GVM vintage Heuer

Heuer Carrera 70's:racing elegance

2012-01-10T15:24:00.000+01:00

Some quick pics in the sun about my two Carreras from the 70's. The steel one is a ref.1153B and the gold 18k one is a 1158S. Enjoy!

Porsche Design by Orfina:l'orologio di Mario Andretti.

2011-12-19T01:16:00.000+01:00

Negli anni 70 del secolo scorso la fabbrica di orologi ORFINA S.A. di Grenchen(Svizzera)realizzo'un' orologio di grandissimo sucesso.Si trattava di un cronografo in acciaio a carica automatica, con bracciale e cassa trattati in superficie per ottenere l'effetto nero opaco.Era il 1976.Per la prima volta un cronografo si presentava in veste ''racing'' totalmente nero,una variante che oggi va tanto di moda. L'impostazione del crono e' tipicamente da corsa,e non poteva essere altrimenti,vista l'ispirazione derivante dalla strumentazione della Porsche 911. Fu un grande successo,e il primo testimonial d'eccezione fu il grande Mario Andretti,che lo porto'al polso in gara per tutta la stagione 1978,che concluse con il titolo di Campione del Mondo di Formula 1,al volante della bellissima Lotus. Il design dell'oggettto in questione e' opera di Alexander Ferdinand Porsche,nipote del creatore della Carrera 911. La leggibilita' del quadrante e' esemplare,la forma della cassa e' veramente splendida e di ottima misura:40,5mm di diametro. Il movimento e' una prima versione del celebre Valjoux 7750. Oggetto di grande carisma ed impatto molto potente,divenne ben presto un ''cult''per i polsi degli sportivi ''giusti''dell'epoca,e oggi e' molto ricercato dai collezionisti ed amanti dei cronografi da corsa. Il mio primo incontro con un Porsche Design di Orfina risale alla fine degli anni 70,quando,ancora bambino,lo ammiravo al polso di mio cugino Luciano.Sono passati 32 anni,ma finalmente ora posso dire di possederne uno anch'io!

This particular model is the original and cult classic 1970’s Porsche design watch. It was designed by the nephew of Ferdinand Alexander Porsche – the man who gave us the best known sports car in the world, the Porsche 911-. The watch is a beautiful and masterful watch, with sweeping and curving lines, the dial is clean and minimalist in design bringing a pure functionality without un necessary clutter. The watch is striking and a pleasure to wear. Being of stainless steel construction, it is durable, strong and solid and heavy in weight. Black PVD case. Mat black dial with superbly contrasting white hands and dial markings, Porsche design logo on dial, case back and PD logo on deployment bracelet clasp. Day and date function the 3 position. Uncluttered and minimalist tachometer scale printed on the inner bezel.Diameter of 40,5mm. It was launched in 1976 and was different from other chronograph wristwatches as its case and bracelet were made out of matt black chromed steel. It was intended as accessoire for Porsche drivers and sold by the Porsche dealers. It was powered by than a brand new chronograph movement Valjoux 7750 (the first manufacturer ever to installed it), which is today still the most widespread mechanical movement for chronograph wristwatches. Orfina were the original company used by Porsche for their watch designs.

Heuer Carrera 2447 NT.L'assoluto di Heuer.

2011-12-02T13:04:00.001+01:00

L'assoluto di Heuer. La questione termina in poche parole. Il Carrera degli anni 60 raffigurato nelle foto,non solo e' il piu' bel Heuer mai creato, ma anche uno tra i piu' bei cronografi sportivi di ogni tempo e di ogni marchio. E' difficile descrivere la potente emozione che si avverte alla visione di questo oggetto. In un'istante si fonde bellezza,classe,sportivita' ed esclusivita'. Non e' un'oggetto facile da vedere,tantomeno da trovare per eventuale acquisto.Non ne circolano molti,e chi lo possiede lo custodisce gelosamente.E' testimone di un mondo incantato,quello dell'automobilismo degli anni 60,che non tornera' mai piu' e che,ancora oggi,e' vivo nell'interesse di molti appassionati. Scegliere un Carrera vintage e' sinonimo di buon gusto in fatto di orologeria. E' una delizia,un cioccolatino..una chicca.La perla di un'intera collezione. Il bracciale,prodotto negli anni 60 dalla ditta ''GAY FRERES''con le anse da 18mm e' assolutamente introvabile,e quando lo si vede,costa come un buon cronografo tutto intero. La cassa ha un diametro di circa 35mm,perfetto per polsi eleganti,e perfettamente indossabile. Il movimento e' un Valjoux 72 a carica manuale,smistamento della cronografia mediante ruota a colonna.

