As lovers of horology and motorsport, we are suckers for a racing chronograph.
We've tried more than a few - but at the end of the day, our pick of the litter will always be a vintage Heuer. Whether Carrera, Autavia, Monaco, Monza, or one of the lesser known short-run models of the 1970s, these stunning timepieces epitomize the very essence of the golden era of auto racing and are as cool today as they were in period. One of the more obscure models from the 70s is the Montreal - even after over a decade of truffle-hunting vintage Heuer at Analog:Shift, we can still count the number of solid examples of this bold chronograph that we've turned up on one hand!
Introduced in 1972, the Montreal collection featured similar design cues to the more established Autavia and Carrera collections, but its execution is distinct, effortlessly exudeing that "70s thing" we love so much. With an oversized cushion case with sunburst brushing, it is similar in appearance to the popular Mark II Speedmaster, but is powered by the Calibre 12 automatic chronograph movement instead of the Omega's hand-cranked Calibre .861.
The Montreal gets virtually no attention compared to its stablemates - even from aficionados of vintage Heuers. Its a shame, but then again they are rare enough that few get to properly experience them and fall in love. While the model was produced for about four years with the in-house Calibre 12 movement, before line production The switched to the Valjoux 7750. These later watches can be distinguished from their counterparts from their monochrome dials — black on black or blue on blue. The only break from the monotonality of the dial would come from the hands or pulsation scales. Production ended in 1983, eleven years after its conception, and it is one of the golden-era chronographs TAG Heuer has yet to revive.
This example - a Reference 110.503 - comes from the beginning of the model's production, powered by the Cal. 12. These feature a 42mm cushion case with barrel chronograph pushers positioned on the case’s right flank, a signed crown at 9 o’clock, and a leather strap integrated directly into the case.
Born with a stark white dial, this example has aged into a lovely cream tone and its applied luminous applied indices have developed a yellowy patina — every vintage watch enthusiast’s dream! It also features pops of bright color with a luminous red handset, contrasting black subsidiary registers with yellow exotic timing blocks on the 30-minute counter , a peripheral Pulsations scale in blue text and a Tachymetre scale in red.
An all-time Analog:Shift staff favorite, this piece is a fantastic example of an off-the-beaten-path Heuer - and its exotic panda dial makes it a wonderful find for any collector with a healthy dose of high octane racing fuel running in their bloodstream!