.: Product 3955360006231
Credit line: Dealer listing, S.Song Watches (product 3955360006231)
Catalogue title (original): Clebar Reverse Panda Chronograph 'Poor Man's Heuer' (English)

View the source record (dealer listing) ↗ (opens another website in a new tab)Suggest a correction

Record summary

Catalogued by S.Song Watches (dealer), Seattle (stock number Product 3955360006231), this is a wristwatch by Clebar, dated 1960s. The Atlas places it in the Modern Mechanical Horology period (1945 – 1969) of its Wristwatches collection. Recorded dimensions: Case 36 mm. The record is illustrated with 6 photographs.

Assembled from the source record's structured fields. Dates and attributions are given as the source states them; where a field is missing the Atlas leaves it blank rather than estimating.

Catalogue description

Dealer description — S.Song Watches

Many brands’s made very similar watches back in the day and like this Clebar Reverse Panda Chronograph, it is very recognisable as several other brands sold the same watch with their names on the dial. Hamilton is one such manufacture that branded this exact watch and all of these watches are today known as ‘Poor Man Heuers’ due to their striking resemblance to the Carrera. As a result, these pieces have been very popular as collectors see it as a more accessible entry to the vintage chronograph game while getting the same feel of the more expensive Heuers. Don’t be fooled by the nickname though, these Clebars are high-quality pieces with excellent dials. Sized in a 36mm stainless steel case, it is very wearable even by modern standards and the beautiful reverse panda dial really pops from the contrast. Powered by a Valjoux 7736, it is an excellent workhorse movement that will last a lifetime.

Historical context

Modern Mechanical Horology (1945 – 1969)

Tool watches for divers, pilots and astronauts; electric watches anticipate the electronic age.

The classic era of the mechanical wristwatch: dive watches, chronographs for motor racing and space flight, GMT watches for jet travel, slim dress watches, automatic calendars, and the rise of Japanese manufacturers alongside Swiss, American, German and Soviet industries.

Read the period in the timeline More wristwatches from this period Earlier: Golden Age of Mechanical Watchmaking

Atlas type guide

Chronographs and split-seconds watches

A chronograph is a watch with an additional seconds hand that can be started, stopped and returned to zero independently of the timekeeping. Louis Moinet built an early example in 1816 and Nicolas Rieussec a recording 'chronographe' in 1821; Adolphe Nicole's heart-shaped reset cam (patented 1862) made the modern return-to-zero possible. Split-seconds (rattrapante) chronographs add a second hand that can be stopped for intermediate times; flyback chronographs restart instantly.

Chronographs were essential tools for doctors (pulsometer scales), artillery (telemeter), engineers and sport. In wristwatches, Valjoux, Venus, Lemania and later the automatic chronographs of 1969 (Zenith El Primero, the Chronomatic Calibre 11 group and Seiko 6139) are milestones.

What to look for

Push-pieces on the case band or a single button in the crown (monopusher).
Subsidiary registers for minutes and hours; tachymeter, telemeter or pulsometer scales.
Column wheel versus cam control visible in the movement.
Calibre markings of specialist makers (Valjoux, Lemania, Venus, Landeron).

Dating clues

Pocket chronographs with heart cam reset: after 1862.
Wrist chronographs: from c. 1910; two-button designs from the 1930s.
Automatic chronographs: from 1969.

General guidance written by the Atlas editors about this kind of object. It is not a statement about this particular piece; for that, rely on the source record above and on physical examination.

Mechanisms mentioned

Chronograph — Complication

Record completeness

Maker or attributionRecorded
DateRecorded
Place or countryNot in source
MaterialsNot in source
DimensionsRecorded
Narrative descriptionRecorded
Inscriptions / marksNot in source
ProvenanceNot in source
Several photographsRecorded

Editorial status: Documented — facts as published by the source; not independently verified by Atlas editors.

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Sources & image rights

Record source: S.Song Watches (dealer), Seattle (opens another website in a new tab).

Image rights: © S.Song Watches — dealer photographs; permission required (opens another website in a new tab).

Images are hosted by the Atlas for study and credited to their owner. Rights holders may request correction, credit changes or removal, or grant permission, via the editorial office.

Cite this record

"Clebar Reverse Panda Chronograph 'Poor Man's Heuer', 1960s." S.Song Watches (dealer), Seattle, Product 3955360006231. Catalogue record in The Horology Atlas, WatchMuseum.org, https://atlas.watchmuseum.org/museum/clebar-reverse-panda-chronograph-poor-man-s-heuer-1960s-82c5ec.