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Heuer wristwatch, ref. 1533, Monaco, circa 1972-1975 — view 1 of 2
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Wristwatches · Wristwatch

Heuer wristwatch, ref. 1533, Monaco, circa 1972-1975

DocumentedDocumented from an auction catalogue; attribution as stated by the auction house.
Maker / attribution
Heuer (brand / maker)
Date
c. 1972-1975
Country of origin
Switzerland
Object type
Wristwatch
Materials / technique
stainless steel
Lot
Lot 345-18
Credit line
Auction lot record: LOT 18, Hong Kong, December 5th, 2021
Catalogue title (original)
HEUER REF. 1533 G, SILVER DIAL, MONACO, STEEL (English)

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

Record summary

Catalogued by Antiquorum auction archive, Geneva (lot Lot 345-18), this is a wristwatch by Heuer, made in Switzerland, dated c. 1972-1975. The Atlas places it in the Quartz Revolution period (1969 – 1990) of its Wristwatches collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: stainless steel. The record is illustrated with 2 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

Antiquorum catalogue description

Stainless steel, self-winding, vertical rectangular and square convex-shaped, pilot’s wristwatch, with case-back screwed by four screws, left-hand winding-crown, lapidated straight lugs, silver colour dial with subsidiary seconds at 10 and three horological complications, including 1/5 second chronograph, 30-minute counter at 3 o’clock, date at 6 o’clock.

Lot specifications (Antiquorum)

Model: “Monaco” “Automatic Chronograph” “Tool No. 033”; Reference: 1533 G; Movement No.: unnumbered (by Heuer-Leonidas S.A.); Case No.: 250 166; Bracelet: Grey leather strap; stainless steel buckle; Caliber: 15 (with left-hand winding-crown); Dimensions: 45.4 x 40.2 mm; Signature: Dial, Case and Movement

Inscriptions & marks

Dial, Case and Movement

Historical context

Quartz Revolution (1969 – 1990)

Seiko's Astron begins mass quartz timekeeping; traditional industries contract sharply.

Quartz and digital watches transformed the market after 1969. Swiss employment collapsed, Japanese and Hong Kong production soared, and the Swatch (1983) helped the Swiss industry recover; mechanical watches survived as luxury goods.

Read the period in the timelineMore wristwatches from this periodEarlier: Modern Mechanical Horology

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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