Vic Elford dopo 3 giri..

2011-11-22T03:04:00.001+01:00

..della targa Florio in Sicilia oltre 40 anni fa. Un giro era lungo circa 72km e le mani dei piloti alla fine erano piene di vesciche e piaghe sanguinanti. Vic Elford.Un mito vero.

Dal catalogo Heuer Japan 1972,Autavia 1163T ''Siffert''.

2011-11-21T01:08:00.001+01:00

Un quintetto da sogno per ogni appassionato del marchio Heuer. Al centro un Carrera in oro 18k,con bracciale originale a maglia ''milanese''. Un bel GMT,(in basso a destra)un Carrera in acciaio,(alto a sinistra)tutti sinceramente molto belli. Ma la mia curiosita' e' andata a posarsi su di un dettaglio.. La pagina in foto rivela un modello 1163T chiamato ''Siffert''(in alto a destra)dal costo identico al mitico modello 1133B ''Monaco''(in basso a sinistra). Un'ulteriore prova della qualita'del modello Autavia ultima generazione,percepibile dai dettagli e chiaramente dal costo. E'veramente uno splendido cronografo,e tutte le volte che lo vedo mi batte il cuore. Trovo fantastica e geniale l'idea dei designers di accostare il bianco avorio del quadrante,con le lancette ed indici azzurri,ma di un azzurro che piu'bello non si puo'. Strepitoso,sia in foto,sia al polso. Complimenti a chi lo ha pensato,e realizzato!

Jo Siffert 1000km Monza 1969.

2011-11-21T00:07:00.001+01:00

White passion!!!!!

2011-11-18T12:59:00.001+01:00

Il cinturino ''TROPIC''e' una miscela di gomma particolare,molto resistente,creato per uso sportivo prevalentemente per sport acquatici. E' un cintutino originale degli anni 60 e 70,oggi molto difficile da reperire. Alcuni esemplari nuovi dell'epoca si trovano ancora su Ebay,ma a prezzi molto elevati. Il grande Jim Clark amava indossare il suo cronografo in corsa proprio con un cinturino TROPIC rigorosamente bianco.A lui mi sono ispirato. Oggi presento una fantastica coppia: AUTAVIA HEUER ref.2446c e AUTAVIA ref.2446M chiamato anche ''Jochen Rindt''. Entrambi con il cinturino TROPIC bianco,originale dell'epoca! Super cool!!!!!!!

Monza curva ''parabolica''.

2011-11-17T12:41:00.001+01:00

La curva parabolica di Monza e' per me un punto speciale del circuito. Ho ricercato alcune foto d'epoca molto evocative. Iniziamo con la foto che piu' mi sta a cuore:Jochen Rindt pochi istanti prima di morire,il 4 settembre 1970 durante le qualifiche del sabato.Seguono Siffert nel 1969,Amon nel 1968,Clark nel 1966,Brambilla nel 1969.

Monza 1969.Sally Courage and Bruce McLaren.

2011-11-17T02:42:00.001+01:00

Foto del giorno:Clay Regazzoni e Mauro Forghieri..

2011-11-14T19:09:00.001+01:00

..negli anni 70 con al polso un Heuer Carrera in oro 18 carati. La Heuer donava questo gioiello ai piloti che indossavano sulla tuta il loro logo,ed essendo partner tecnico Ferrari Corse, ne donava uno anche alle personalita' di spicco del team.Come,appunto,Mauro Forghieri. La foto e' comunque molto bella e ci riporta ad un clima veramente da nostalgia. Good old times....

Roamer Stingray 1970 and Björn Waldegård.

2011-11-14T13:04:00.001+01:00

Oggi presento un cronografo del 1970,portato alla notorieta' dal Campione Svedese di Rally Björn Waldegård. Bjorn vinse con la Porsche 911 il Rally di Monte Carlo 1969,e la Roamer lo scelse per il lancio dello Stingray. L'estetica del cronografo si annuncio'decisamente particolare,tipica degli anni 70,ma il cuore meccanico era un pregiato e tradizionale Valjoux 72(nella configurazione 726). L'esemplare fotografato presenta il bracciale originale,ed in eccellente stato di conservazione. E' un crono particolare,che merita un posto di riguardo in ogni collezione di orologi dedicati al mondo dei motori.

Foto del giorno:Jim Clark Monza 1966

2011-11-13T05:04:00.001+01:00

Cronografo del giorno:Heuer Autavia 1163T

2011-11-10T13:19:00.001+01:00

Splendido cronografo automatico,uno dei piu'bei crono di tutti i tempi. Stupendo al polso,stepitoso anche solo come oggetto da guardare. Un capolavoro assoluto tra gli orologi ispirati al mondo dei motori.

Heuer Autavia 2446 M ''Jochen Rindt''.

2011-11-08T03:10:00.000+01:00

Oggi presentiamo un cronografo veramente d'eccezione:Autavia 2446M anni 60,chiamato anche ''Jochen Rindt''in quanto identico al modello indossato dal Campione di Formula 1. Il modello ''Rindt''si riconosce all'istante per via della lunetta ''minutes''(M). Rindt fu l'unico pilota ad usare la lunetta''minuti''e quindi si e' deciso di intitolarlo al grande Campione scomparso tragicamente a Monza nel settembre 1970.E'anche una''scusa''per ricordarlo,gli appassionati spesso tradiscono un'animo..romantico. Il cronografo e' meraviglioso,perfetto nelle proporzioni,e tecnicamente di alto livello:cassa a vite,calibro Valjoux 72 con ruota a colonna. Un oggetto dotato di forza e bellezza eterna,per collezionisti esigentissimi.

Universal Geneve Compax

2011-02-27T19:57:00.005+01:00

Vi presento un'altro cronografo dedicato al mondo dei motori:il compax di Universal.
E'un cronografo meraviglioso,di 36 mm di diametro con tasti a pompa e fondello a vite.
Raro bracciale in acciaio originale Gay Freres marchiato 1966.

Rolex Submariner 5513

2010-03-14T18:01:00.007+01:00

A volte ritornano.

Acquistai questo orologio nel lontano Dicembre anno 2005.

Lo acquistai dal primo proprietario,in provincia di Torino.Di quell'episodio ricordo sopratutto la nebbia.Una nebbia talmente fitta che non si vedeva due metri piu'avanti dal parabrezza.

Ma il vero problema era la riunione aziendale delle ore 21,30.Come fare per rientrare in orario da Torino a Milano con il nebbione?

Partii alle ore 18 da Milano,130 km/h fino a Torino..ricordo che in strada c'ero solo io..uno scenario surreale.

Arrivai alla riunione con piu'di un'ora di ritardo,stanco,stremato dal viggio pesantissimo..ma con il mio primo vetro cupolone al polso.

Questo submariner mi ha sempre fatto battere il cuore,fino al giorno che lo misi in vendita.Aveva tutti i numeri per piacermi..vetro cupolone,un quadrante 10/10 a pallettoni,un meraviglioso bracciale a ribattini.Insomma,tutto.

Rimase con me circa 3 anni.Lo portai dappertutto,in vari luoghi marittimi per le vacanze,immersioni,Terme Slovene.....e tanti piccoli ricordi quotidiani.

Ma la sete di aumentare il prestigio della collezione,mi indusse a venderlo.In seguito vendetti anche tutti gli altri Rolex e mi dedicai ad altro.La Rolex non esercitava piu'su di me quel fascino di una volta.Troppi orologi.Un po'di nausea..capita.

Una settimana fa,l'ultimo proprietario ha bussato alla mia porta.Mi ha proposto l'acquisto del mio ex 5513.Di primo acchito non ho esitato a rispondere un ''no,grazie.''.Da piu'di un anno non possiedo un orologio marca Rolex,ne ho avuti davvero molti nella mia vita.Da piu'di un anno non seguo Rolex in nessun modo,internet,riviste,nulla.

Poi,complice la mia fidanzata,ci ho ripensato.Per motivi meramente sentimentali,il submariner del 1967-68 acquistato 5 anni fa e'tornato a casa.Anzi,e'entrato da solo in casa,tramite le mani dell'ultimo proprietario.

