1930's Vintage Rare HEUER Ref 2403 Monopusher Chronograph Watch Fancy Lugs 351

It was in 1860, when Edouard Heuer established his first workshop in St. Imier, Switzerland. It gave birth to the world's reference of the most reliable and prestigious sports watches. In 1869, Heuer invented and patented the first stem-winding system. In 1911, Heuer launched his first dashboard chronograph developed for automobiles called "Time of Trip". Five years later, Heuer patented Micrograph, the world's first wristwatch with chronometer function, capable of measuring 1/100th of a second. In 1920, for the first time, the company officially time-kept the Olympic Games competitions.

In 1933, Heuer introduced the Autavia, the dashboard timer used for automobiles and airplanes. Afterwards, the Monte Carlo and the Master-Time were launched. In the 1950-70s, Heuer timepieces were utterly popular in auto sport. They are one of the inventors of chronograph and racing watch.

The Autavia chronograph was launched in 1962. Two years later, after Juan Manuel Fangio's triumph during the "Carrera Panamericana Mexico" races, Jack Heuer launched Carrera chronograph watch paying tribute to this excellent race car driver from Argentina. Due to its exceptional success, the Carrera chrono converted into the company's icon.

Again, in 1966, the Heuer company confirmed its status of pioneer in time measuring by manufacturing the world's first chronograph, capable to measure the 1/1000th of a second.

In 1971, the Heuer Monaco watch became highly famous after Steve McQueen wore it in a movie "Le Mans". That line was called "Steve McQueen Monaco Edition".

The TAG Group Holdings SA bought the Heuer company and became TAG Heuer in 1985. 

Monopusher movements are much harder to make. This is a very old Heuer style one pusher (monopusher chronograph, Reference 2403. The Heuer chronograph was included in an offer to the Romanian Military Aviation Authority made by Mr. Josef Schneider, the Romanian Heuer agent in the 1930s, which is very similar to the Heuer Reference 351 M TT.

Mr. Schneider made an offer for several different Heuer and other makers' chronographs to the Romanian Military. Among them was ref. number, the 351 C/B and Ref. 2403. This is very similar to the old Heuer has a porcelain dial.  Per classicheuers.blogspot.com the movement is a Landron Hahn Lever L13. Some have stated the possibility of an early version of Valjoux 22, also referred to by some as Valjoux 13 or Valjoux GH. Clearly, this is a Monopushers Chronograph Heuer watch, which is a very rare watch and was not made in quantities, and Minerva was also a famous maker of this movement.

Heuer has a rich history of tool-watch production. Whether it was stopwatches or chronographs, the Swiss brand knows a thing or two about timing events, particularly of the sporting variety. This 1930s monopusher (sometimes called a single-button chronograph) with a black dial is an interesting and rare watch. It features a glossy black dial as well as engine-turned sub-dials that line up nicely with the central axis of the hands, giving it a very balanced aesthetic. The pusher at two o'clock starts and resets the chronograph, while time is set traditionally via the crown at three o'clock. The rationale behind this is that the operator can restart faster, one can check the elapsed time, and quickly reset. 

This is a beauty. It is extremely rare to find one of the first series Heuer MonoPusher Chronograph Reference 2403, and very similar to Reference 351, which were both made in the 1930s based on the reference end of 1935 to 1936, but it is an estimate. Per my understanding, most chronograph watches made in that era were used one way or another by the military and in World War II. Per what was told to me, this can even be a Heuer preceding the Reference 351 model. This made for an avid collector, given that only a few were made with Fancy Lugs, aka Art Deco Fancy Lugs, and this is a well-surviving watch. Please look at all the pictures, as they are part of the description. The watch is working and was serviced by the last owner. This is a highly collectible watch, and only a handful are left with this rare movement. Sure, it to increase in value over time, 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 Program.  Contact me if you have any questions first.

Example of the Heuer Reference 351 & 358 monopushers Chronograph from the 1930's: