1976 Heuer Monza 150.501

The Heuer Monza Ref. 150.501 is one of the most charismatic racing chronographs of the 1970s. It is famous for being Heuer’s first black-coated watch.

A Tribute to Ferrari’s Golden Era:  Niki Lauda and Scuderia Ferrari clinched the F1 World Championship at the Monza Grand Prix in September 1975. To celebrate that specific victory, Jack Heuer designed and officially launched the Monza (Ref. 150.501) the following year in 1976.

The Monza pairs a stealthy PVD-coated case with high-contrast racing red accents and a dual pulsometer/tachymeter inner bezel. It remains one of the most distinctive and soul-stirring chronographs of Heuer’s golden era of racing.  Its matte black dial is punctuated by vibrant Ferrari-red accents on the hands and the 30-minute sub-dial. This model is particularly sought after by collectors due to it short production run and F1 pedigree.

Inside beats the Calibre 15, a unique evolution of the legendary Calibre 11. It is instantly recognizable by the offset small-seconds sub-dial at 10 o'clock, which gives the Monza its iconic, asymmetrical racing personality.

Condition:

Overall this example is in excellent vintage condition.  Unlike many examples in the market, the PVD coating is uniformly intact aside from a tiny bit of loss near 7pm at the case edge.  The engraving on the caseback is strong and clear. The dial and hands are in mint condition; the tritium lume is intact and has aged to lovely honey brown tone. The red highlights on the dial & hands are particularly vibrant.   The original plexi as a small sratch above the right subdial.

The movement was serviced in the last 2 years and is in excellent working order for its age. On the timegrapher it is runing -11 sec/day with amplitude of 302. 

Specifications:

Dimensions: 39mm diameter; 14mm thickness

Material: Chrome plated brass, PVD coating.

Crystal: Plexi-glass

Caliber: Automatic Cal 15. 

Bracelet/Strap: premium calf-leather "rally" strap with Heuer buckle.

Lug Width: 20mm