E stavolta non esce piu'.Era veramente destino.

A volte ritornano.Poteva ritornare solo questo.

Bentornato.

Una cassa senza nemmeno un puntino di ''cancro dell'acciaio''e'sinceramente un'evento..

Il fondello.Perfetto.

Ovviamente al bracciale 7206 rivettato sono accoppiati i finali 80.

Un profilo davvero accattivante..

Grazie a tutti per aver letto il mio post.

Heuer autavia 45 vs. Rolex submariner 5513

2010-03-09T16:03:00.003+01:00

Apparentemente non paragonabili,questi orologi ai miei occhi hanno diverse similitudini.

Innanzitutto il periodo storico.Entrambi,infatti,sono della fine degli anni 60.

Entrambi con vetro a ''cupola'',molto bombato,

entrambi con cassa a vite,

entrambi simili come diametro,e con cassa rotonda classica,

entrambi con quadrante nero opaco,

entrambi subaquei(200 metri per il sub,100 per il crono)

entrambi molto belli ed affascinanti.

Un altra grande occasione per ammirare la bellezza dell'autavia 45,in contrapposizione al piu'conosciuto orologio al mondo.

Ed un'altra occasione per rimarcare che ad un Heuer anni 60 non manca davvero nulla per ambire ad un posto d'onore tra i grandi classici.

A voi.

Apparently not comparable, these watches to my eyes have many similarities.

First, the historical period.Both, in fact,from the late 60s.

Both with domed plastic glass,

both with screw back,

both similar as diameter, and with classic round case,

both with matte black dial,

Both divers (200 meters for the sub, 100 for the chrono)

both very beautiful and fascinating.

Another great opportunity to admire the beauty of autavia 45,opposed to the most known watch in the world.

And another opportunity to point out that an Heuer from the 60's not really missing anything to aspire to a place of honor among the great classics.

Omega Speedmaster 145.012-67 calibre 321

2010-03-07T15:59:00.011+01:00

L'omega Speedmaster con calibro 321 e'un cronografo leggendario.

Il suo fascino ha superato tutte le prove del tempo.I motivi di questa incredibile longevita'sono da attribuire a vari fattori,tra cui l'eccellenza tecnica e l'armoniosita'delle linee.

Sin dall'inizio della mia avventura collezionistica,tra i desideri brucianti c'e'sempre stato posto per un calibro 321.

Non ho preferenze tra le varie versioni prodotte tra il 1957 ed il 1968.La cosa importante e'il movimento.Un calibro 321 arricchisce una collezione di cronografi,e rimane una insostituibile icona di un mondo lontano e di grande qualita' tecnica.

L'unico difetto,se proprio vogliamo dirla tutta,e'rappresentato dalla produzione attuale degli Omega Speedmaster,cosi'simili ai predecessori e cosi'numerosi.Questo numero cosi'elevato di esemplari in circolazione,tra epoca e moderno,''svilisce''un po'l'importanza ed il prestigio di questo fantastico pezzo.Pensatelo fuori produzione dal 1968,o giu'di li'..avrebbe raggiunto quotazioni da capogiro.Ma io non sono un ''collezionista''che acquista per rivalutazioni ma adoro indossare i miei oggetti quotidianamente.Per me,e'il massimo,e va bene cosi'.

E quando si apre il fondello..beh,e'tutta un'altra musica rispetto al pur valido calibro 861.La temperatura sale......

L'orologio e'nato,come si puo'facilmente intuire dalla scala tachimetrica sulla lunetta,per piloti ed appassionati del settore automobilistico ''racing''.

Il simbolo della collezione inciso sul fondello..

L'interno del fondello.

Silvana vintage chronograph from 1970 calibre Valjoux 7733

2010-02-25T12:45:00.012+01:00

Silvana vintage chronograph from 70's,never worn old stock.Manual wind powered by calibre Valjoux 7733,all stainless steel case and back.

Cheap but very nice and interesting watch.

Purchased in Lima,Peru'.This watch is like new,original strap,buckle and glass.

The strap is a very very very rare tropic original.Rubber made,comes with the watch.

John Morton Heuer Carrera 45 dato.

2010-02-24T09:58:00.004+01:00

John's interest in racing was probably first sparked as a child by attending local dirt track races with his dad at the Waukegan Speedway in his Illinois hometown. In 1949 his father took the family to the Milwaukee Fairgrounds to see the AAA race. The mile track was dirt then; that race today would be called an Indy car race. Myron Fehr in the Marchese Special won the race.

