HEUER, CARRERA 12 STANDARD, 18K GOLD, REF. 2456 S

ICONEEK price: 16’000.- CHF

Iconeek is proud to introduce here a great  Carrera 12 model by Heuer, cased in gold, produced in the 1960s. The Heuer Carrera was launched in 1963, soon after the Autavia making it the second named watch in the Heuer collection. With the Carrera, Jack Heuer wanted  to design a chronograph with excellent skills, on land, under water or in the air, and great accuracy because « The Carrera 12 has both a 30 min. and a 12 hour register. Flighttime, traveltime, observation time etc. can be precisely recorded up to 12 hours » (see Heuer Advert below). This case design is different to the Autavia and smaller too, measuring 36mm. The present Carrera 2456 is set with a three register dial with inner chapter ring and elegant 36mm diameter gold case housing the famous Valjoux 72 movement. 

The model with three registers was available in two different versions, the « CARRERA 12 STANDARD » without tachymeter on the dial, such as the present watch,  the « CARRERA 12 TACHY » with tachymeter scale.  On the period advertising of the Carrera 12 Standard, we can read « …Revolutionary dial Design, Dial legibility in the new CARRERA has been improved by incorporating divisions in the outer crystal ring. Recessed recording dial with jumping register hand gives a revolutionary 3-dimensional dial reading ». The model with its clear dial’s layout offers a great readability. According to scholars, the design of the case was inspired by 1960s modernist architecture and the name was inspired by a legendary car race through Mexico called Carrera Panamericana. 

The « CARRERA 12 STANDARD » was available in three variations: stainless steel, under Ref. 2447 S, in 20 microns gold-plated case, under Ref. 2448 S, and in 18K gold, under Ref. 2456, such as the present watch. In terms of rarety, the solid gold, manually wound Carrera, is very rare to find. This example, a reference 2456s in yellow gold, is extremely hard to come by as yellow-gold Carreras were made in highly limited quantities. 

The present watch has a two-body construction: an 18K gold, water-resistant type, tonneau-shaped case with lapidated lugs and round chronograph pushers in the band, a screwed gold case back. The inside back is engraved « Heuer-Leonidas SA, Swiss ». The case is deeply engraved with the case number 83507 between the lug at 6, and with the gold hallmark between the lugs at 12. Under the plexiglass crystal, we find a superb silvered dial, with raised gold Baton indexes, luminous dots, outer minute and 1/5th second division on a ring, luminous gold Baton hands, three subsidiary guilloche dials for the 30-minute register at 3, the 12-hour register at 6, the constant second at 9. The dial was made by Singer, and is stamped Singer on the back. Under the screwed gold case back ticks a caliber Valjoux 72, same used in Rolex Daytonas of the same period, mechanical, hand wound, rhodium-plated, 17 jewels, with straight line lever escapement, monometallic balance, shock-absorbers, self-compensating blued steel flat balance spring, column-wheel mechanism, engraved « MN »next to the balance. The chronograph bridge is engraved « Heuer-Leonidas SA ». Dial, case and movement are signed. The size between the lugs is 17.90 mm. 

The Carrera is still one of Heuer's most iconic designs, making this watch a superb acquisition for an aficionado of 1960s sports chronographs. A collectible item ! 

Condition: 8.5/10, in good overall condition, all functions working