These were the last mechanical Carrera models made under the company ownership of Jack Heuer. Model reference 110.573B.
HOW DO WE DATE THIS WATCH?
The Carrera range was launched in 1963. The first automatic versions appeared in 1969, and the barrel shaped versions like we have here were the last mechanical versions made. We have an advert from 1974 that shows this model so we can say this watch was also made circa 1974. The advent of quartz watches, and the far cheaper automatic chronograph in the Seiko 6139, made these hard to sell back in 1974.
CONDITION
Early Carrera models have hit and surpassed the £10,000 mark, which is actually lower than their peak of a few years ago – a Skipper model was sold in 2017 for £60,000 at auction before the market settled down a bit. The reference we have here is still still more affordable – although some military versions are advertised at multiples of this price.
The Carrera we have here is a good example of the reference. The striped blue dial is attractive and original, and the hand set is also original and perfectly matched – orange hands fade slightly, so if one had been replaced you would see. Also original are the pushers – they have a notched design rather than perfectly round, so replacements would be spotted. The date window at six means a well balanced dial, and the date can be semi quick set. The watch is fitted with caliber 12, and the quickest way to spot a calibre 12 or earlier calibre 11 is the left hand crown. The crown is the original signed one, and the movement can be hand wound or automatically wound via the microrotor cleverly built into the movement. The original bracelet is quite long and our sister website, SpareLinks.com, may have extra links if required. The bracelet has been cleaned in our ultrasonic bath. The case back has a bit of ‘NATO rash’ from being worn on a nylon strap before, but overall this is difficult to fault for a 50 year old watch.
This watch will be supplied with our branded presentation box and our Certificate of Authenticity.
Please see the HD video for more detail. All photos and videos are part of the description and are of the actual watch unless mentioned. We do not photoshop any pictures, and the images are copyright of birthyearwatches.com and should not be used without permission.
SIZE
Width with crown 40.6 mm
Width without crown 39.0 mm
Between lugs 18 mm
Lug to lug length 43.3 mm
Case Thickness 14.4 mm
Bracelet will fit a maximum wrist size of 202 mm. The bracelet can be sized for you if you give us your wrist size when placing the order.
All sizes are approximate. The watch is photographed on a wrist of 190mm/7.5 inches.
Included with this watch is a 3 month guarantee and free delivery to UK addresses. If you live outside the UK we can still deliver to most countries. Please see our Worldwide Shipping information, or Contact Us. Payment can be made by most credit or debit cards, bank transfer or PayPal.
From 1st September 2021 we will be planting a tree for every watch we sell, working with the International Tree Foundation (Est 1922) to make this business positive on carbon. By buying anything pre owned you are effectively reusing what already exists, but this takes it further and makes us feel good.
