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Heuer Monaco Ref 1133 Grey Dial, 1960s — view 1 of 6
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Heuer Monaco Ref 1133 Grey Dial, 1960s

DocumentedDocumented from a dealer's listing; attribution and date as stated by the dealer.
Maker / attribution
Heuer (maker)
Date
1960s
Country of origin
Switzerland
Object type
Wristwatch
Dimensions
Case 40 mm
Stock no.
W-782
Credit line
Dealer listing, Bulang & Sons (W-782)
Catalogue title (original)
Heuer Monaco Ref 1133 Grey Dial (English)

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

Record summary

Catalogued by Bulang & Sons (dealer), Copenhagen (stock number W-782), this is a wristwatch by Heuer, made in Switzerland, dated 1960s. The Atlas places it in the Modern Mechanical Horology period (1945 – 1969) of its Wristwatches collection. Recorded dimensions: Case 40 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 — Bulang & Sons

It’s hip to be grey and square… Measuring 40mm across, this is a cool sized watch in a square, vertical brushed stainless steel case with pushers on the right side and a winding crown on the left. The grey dial, with its unusual hour markers and red accents is in great original condition and the original hands are present. We believe the minute hand lume may have been stabilized at some point. The Monaco houses the legendary Calibre 11 movement. Jack Heuer worked in collaboration with Breitling and Buren to create the world’s first automatic chronograph movement, which was unveiled in January 1969. The watch has been fully serviced by our watchmaker. Specifications - Heuer Monaco ref 1133 - Brushed steel case - Dates to the 1960s - Calibre 11 movement - Cool grey dial - Includes a Bulang and Sons strap - Includes a handmade single leather watch pouch

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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