A neighbor across the street from John got an MGTF followed by an XK140 Jaguar, an Austin Healey, and later a Porsche. That exposure followed by a trip to the Road America 500 in 1957 with his family convinced John that this is what he would do.

In college in South Carolina, John bought a 1940 Ford 2 door sedan for $43 and began his racing career on the dirt tracks near Clemson. Two years of higher education was all John could stand so he traveled to California to attend Carroll Shelby's School of High Performance Driving. This was a five-day course in which John fared better than he had at Clemson; Peter Brock was the instructor.

John was given a job at Shelby American, the Cobra Factory, not because he was fast, but they just needed a few warm bodies to clean up, chase parts, etc. While working at Shelby American, he purchased a Lotus Super 7 to begin racing when he was old enough, twenty-one at that time. After a season of club racing in the 7, it was replaced with a Lotus 23B. He ran a few races on the Cobra team during this period, 1964, as well as having his 23 entered by Shelby American in some races.

John stagnated mostly in SCCA Club races through 1968 until Peter Brock gave him a big break on his new BRE Datsun team. The period between 1969 and 1972 were fruitful for John, Peter and Datsun. The team disbanded after the 1972 season after dominating both SCCA C Production with the 240Z and Trans-Am with the 510.

A few seasons in F5000, Can-Am and various IMSA races occupied the next few years. A short almost accidental foray into the movie industry in 1975 led to stunt work on a couple of feature films and several TV shows. In 1981 Phil Conte joined John's small Can-Am team as a sponsor for two years after which Phil formed his own IMSA team with John as one of his two drivers in the GTP category.

In 1985 Jim Busby hired John as team driver in one of his BFG sponsored 962 Porsches with Pete Halsmer. The pair won the Times GP at Riverside in 1985. In 1987 John drove for the Group 44 Jaguar team of Bob Tullius and won the last Times GP at Riverside and the West Palm Beach GP, both sharing the car with Hurley Haywood. The Walkinshaw team replaced Tullius' Jaguar team for 1988 and the Electramotive Nissan Team signed Morton. John and Geoff Brabham won several races that year setting the stage for Nissan's domination of the IMSA series for several years, finally being dethroned by Dan Gurney's Toyotas and finally succumbing to mismanagement and over spending.

Other notable Nissan races for John during 1989-95 include an overall victory at Sebring and several class wins, including Le Mans in 1994, one of nine times he has competed at Le Mans. Several races in various other classes and categories include Sprint cars, Indy cars, and Karts. In his most recent professional races, 1997-2001, John raced Porsches in both the Grand American series and ALMS.

Currently most of John's competition is in vintage races driving a variety of cars, which include Cobra Coupes, Corvettes, Porsches, a Lotus 23 (that same one) and a Sunbeam Tiger.

The beautiful watch..It's a 45 Dato that was presented to driver John Morton for winning the United States National Championship in 1970 in the Datsun 240Z. John Morton is being inducted into the Sebring Hall of Fame in 2 weeks. He has calss wins at Daytona (driving a Ferrari Daytona), 3 overall wins at Sebring, a class win at LeMans, 2 SCCA National Championships and 2 Trans Am championships.

The original letter..

Very special thanks to Bradley,the current owner of this beauty. :-)

Further infos:

http://johnmortonracing.com/

Jo Siffert and Pedro Rodriguez

2010-02-15T03:25:00.000+01:00

Awesome photo of two aces.

Le Mans 70

2010-02-15T02:44:00.005+01:00

Jim Clark,the Legend.

2010-02-12T22:54:00.006+01:00

Sunday April 7th, 1968.

It was an April day like any other April day. Dull, overcast with intermittent showers. In England the motor racing fraternity's attention was focused on the BOAC 500 at Brands Hatch. A six hour race for Sports cars. The grid was filled with Porches, GT40's, Lola-Chevrolets and Ferraris. Much interest surrounded the debut of Ford's successor to their GT40, the new Alan Mann Ford V-8 F3L.

