Serviced 1940's Vintage Heuer 2443 Chronograph Valjoux 72 Pre-Carrera

1940s Heuer Ref. 2443 Pre-Carrera Big Eyes

Valjoux 72 Panda-Dial Chronograph

Vintage Tool Chronograph | Valjoux 72 Movement | Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) — Fully Serviced

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✦ Introduction

This is a highly collectible and beautifully preserved example of the 1940s Heuer Ref. 2443 — often referred to as a “Pre-Carrera”. With the legendary Valjoux 72 manual-wind chronograph movement and a rare panda or Arabic-numeral dial, this is a serious piece for vintage chronograph enthusiasts.

Crafted by Heuer in an era when aviation, automotive and competitive timing demanded precision wrist instruments, this model captures the early DNA of later icons like the Carrera and Autavia. Our example is fully serviced and inspected, ready for the next chapter of its life.

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✦ Collector’s Insight

The Ref. 2443 holds a special place in Heuer history. Although produced before the formal introduction of the Carrera in 1963, it displays many of the same design philosophies — clean registers, legible dial layout and robust movement architecture. 

Today, these early Heuer tri-register chronographs powered by Valjoux 72 are highly sought after — fewer remain than many early Daytonas and Carreras, yet they often remain undervalued in comparison.

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✦ Key Features

✔ Ref. 2443 “Pre-Carrera” chronograph — one of Heuer’s most collectible early trio-register watches

✔ Valjoux 72 manual-wind movement — historically used in top-tier chronographs

✔ Rare panda / Arabic-numeral dial version with original radium lume and beautiful patina

✔ Stainless steel case with sharp lugs and original finish — case appears unpolished

✔ Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) — fully serviced, function tested & quality checked

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✦ Specification

Brand: Heuer  |  Model / Production Year: Ref. 2443 — Circa 1940s

Case	✔ Stainless steel case & case back; snap-on back. ✔ Case size approx: 35 mm (without crown) with sharp, unpolished lugs.
Dial & Hands	✔ Panda / Arabic-numeral dial version; original radium lume, signs of age consistent with 80+ years. ✔ Three-register layout (30 min/12 h/60 s) — classic chronograph format.
Movement	✔ Valjoux 72 manual-wind chronograph movement — historically used in premium chronos. ✔ Recently serviced and checks reset correctly.
Complication	✔ Chronograph (3-register) with tachymeter/telemeter scale variations.
Crystal	✔ Acrylic crystal — light vintage wear visible.
Strap	✔ Supplied on leather strap; lug size approx: 18 mm.
Certified Pre-Owned  - Warranty	✔ Passed full 25-point inspection. ✔ Includes 3-month service warranty.
Timing Test & Service Level	✔ In-house timing: approx. +14 s/day (after full service). ✔ Service Level: Full overhaul completed.
Made In	✔ Switzerland
Water Resistance	✔ Not water-resistant (vintage model) — please pressure test before use.
Notes	✔ All functions tested and operable. ✔ Original surfaces retain sharp lug edges; some lume loss as expected for age. ✔ See all pictures carefully — they form part of the description.

* Please review photos carefully as they form part of the description. This timepiece is tested, fully operational, and offered in working vintage condition.

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✦ Brief History

The Heuer Ref. 2443 was introduced in the early 1940s, well before the iconic Carrera of 1963, and hence is commonly called a “Pre-Carrera.” 

Powered by the Valjoux 72 — the same movement later used in top-tier chronographs from Heuer, Rolex and others — the 2443 laid the foundation for Heuer’s later instrumental sports watches.

During this era, Heuer focused on industrial-grade tool watches for aviation and motorsport, and the design cues of the 2443 — clean registers, square pushers, angular lugs — carried forward into the Carrera and Autavia families.

Having a love for complications and complicated watches, makes me love Chronograph watches. At first two register chronograph for simplicity of the dial and providing chronograph functionality for the most. Then the three-register chronograph for the complication of movement and the history of the movements, like of the iconic Omega Ref. 321, Ref. 861 (used in famous moon landing), Zenith El Primero, Venus mostly used in Breitlings, Landeron, and one of the most well-known movement makers Valjoux. With their famous Valjoux 72 put in the vintage Rolex Pre Daytona’s and of course the big dog Patek Philippe reference 2499 using Valjoux 88 my favorite which sold in auction for $3.30 Million in 2018.  I also love the Heuer Caliber 11 first micro automatic chronograph movement with date.

A Chronograph is simply a watch that combines the function of a stopwatch with a timekeeping display watch, by utilizing an independent sweep second hand. Chronographs often have complications on the face of the watch which can be used to record different time measurements, moon cycles, heart rate and more. Chronographs have usually have a separate buttons to stop, start, and reset (unless it is an monopusher) the stopwatch complication, with the start button typically at the two and four o’clock position.

The name Chronograph is derived from the Greek words ‘Chronos’ – the personification of time – and ‘graph’, meaning to write. The first modern Chronograph was created in 1816 by French watchmaker, Louis Moinet. Invented solely for use in union with astrological equipment, Moinet’s Chronograph could measure time accurate to 1/60th of a second – an unrivaled degree of precision at the time of its creation.

"poor man's" Heu-ers represent an interesting facet of Heu-er's history and also provide a sensible way for individuals to collect these chronographs on a more reasonable budget. The term "Poor Man's Heu-er" only to refer to chronographs manufactured by Heu-er for other brands one of which is Zodiac & Clebar, which is one of my favorite brands. Please note on ebay there are few brands that are not made by Heu-er and still refer to as Poor man which is not true.

This is a lovely and clean example of a circa early 1940s Heuer Reference 2443 chronograph, often referred to as a “Pre-Carrera”. They were made in a variety of sizes and came in 2 or 3 register set-ups, and formed the basis for the iconic Carrera line.  This particular example is powered by the legendary Valjoux 72 movement, which was also used in the later Heuer Carrera and Autavia watches, and features an exceedingly rare Techymeter dial, with Arabic numerals. 

 One of the rarest of  the Valjoux 72 version smiliar to REF. 345, and  2543. This version is the White Dial; Radium Numerals and Hands; Tachymeter Scale which the Techymeter version is very rare. The case appears unpolished with normal wear and nice sharp edges.  The dial shows some wear and aging, has lots of patina .  Original radium lume on dial and hands, with some loss to the minute hand.   Watch is running & fully serviced, chronograph starts, counts down, stops, and resets to 12.

For more reading on the history of these watches, head on over to On The Dash website.

This is a beauty. It is very rare to find a watch this old. Defiantly a collector watch. Please look at all the pictures, as they are part of the description. The watch is working and Serviced. This is a highly collectible watch. Very few left with this rare movement. Sure, to increase in value overtime, and a great addition to your collection. The condition of the watch is the same as it appears in the photos.   The watch is working and is part of our new Certified Pre-Owned CPO.  Contact me if you have any questions first.