
Wristwatches · Wristwatch
Heuer Carrera Dato 45, late 1960s
- Maker / attribution
- Heuer (maker)
- Date
- late 1960s
- Historical period
- Modern Mechanical Horology (1945 – 1969)
- Country of origin
- Switzerland
- Object type
- Wristwatch
- Stock no.
- Product 1047416961
- Credit line
- Dealer listing, Analog/Shift (product 1047416961)
- Catalogue title (original)
- Heuer Carrera Dato 45 (English)
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Record summary
Catalogued by Analog/Shift (dealer), New York (stock number Product 1047416961), this is a wristwatch by Heuer, made in Switzerland, dated late 1960s. The Atlas places it in the Modern Mechanical Horology period (1945 – 1969) of its Wristwatches collection. 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 — Analog/Shift
Continuing the celebration of the Heuer Carrera's 50th birthday this year, we present this awesome early Dato 45! Carreras are one of the most celebrated motorsports chronographs in history, and there are numerous variations which make collecting them all the more interesting. This particular example features a single subsidiary register with a 45-Minute counter set against a silver satin dial, and a date aperature at 9:00. This model (Ref. 3147) dates from the late 1960s, and is powered by a manual winding Calibre 189 movement with 17 Jewels, signed by Heuer. Early Datos are rare birds, and this one is a terrific honest example! As always with all-things Heuer, we recommend popping over to OnTheDash for all the additional information you could ever need!
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 timelineMore wristwatches from this periodEarlier: Golden Age of Mechanical Watchmaking
Atlas type guide
Wristwatches
Bracelet watches were worn by women from the early nineteenth century — Breguet made one for Caroline Murat, Queen of Naples, in 1810–12 — but the wristwatch only became a man's instrument with military use and aviation in the early twentieth century. Between the World Wars it overtook the pocket watch; the 1920s and 1930s brought rectangular Art Deco cases, water-resistant cases and the first automatic winding systems.
After 1945 the wristwatch became a carrier of identity — dress watches, sports and dive watches, chronographs, calendars — produced by Swiss, American, Japanese, German, Soviet and Chinese industries. The quartz revolution after 1969 and the mechanical renaissance since the 1990s, including the rise of independent watchmakers, complete the story.
What to look for
- The reference number (between the lugs or inside the case back) and serial number, the starting point for dating.
- The calibre: its maker and number are often stamped under the dial or on the bridge.
- Originality of dial, hands and crown — refinished ('redial') dials are common.
- Case material marks: 18K/750, 14K/585, stainless steel, gold-filled, plated.
Dating clues
- Wire-lug cases: before c. 1925.
- Water-resistant screw-down cases: from 1926.
- Quartz movements: from 1969; sapphire crystals widespread after c. 1980.
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.
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