At Hockenheim in Germany there was a minor Formula 2 race taking place, the Deutschland Trophy. It was the second round of the European Formula 2 Championship. In those days Formula One drivers competed in races almost every weekend. At Brands Hatch Denny Hulme and Bruce McLaren shared the new Ford; in Germany the works Lotus cars were driven by Graham Hill and Jim Clark.

The Deutschland Trophy was to be run in two heats. The track was still wet from heavy overnight rain, although it was only drizzling by the start of the first heat. Jim Clark had not gone well in practice and he lined up on the grid in 7th position. As he passed the pits to start his 5th lap, he was in 8th place and clearly in some trouble with his car. Jim Clark never completed that lap. As he drove round a slight right hand curve at over 140 MPH the car was seen to twitch, then to leave the circuit diagonally and to slam sideways into some trees.

Jim Clark was killed instantly.

A lot died with Jim Clark's death. It signalled the beginning of the end of the "amateur" era in F1. Although many more drivers would die for want of even elementary safety measures, both in terms of car construction and track design, so shaken were the drivers that under the leadership of Clark's great friend and rival Jackie Stewart, the push for change started. Run off areas, guard rails and gravel traps would greet the over-the-limit driver. Not trees, ditches and earth banks.

Jim Clark, the son of a Scottish farmer, made his competition debut in June 1956 driving his own Sunbeam Mk 3 in a local sprint event. He won. Over the next 12 years he would dominate world motor racing like no one before or since. Two World Championships, twenty five Grand Prix victories, thirty three pole positions, winner of the 1965 Indianapolis 500, three times Tasman Champion. When you dig deeper and realize that two more World Championships slipped away in '62 and '64 through engine related failures at the final race, a clearer picture of his dominance emerges.

Statistics alone, though, can never tell the full story, just as drivers from different eras cannot and should not be compared. A driver can only be judged against the other drivers he drove against. Clearly Clark totally dominated his era and set the standards by which others were judged. Sure he had challengers, Graham Hill and Dan Gurney throughout most of his F1 career, Jochen Rindt in F2 was a fierce competitor. Jackie Stewart was emerging as his main rival in F1. Interestingly it was Jim Clark's father, who at his son's funeral took Dan Gurney aside and told him that he (Gurney) was the only driver Jim had ever feared on the race tracks of the world.

Indeed it was Dan Gurney that pushed Colin Chapman, the legendary founder of the Lotus company - for whom Clark drove almost exclusively throughout his career, to build a series of special cars to compete in the Indianapolis 500. In many ways it was Jim Clark's performances in oval track racing, a discipline in which he had no previous experience, that underlined just what a natural talent he possessed. In the early '60s Indy was dominated by front engined roadsters, powered by the Offenhauser engine that had been around since before the second world war!

Clearly the Americans were unimpressed by the arrival of these Europeans with their rear engined cars so obviously intent upon winning their race and making off with the considerable prize fund on offer. Lotus could win more money in this one race than the entire Grand Prix season. For Colin Chapman it was both good business and a technical challenge.

For Jim Clark American racing was a dilemma. He hated the "over the top" publicity and all the hype that surrounded the Indy 500, but as always it came down to the fact that it was a race and he was a racing driver. It challenged him and he was hooked.

His record at Indy was impressive. He won in '65, came second in '63 and '66. In '64 tire failure caused his retirement whilst leading. If his record was outstanding, his driving was sublime - he just made it look so easy. He could even spin and keep the car off the wall, not an easy thing to do now or then.

Many watching racing in the sixties have a special Jim Clark memory. Brands Hatch in early 1965, the Race of Champions, one of the many pre-season F1 races run at that time. Clark was leading in his Lotus but being pressed hard by Dan Gurney in his Brabham. As they entered bottom bend Clark drifted too far out on the exit and his two outside wheels were on the grass. Unable to either regain the track or slow down, the car clipped a marshal's post and was destroyed. For an instant the sight of the broken Lotus was frozen in time until there was movement in the cockpit and Clark jumped out unhurt. The crowd, all too used to motor racing tragedies in the sixties, instinctively applauded to release the tension.

The race soon ended and the Lotus team sent a truck to collect the remains of Clark's Lotus 33. The mechanics loaded the car and the person assisting them was none other than Jim Clark, O.B.E. World Champion racing driver, so soon to sweep all before him in the year ahead. No wonder a generation of mechanics at Lotus liked and admired him so much.

