Wristwatches · Wristwatch
Heuer Ref. 345 Gilt Gloss, 1940s
- Maker / attribution
- Heuer (maker)
- Date
- 1940s
- Historical period
- Golden Age of Mechanical Watchmaking (1900 – 1945)
- Country of origin
- Switzerland
- Object type
- Wristwatch
- Stock no.
- Product 4659338510423
- Credit line
- Dealer listing, S.Song Watches (product 4659338510423)
- Catalogue title (original)
- Heuer Ref. 345 Gilt Gloss (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 4659338510423), this is a wristwatch by Heuer, made in Switzerland, dated 1940s. The Atlas places it in the Golden Age of Mechanical Watchmaking period (1900 – 1945) 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 — S.Song Watches
Within the world of vintage chronographs, there is one brand that consistently ranks as one of the most influential, and it is none other than Heuer. Founded in 1860 by Edouard Heuer – who is recognised as registering a patent for his own chronograph movement in 1882, the brand's credentials are indisputable. While brands like Rolex and Omega often make claims pertaining to the chronograph, it was Heuer that lay the groundwork for other brands to build on. One such model that Heuer used to build that framework was their ref. 345. Released in the early '40s, the ref. 345 predates the model names that Heuer was known for, such as the Monaco and Carrera. During the '30s, Heuer was well-versed in creating pilots chronographs with two registers. By the mid-'40s, Heuer had decided to branch into three register timepieces with the ref. 345, to cater for those that needed the extra functionality. To achieve this, Heuer powered the ref. 345 with the rare Valjoux cal. 71 movement. On offer here I have a beautiful black gilt dial ref. 345 complete with its original radium filled hands, and radium painted military-style Arabic numerals. Hinting at the importance of its ease of use, the ref. 345 also came with an unusual mushroom-top shaped pusher – to ensure users wearing gloves did not need to take them off just to operate the watch. In addition to its excellent condition, this timepiece also bares a Portuguese import stamp, hinting at its provenance and previous life.
Historical context
Golden Age of Mechanical Watchmaking (1900 – 1945)
The wristwatch displaces the pocket watch; waterproof cases, self-winding and grand complications.
The wristwatch overtook the pocket watch. Military use in the First World War, aviation, water-resistant cases (1926), automatic winding (1923–31), rectangular Art Deco designs and early chronographs and calendars defined the period.
Read the period in the timelineMore wristwatches from this periodEarlier: Industrial Revolution
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.
Related records
Pocket Watches · c. 1960
Heuer Racing SET, c. 1960
Antiquorum auction archive, Geneva
Wristwatches · c. 1980
Heuer Pasadena, ref. 750.501-3, c. 1980
Antiquorum auction archive, Geneva
Wristwatches · c. 1970s
Heuer wristwatch, ref. 110.633, Calculator, circa 1970s
Antiquorum auction archive, Geneva
Wristwatches · c. 1975
Heuer wristwatch, ref. 13/1, circa 1975
Antiquorum auction archive, Geneva
Wristwatches · 1931
Rolex 'Oyster Perpetual' rotor self-winding wrist-watch, lever escapement, in steel case with glass in back, Montres Rolex SA, Geneva, Switzerland, 1931
Science Museum Group, London
Wristwatches · 1900–1999
Wristwatch by Certina, Switzerland, 1900–1999
Nordic Museum Foundation
Wristwatches · 1900–1999
Wristwatch by Omega, Västerås, 1900–1999
Nordic Museum Foundation
Wristwatches · 1900–1999
Wristwatch by Universal, Switzerland, 1900–1999
Nordic Museum Foundation