Heuer - Trackmaster - Ref. 8042 - 1970-1979

During the 1970s, Heuer sold many stopwatches such as the Trackmaster and Trackstar – like this beautifully preserved blue Heuer Trackmaster Ref. 8042, a mechanical stopwatch with a 15-minute scale.

The Trackmaster movements are quite accurate and reliable, with a regulation tolerance of ±1.5 seconds per hour when new. Heuer's sporty Trackmaster line represented a deviation from its “professional” stopwatches for industrial and scientific applications, which used precision anchor movements (Caliber 7700 series with a high frequency of 36,000 bph and a regulation tolerance of 0.5 seconds per hour).

Not many of Heuer’s brightly colored Trackmaster stopwatches have withstood the test of time in nice condition, and the example offered here runs and winds without issues.

Heuer launched the Trackmaster line around 1969 and sold them into the 1980s. Mechanical stopwatches from Heuer, with one notable exception, were, however, less emphasized after the early 1980s. Heuer was a pioneer in electronic LCD stopwatches and sold these aggressively, which ultimately signaled the end of mechanical stopwatches like this Trackmaster.

This Heuer Trackmaster was used for timing lap times on circuits such as Le Mans, Spa-Francorchamps, etc.

Ideal for the Heuer enthusiast, Steve McQueen, Porsche, etc.

Details

DIAL: Gorgeous, almost new-old-stock signed dial.

CASE: 65.5 mm x 74 mm plastic-coated resin case in excellent condition. White lanyard is sturdy and without frays.

GLASS: Intact crystal with a fine hairline scratch at position 25.

MOVEMENT: Hand-wound mechanical Heuer movement.

CROWN/BUTTONS: Unmarked stainless steel crown; matching reset buttons for minutes and seconds. The green-band pushbutton winds the movement and starts the timer, the red stops it, and the black returns all hands to zero."