Just how much, was demonstrated to me nearly thirty years after Clark's death. It is another race paddock in another continent. During a lull in activity I struck up a conversation with a team member whose accent betrayed his English origins. He worked for Lotus in the sixties and so inevitably the conversation turned to Jim Clark. For a few moments the memories flowed before suddenly his eyes misted over and he turned away.

It is a familiar reaction. For some the memories are just too painful. Perhaps also it is the realization that more than just a driver died at Hockenheim all those years ago. Racing of that era extracted a terrible price in terms of motor racing deaths, but racing was still a sport, not a commercial endeavor. Jim Clark's 25th and last Grand Prix victory was the last to be won by Lotus in their national colors. The commercial era had arrived.

Jim Clark was killed whilst at the peak of his powers. The victim of a mechanical failure that was beyond even his remarkable skill to overcome. In the end it wasn't his skill that deserted him, it was his luck.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Roger Horton

Heuer,Derek Bell and Steve McQueen

2010-02-06T12:57:00.002+01:00

Racing pro Derek Bell and friend Steve McQueen on the set of Le Mans in 1971. By Michael Keyser.

It’s a Le Mans World
A legendary Hollywood daredevil, a fleet of Porsches, a band of young racing aces—what could possibly go wrong? Making Le Mans with Steve McQueen was adrenaline-fuelled fun and games, says champion driver Derek Bell.
By Derek Bell
U.K. EXCLUSIVE October 2, 2009

From a driver’s perspective, the three most prestigious motor-sport events of the racing year are the Monaco Formula One Grand Prix, the Indianapolis 500 and the Le Mans 24-hour race. Le Mans is a race with an astonishing history, starting with the birth of sports-car racing back in the 1920s, on dirt roads outside the city, with a ride-on mechanic to assist when the car broke down. Those men were my heroes, and the trials and tribulations they faced make us modern-day drivers seem like pussycats. Not surprisingly, they were known to stop, take a drink and then carry on in the most diabolical conditions. That era also introduced us to the charismatic “Bentley Boys” and the amazing races they won. So Le Mans has a legacy and a lineage that was interrupted by a couple of world wars which saw racing stop across Europe, only to revive itself shortly afterwards.

With such rich material to draw on, it was no surprise when Steve McQueen’s film company Solar Productions decided to make a movie about Le Mans in the early 1970s. The one problem was how to tell an interesting story about a race that lasts for 24 hours. In the real world there are few romances or subplots (or at least none that we would want made public). The race is all there is, with many stories about brave men and their machines, but that’s about it. To no one’s great surprise, several scriptwriters came and went and not much of a script ever appeared.

However, let’s not overlook Steve McQueen’s ability as a driver. I believe he and Paul Newman could have been very respectable professional racers had they begun racing careers earlier. Steve had finished in second place at the classic Sebring 12 Hours earlier in 1970 (with a damaged foot), driving with Peter Revson, one of the great drivers of that era. So he was well equipped to drive at Le Mans—though naturally his financiers and insurers were none too happy with him participating at La Sarthe, so he had to be content with being the star of the movie instead. But it wasn’t long before he was seen thundering through sections of the track in a Porsche 917.

It was apparent he would have happily been a race driver. He enjoyed mixing with us on our “driver” level and I think the fact that I had no ambition to be an actor relaxed him considerably. He was evidently used to avoiding aspiring actors who would try to upstage him, whereas we were very relaxed about the whole thing and he was in our world. We developed a strong friendship during the shoot that resulted in our two families taking a small château together for the last few weeks of filming.

Steve’s passion for speed was obvious: he wanted to drive flat-out all the time and the filming was almost a secondary reason for being there. Which is probably why we all got on so well and us pros were completely comfortable having him driving with us at 200 miles an hour.

To create authenticity, during the race that year a racing Porsche carried cameras and participated in the competiton with professional drivers. Some 22 hours of footage were collected, much of which was used in the final cut.

Steve McQueen takes a seat in Derek Bell’s Formula Two car. From AFP/Getty Images.

I remember a run through the White House corners. I was leading in a Ferrari 512S, Steve behind in his Porsche 917 and Jo Siffert in a second 917. We arrived at the corner at about 180, backed off to 140 and flicked through the esses on full throttle. Steve was close behind me and Jo was virtually pushing Steve through the corners. When we arrived at the Ford chicane, slowed and stopped by director John Sturges, we climbed out of our cars—whereupon Steve, who was as white as a sheet, said he had never been so frightened in his life and that payback would come one day! This little escapade proved to me the extent of his skills and bravery.

