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Heuer Dato 3147S

DocumentedDocumented from a dealer's listing; attribution and date as stated by the dealer.
Maker / attribution
Heuer (maker)
Date
late 1960s
Country of origin
Switzerland
Object type
Wristwatch
Dimensions
Case 36 mm
Stock no.
Product 4130087617
Credit line
Dealer listing, Analog/Shift (product 4130087617)
Catalogue title (original)
Heuer Dato 3147S (English)

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Record summary

Catalogued by Analog/Shift (dealer), New York (stock number Product 4130087617), 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. 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 — Analog/Shift

The Carrera was one of Jack Heuer’s most passionate projects, and his design ethos for this watch can be summed up in one word: legibility. Jack wanted a watch that was stylish and functional, a watch that gives you everything you need and nothing you don’t. For a watch designed in the late 1960s, the Carrera remains a stunner, proving the brilliance of Jack’s design philosophy. A clean dial never goes out of style, and it makes the Carrera an easy watch to dress up or down. At 36mm, the case wears extremely well on the modern wrist, its long beveled lugs making it feel a bit beefier while still slipping easily under a cuff. This particular model, a Reference 3147S, features a single subsidiary register with a 45-Minute counter set against a silver sunburst dial, offset by a date aperature at 9:00. This model dates from the late 1960s, and is powered by a manual winding Landeron Calibre 189 movement with 17 Jewels, signed by Heuer. Its case is in incredibly strong condition, and judging by the crisp edges and incredibly sharp lugs, possibly unpolished. The luminescent plots on the hour markers and hands have aged evenly, and the inner rehaut and dial are crisp and clean. Early Dato-model Carreras are rare birds, and this one is a terrific honest example - by far the nicest example we've seen. 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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