1980s Heuer 1000 Series Quartz 38mm on Bracelet 980.013
Ref: 980.013
Specification
Lugs : 18mm
Condition : Pre-Owned
Box & Papers : None
Case Material : Stainless Steel
Warranty : 12-Months NON-Waterproof Warranty
Points of Mention
This watch is sold as "Watch Only" and therefore comes with no original Heuer box or paperwork. The watch comes paired with its original Heuer 18mm stainless steel Jubilee bracelet with a signed folding fliplock safety clasp which will fit up to a 6.8-inch wrist. The watch is from Circa. 1980s and is sold in worn, vintage condition with signs of wear. The watch comes with our 12-Months NON-Waterproof Warranty.
For more photos see here - https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1tcmGHsor-snDKGW-Nwn7sJ55kAbLQLtQ?usp=drive_link
4K YouTube video, skip to 22:24 - https://youtu.be/yoQJ6CNiA-M
The Watch
Here we have a 1980s Heuer 1000 Series Quartz 38mm on Bracelet 980.013 with a 38mm stainless steel case that curves over your wrist with tapered lugs, a bevelled edge along its flanks leads to a lug-to-lug length of 45mm and a case thickness of 12.5mm ensuring a comfortable fit. On the right side is a signed crown protected by crown guards, a rotating bezel has knurling for extra grip and an anodised aluminium diver insert with silver numerals and markings holding a flat crystal above a matte black dial. An outer minute track surrounds tritium coated disc and baton indexes with an inverted triangle at 12 o’clock marking the hours, at 3 o’clock a framed date window, and elegant Cathedral hands filled with tritium are complemented by a lollipop counterweighted second hand. At 12 o’clock we have the Heuer motif and at 6 o’clock “Quartz 200 Metres Professional” completes this vintage sports watch. On the reverse a screw-down case back with the details of the watch engraved, inside a Quartz movement. The watch comes paired with its original Heuer 18mm stainless steel Jubilee bracelet with a signed folding fliplock safety clasp which will fit up to a 6.8-inch wrist.
Personal Note
This is an incredibly attractive smaller-cased dive watch at 38mm, it feels like Heuer was ahead of the curve with this one as we see most of the big watch brands now releasing their dive watches in smaller sizes. This reference 980.013 features an attractive tritium dial and handset, great case shape and proportions, all paired on a comfortable jubilee, what's not to like?
The Brand
In 1905, German-born Hans Wilsdorf and his brother-in-law Alfred Davis set up a company in London that imported Swiss movements which were installed in British cases and sold to jewellers who put their names on the dials. Recognising the potential for their brand, Wilsdorf created the brand name Rolex in 1908. In 1910, a Rolex became the first wristwatch to carry the Swiss Certificate of Chronometric Precision, awarded by the Official Watch Rating Centre in Bienne, Switzerland. Demand for Rolex watches rose swiftly, and British taxes on the Swiss movements Rolex used prompted Wilsdorf to move the business to Geneva, Switzerland, in 1919. With production costs lowered, Wilsdorf quickly set out to solve the age-old problem of moisture and dust entering a watch case and damaging the movement. The Rolex watchmakers came up with a fully sealed watch case, which Wilsdorf named the Oyster, and released to an appreciative audience in 1926. In 1931, Rolex introduced the first automatic winding wristwatch, giving it the legendary name Oyster Perpetual. In 1945, they released the Datejust. The Datejust was the first watch to have the date jump instantaneously at midnight. The 1950s saw a whole lot of releases such as the Air-King (1958), the Explorer (1953), the Submariner (1953), the GMT Master (1955), the Day-Date (1956), the electromagnetic field resistant Milgauss (1956), the Lady-Datejust (1957) and the first Deep Sea model (1960). Wilsdorf’s death in 1960, saw ownership of Rolex S.A. (a collection of sub-companies) passed to the Hans Wilsdorf Foundation which was founded by Wilsdorf in 1945, the mission of which is simply to sustain Rolex S.A. indefinitely.