Heuer

When the Camaro was introduced in 1968 it was clear how important the US market was becoming to Heuer. From the moment that Jack had his first responsibility in the country when he joined the family business in 1958, and as the post-war economy grew in the country, more and more people had the dispensable income to purchase items such as fine Swiss watches.

Jack had clearly identified enthusiasts of motor racing as a great target market for Heuer and engaged advertising agencies to build campaigns to support this. Furthermore, he had brokered deals to provide timing equipment to the Sports Car Club of America so that the company had a presence at many races. This would be how Jack found himself at Sebring in 1962, met the parents of the Rodriguez brothers and found the inspiration for the Carrera name through their stories of the Panamericana.

The Camaro played on the same game of inspiration from motorsport and cars but was even more overt in its choice. With the Chevrolet Camaro having launched in 1966, it acting as the pace car at the Indy 500 in 1967 and then going on to achieve great success in the Trans-Am Series after that, picking the name for the new cushion shaped watch from Heuer was a shrewd choice to allow the model to resonate with US consumers that had a passion for cars.

With a number of variations being produced during the life of the model, the Valjoux 72 power references have a slight edge in desirable for collectors, and the handsome panda model that sets itself apart from its Carrera sibling with grey subsidiary dials, is particularly fetching. As the Heuer watch with one of the closest connections to American muscle cars of the era, it shows the breadth of the brand during the period.