Heuer Monaco 1133B Transitional - Box & Papers

We proudly offer you this exceptionally rare Transitional Heuer Monaco 1133B with original steel bracelet and a fantastically preserved dial.

The so-called "Transitional" Monaco is a very rare variant of the iconic racing chronograph Heuer Monaco. The very first Monacos were made in 1969 and featured a dark blue metallic dial with the word "Chronomatic" on it - a combination of "chronograph" and "automatic". It was the perfect name to draw attention to the newly developed Caliber 11 - the first chronograph movement with an automatic winding. A few months later, Heuer had to give up the naming rights for "Chronomatic" to Breitling, which meant that "Chronomatic" could no longer be printed on the dials of Heuer watches. About 6 months passed until the new dial with the light blue color and matte surface was introduced. In the meantime, Heuer produced a transitional version of the Monaco with the early dark blue glossy dial but without the word "Chronomatic". Today, the Transitional Monaco is extremely sought after by vintage collectors due to its rarity and of course its attractiveness.

The very special fact of the present example is the fantastic condition of its dial and case. Especially at the corners, the dials of many vintage Monacos show abrasions, which are a result of melting seals. However, not on this watch. To explore the whole dial including the corners, we had to take it out of the monobloc case. You can see the result in the pictures: Absolutely perfect blue surface with flawless corners. Because of this condition, this vintage watch is very valuable and special.

In different lighting, the glossy dial takes on different shades of blue due to the metallic effect: between the very dark midnight blue to the rich royal blue, everything is present here. In addition, the cream subdials provide a beautiful contrast.

This Monaco is accompanied by the original and rare MK1 stainless steel bracelet made by NSA. Although these bracelets are occasionally seen on the later version of the Monaco, they really only belong on the Chronomatic or Transitional Monaco.

To satisfy even the most demanding collector, this watch is accompanied by the original Heuer automatic racing box and original blank warranty booklet.

Condition report
Dial: absolutely flawless metallic blue dial - perfect original finish - perfect corners - original tritium lume - matching creamy patina in hour markers and hands - every single tritium dot is intact.

Case: monobloc stainless steel case in great condition - unpolished with few storage marks - sharp lines - intact numbers between lugs - intact engraving on back - original Heuer crown.

Movement: automatic chronograph caliber 11 - timegrapher: rate: +26s/day, amplitude: 317, beat error: 0.5.

Bracelet: original stainless steel bracelet in excellent condition - MK1 - NSA bracelet.

Summing-Up
Less than 700 pieces of Chronomatic and Transitional Monaco with beautiful glossy dial were produced in 1969. Their rarity is obvious. If you are looking for a good collector condition, the search is even more complicated. All this makes this one here very special and extremely rare.

Serial number: 157xxx

Int.Exe.: 2359035