There are three vintage PVD Heuers that you should know about and they’re all amazing. All of them are hard to find - the Monaco “Dark Lord” and the Autavia 11063 have reached unobtanium status -  but today we are offering the third: The Monza.

We love vintage Heuers because they are the epitome of vintage racing chronographs, and the Monza is great example of that history and the Heuer’s ties to Formula 1 racing. There are four characters involved in the Monza’s origin story- Jack Heuer, Nicki Lauda, Enzo Ferrari and Piero Lardi Ferrari- so right off the bat you know we’re talking about one cool watch.

When Nicki Lauda joined the Ferrari’s F1 team in 1974, they had gone 11 years without a World Championship title.  But with the Austrian behind the wheel of the new 312T, Ferrari and Lauda finally brought home the title in 1975. Heuer already had a successful partnership with Ferrari (signed by Enzo Ferrari in his trademark violet ink in 1971) when Jack Heuer decided to launch a new watch, the Monza, to celebrate Lauda’s success.  It hit dealers in 1976.

The Monza has several features that are unusual among Heuers. Heuer built the case in brass rather than steel, applying a PVD coating in black or chrome, and never selling the watch in the bare metal. The Monza case back bears the model name and reference number, which is also extremely unusual for Heuer, and probably done because the PVD coating would cover up engraving on the case.

Another unusual feature of the Monza line is that the Caliber 15 “economy” movement was used as the standard caliber for the watch. Heuer designed the Cal. 15, a Cal. 12 with the chronograph hours counter removed, to be a lower-cost alternative to the Cal. 12, and typically put the Cal. 15 into Carreras, Monacos and Autavias that sold at a slightly lower price point. The Monza is the reverse, with only a small percentage of the watches built housing the Cal. 12, making them a rarity in today’s marketplace. We have a strong preference for the Cal. 12 version because of the rarity, but even more so because the movement lends itself to a symmetrical and more aesthetically pleasing sub-register layout.

If you’ve been in the market for a Monza, we don’t have to tell you how rare it is to find one with the PVD coating in nearly perfect condition. Coupled the with the rare Caliber 12 movement, original strap and original buckle, and you have quite the package. Your Monza search ends here.