Heuer

On every hit album, you have deep cuts. In the world of Heuer the Carrera 3147 – or ‘Dato 45’ – is just that. A deep cut known only by those in the know. Introduced in 1968 as the second generation of Dato-Carrera, it combined the Carrera chronograph function with a date-window “ideal for the businessman who needs a chronograph but can never remember the date” as the advertising said. Of course, it too was favored by racing legends and institutions with special versions made for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and Shelby Cobra. 

Just like the ‘Dato’ is a bit of a deep cut, so is John Morton. John got a job with Shelby American in California, and was instantly smitten by the racing bug. In 1964, he got to share a seat with the legendary Ken Miles in 427 Shelby Cobra a Sebring and began racing in Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) racing through the end of the 1960s when the equally legendary Pete Brock hired him to race for his newly formed Brock Racing Datsun Team. The Datsun cars were great on track, and of course Pete Brock who had set up and designed the Corvette StingRay and Shelby Daytonas knew how to properly set up a car – so with Morton at the helm he won the SCCA C Production class with the Datsun 240Z National Championships in 1970-71 and the under 2.5 liter Trans-Am with the Datsun 510 Championships in 1971-72. 

This Heuer Dato was awarded to Morton after successfully taking 1st Place at Road Atlanta in the 1970 SCCA C Production National Championship with Pete Brock’s 240Z. Interestingly, John never really wore this watch. As he explains in a handwritten letter included with the watch. He was fonder of a different Heuer that he won in 1971, and gave this watch to a friend. Today, the watch is still with its original corfam strap and fitted presentation box, and remains a deep cut from the Heuer catalog – just like John Morton is. Though make no mistake – John Morton is a Heuer Champion who raced with the very best of them. Not many people got to share a seat with Ken Miles, and race for Pete Brock – let alone be an SCCA National Champion multiple times.