6. HEUER
vintage heuer bumperwind from c1953. Absolutely superb vintage heuer watch from 1953. The case and crystal are completely as new and unmarked. All is completely original and the watch is fitted with a new tan leather strap in keeping with the style of the watch. The champagne dial is pristine, the hands and numerals are in superb shape. The dial is signed Heuer automatic. The movement is signed E D Heuer & Co Swiss, seventeen (17) jewels, calibre 123. Superb clean unmarked movement.
The screw on stainless steel case back is signed on the inside, Heuer, E D Heuer & Co Swiss. BREV DEM. With its fifties styling and drum shaped winding crown, this watch really looks the part.
The movement is completely original and in lovely condition. It has exposed buffer springs on the bumper wind, they are in place and in excellent condition. When you pick the watch up the movement starts to run. Lovely bumper wind movement in this watch.
I don't think I have seen a nicer 50 years old watch.
Bumper wind movements are early automatics. In today's automatics you have a what is called a full rotor automatic. This means that the rotor can swing around the whole movement to wind the mainspring. The bumper wind concept came from John Harwood in the 1920's. The rotor in a bumper wind swings about 120/130 degrees.
Watchmakers had to evenly place weights on the bottom part of the rotor, and the rotor would swing against buffer springs.
The term bumper comes from the bump you feel when the rotor bumps against the winding bridge from one side to the other.
Over the years this has caused excessive wear on the parts, so good quality, original bumper movements, are becoming harder to find.