Fast-forward to one Sunday when there was no filming. Steve and I took a couple of motocross bikes and rode off into the sand dunes. He was popping wheelies all the way but I was more sedate, being fresh to bikes. We arrived at a small hill and he rode on his back wheel to the top, disappeared for a few moments, came back into view and shouted for me to let it rip up the slope. Which of course I did, but as I arrived at the top the ground disappeared and I dropped into a garbage tip, somehow stayed on the bike and, amid hoots of Steve’s laughter, realised I had been paid back in full.

I had driven in my first Le Mans that year in a factory Ferrari, so to be invited to work on the movie and get paid was almost too good to be true. Many of us working on the movie were active race drivers, so we would often leave for races elsewhere in Europe, but there were occasions when we had no commitments, which led to some memorable experiences with Steve. I will never forget the time we “borrowed” the several 911 Porsches loaned to Solar and laid out an off-road course. We raced around Solar Village, as we called it, in four-wheel drifts past the production buildings and through the mess tent—absolutely crazy, but what else would you expect from a group of young racing drivers and Steve McQueen? Monday morning was less amusing, as Solar Village resembled a rally stage rather than a film set, and the bosses were not overjoyed.

On a horological note, it is interesting that the Le Mans movie made a feature of its stars wearing Heuer watches, thanks to Jo Siffert’s association with Jack Heuer. The brand is now synonymous with Steve McQueen, but I have always found it odd that the famous McQueen watch is named the Monaco. As it happens, Steve gave me a Heuer watch that I wore for many years—not a Monaco, however. I noted with interest that one of Steve’s watches recently sold at auction for $234,000—not a Monaco either, and in fact not even a Heuer watch but a Rolex.

Another watch brand, Breitling, has been a major partner in the resurgence of Bentley at Le Mans (with a stunning victory in 2003), once more highlighting the watch industry’s interest in motor sport. Funnily enough, when I won Le Mans in 1987—driving a Porsche, wearing a Breitling—I was given a Ferrari watch!

Le Mans is a gruelling endurance race, testing man and machine to extremes. Right up until 1983 each car had only two drivers; one would relax while the other drove his two-hour or, in the night when it was cooler, three-hour stint (you could not drive more than four hours straight). After that, new technology meant that the cars had increased cornering and braking capabilities and became way more physical, at which point three drivers became the norm.

Perhaps because I enjoyed success in both generations, I am in a position to say that with just one co-driver the pair had a very special relationship, whereas with two, interestingly, there was never quite the same bonding and camaraderie.

http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/features/2009/10/uk-steve-mcqueen-200910

Heuer Autavia 45

2010-02-04T13:02:00.018+01:00

Gorgeous chronograph from 60's,hand wind calibre valjoux 92.

The glass is domed,the dial is very simple and clear.Rare double swiss at six o'clock,a perfect watch for drivers and collectors.

L'Autavia 45 e'un magnifico esemplare realizzato negli anni 60,la cui produzione non duro'a lungo.Infatti gia'nel 1969 i modelli a carica automatica della serie ''chronomatic''decretarono la fine di questi modelli a carica manuale.

Animato dallo splendido calibro cronografico Valjoux 92,dotato del pregevole smistamento a ruota a colonna,si dimostra precisissimo anche grazie al bilancere di generose dimensioni.

Quadrante molto semplice,pulito e ben leggibile,dotato di un interessante contaminuti(45 anziche'i normali 30),indici applicati metallici,con trizio periferico,lancette a bastone cromate.Stupendo vetro bombato,un vero vintage come si comanda.

Orologio molto apprezzato dai piloti di Rally,specie per la lunetta dedicata a questo tipo di gare.

Cassa del migliore acciaio inossidabile(e'difficile trovare un Heuer anni 60 con ''cancro dell'acciaio'')ed importante dettaglio:il fondello a vite.

Performances al top per l'epoca,grazie alla resistenza sott'acqua pari a 330 piedi.

Grandissimo cronografo,sobrio,mai pacchiano o vistoso,al polso ci rimane a lungo senza mai stancare.

Un vero gioiello.