Heuer Carrera 2447NS

Reference 2447NS Carrera 'Reverse Panda' | A stainles steel chronograph wristwatch, Circa 1965 Heuer

Dial: black Caliber: cal. Valjoux 72 mechanical, 17 jewels Case: stainless steel, screw down case back Case number: 94'033 Closure: stainless steel Heuer bracelet with folding clasp Size: 35.3 mm, bracelet circumference approximately 175 mm Signed: case, dial and movement Box: no Papers: no When the Carrera arrived in 1963, it represented a sea change in the world of chronograph watches. While the Autavia had arrived the year before, it was clearly built entirely for function with the larger diameter case, rotating bezel and no-nonsense dial, the Carrera was clearly built with a blend of style and function. With its peaked, polished plugs, eggshell white (on the earliest models before becoming silvered) or black, high contrast dial, and elegant proportions, the Carrera laid the foundations for a truly do anything watch that could be worn at all times. When it was with a racing suit, or a dinner jacket, the Carrera was a universal watch. It didn’t concede anything to achieve these ambitions. Using clever innovations such as the tension ring below the crystal to increase water resistance while also offering a surface for a 1/5th second scale to free up space on the dial, and smart use of typography and reducing the graphics on the dial, it offered the quintessential chronograph for racing drivers as well. As the collection evolved through the 1960s, including additions such as the “Dato” models, a few new dial variations would make their way into the collection. The most coveted among them are the panda and reverse panda models, especially on the three register reference 2447 powered by the legendary Valjoux 72. Providing ample inspiration for the modern world of TAG Heuer the reverse panda NS would lay the foundation for one of the key colorways offered at the launch of the new “glass box” design for the 60th anniversary of the Carrera in 2023. To find an example with its clearly defined lugs in full form, with an unmarried dial and fitted with the extremely desirable Gary Freres “Beads of Rice” bracelet, what is presented here is perhaps the ultimate variation of the ultimate drivers chronograph born in the golden age of racing, watches and design.