Heuer wristwatch, ref. 73633, chronograph minute counter, circa 1970 — view 1 of 3 — View 1 of 3 · Image: Antiquorum Genève SA · original image source (opens another website in a new tab)

View 1 of 3 · Image: Antiquorum Genève SA · original image source (opens another website in a new tab)

Wristwatches · Wristwatch

Heuer wristwatch, ref. 73633, chronograph minute counter, circa 1970

DocumentedDocumented from an auction catalogue; attribution as stated by the auction house.

Maker / attribution: Heuer (brand / maker)
Date: c. 1970
Historical period: Quartz Revolution (1969 – 1990)
Country of origin: Switzerland
Object type: Wristwatch
Materials / technique: stainless steel
Auction house: Antiquorum auction archive, Geneva
Lot: Lot 341-34
Credit line: Auction lot record: LOT 34, Monaco, July 21, 2021
Catalogue title (original): Heuer Ref. 73633, chronograph, minute counter, date, blue dial; “Monaco”; stainless 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 341-34), this is a wristwatch by Heuer, made in Switzerland, dated c. 1970. 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 3 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, manual-winding, vertical rectangular and square convex-shaped, pilot’s wristwatch, with case-back screwed by four screws, lapidated straight lugs, blue colour dial with subsidiary seconds at 9 and three horological complications:• 1/5 second chronograph (activated by the two round-shaped push-pieces)• Half-instantaneous 30-minute counter (subsidiary dial at 3 o’clock)• 12-hour counter (subsidiary dial at 6 o’clock)

Lot specifications (Antiquorum)

Model: “Monaco”; Reference: 73633; Movement No.: unnumbered (by Heuer-Leonidas S.A.); Case No.: 165 296; Bracelet: black leather strap; Buckle: stainless steel Heuer buckle; Dimensions: 45.6 x 39.9 mm; Signature: dial, case and movement; Accessories: contemporary fitted box (for self-winding watch)

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 timeline More wristwatches from this period Earlier: Modern Mechanical Horology

Atlas type guide

Chronographs and split-seconds watches

A chronograph is a watch with an additional seconds hand that can be started, stopped and returned to zero independently of the timekeeping. Louis Moinet built an early example in 1816 and Nicolas Rieussec a recording 'chronographe' in 1821; Adolphe Nicole's heart-shaped reset cam (patented 1862) made the modern return-to-zero possible. Split-seconds (rattrapante) chronographs add a second hand that can be stopped for intermediate times; flyback chronographs restart instantly.

Chronographs were essential tools for doctors (pulsometer scales), artillery (telemeter), engineers and sport. In wristwatches, Valjoux, Venus, Lemania and later the automatic chronographs of 1969 (Zenith El Primero, the Chronomatic Calibre 11 group and Seiko 6139) are milestones.

What to look for

Push-pieces on the case band or a single button in the crown (monopusher).
Subsidiary registers for minutes and hours; tachymeter, telemeter or pulsometer scales.
Column wheel versus cam control visible in the movement.
Calibre markings of specialist makers (Valjoux, Lemania, Venus, Landeron).

Dating clues

Pocket chronographs with heart cam reset: after 1862.
Wrist chronographs: from c. 1910; two-button designs from the 1930s.
Automatic chronographs: from 1969.

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.

Mechanisms mentioned

Chronograph — Complication
Self-winding (automatic) mechanism — Component

Record completeness

Maker or attributionRecorded
DateRecorded
Place or countryRecorded
MaterialsRecorded
DimensionsNot in source
Narrative descriptionRecorded
Inscriptions / marksRecorded
ProvenanceNot in source
Several photographsRecorded

Editorial status: Documented — facts as published by the source; not independently verified by Atlas editors.

Explore further

Sources & image rights

Record source: Antiquorum auction archive, Geneva (opens another website in a new tab).

Image rights: © Antiquorum Genève SA — permission required (opens another website in a new tab).

Images are hosted by the Atlas for study and credited to their owner. Rights holders may request correction, credit changes or removal, or grant permission, via the editorial office.

Cite this record

"Heuer wristwatch, ref. 73633, chronograph minute counter, circa 1970." Antiquorum auction archive, Geneva, Lot 341-34. Catalogue record in The Horology Atlas, WatchMuseum.org, https://atlas.watchmuseum.org/museum/heuer-wristwatch-ref-73633-chronograph-minute-counter-circa-1970-bd4aba.