Heuer Camaro

Heuer launched the Camaro in 1968, the year before the Chronomatic was fitted into its other lines the following year. As something of an outlier when compared to the automatic chronographs Heuer also offered at the time, the Camaro lived very much in the shadows. It had one of the shortest production runs of all the models, only a few short years, which led to its relative rarity today. While the Camaro was produced in numerous configurations, many collectors are drawn to the symmetry of the two register variants. This one is a Reference 9220 NT (N for noir, or black, and T for the tachymeter track on the outer rim of the dial). Featuring two sub registers--a running seconds at 9:00 and a 45-minute counter at 3:00--the dial of the 9220 is minimalist without being sterile, and hearkens to gauges on a vintage dashboard. The 9220NT is driven by a Valjoux 92 manually-wound chronograph unit, a true workhorse movement used extensively throughout the 1960s. As a variant of the Valjoux 72, it has a similar architecture to the calibre that's well-loved throughout the industry. The only difference between the Valjoux 92 and its cousin, the Valjoux 72, is that the Valjoux 92 lacks an hour counter at 6 o'clock.  The dial of this particular version, black at the beginning of its life, has taken on a light even fade which has given it a warm chocolate hue. The strong case with its barrel pushers bears the iconic sunburst factory brushing characteristic of the model. Despite measuring 37mm, the case of the Camaro wears larger on the wrist, which is typical of square and cushion case watches. The hand-cranking Valjoux movement lends itself to a lower profile than the Calibre 11-driven chronographs of the 1970s. In a sense, the Camaro is a blend of the early manually-wound Carreras and the later Monacos, with the combination of a square cushion case and straight lugs, evocative of a Monaco, and manual calibers and dials similar to Carreras. Larger than a Carrera but without the heft of a Monaco, the Camaro is as comfortable on the wrist as it is stylish. Though simple, it is simply stunning, and would be a worthy entrant to any collection.