{"id":273796,"date":"2025-06-05T00:30:47","date_gmt":"2025-06-05T00:30:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/uncategorized\/heuer-camaro-ref-73343-valjoux-cal-7733\/"},"modified":"2025-06-05T00:30:47","modified_gmt":"2025-06-05T00:30:47","slug":"heuer-camaro-ref-73343-valjoux-cal-7733","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=273796","title":{"rendered":"Heuer Camaro Ref: 73343 (Valjoux Cal. 7733)…"},"content":{"rendered":"


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To say this poor Heuer Camaro needed some help would be an understatement.<\/p>\n

(Click pictures to enlarge)<\/span><\/p>\n

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Having written about a Heuer Camaro on the blog in the past where I covered the history of the model and the various iterations, rather than repeat myself, I\u2019ll provide a link to that post here<\/a> and get right into the action.<\/p>\n

Although these watches are now very collectable, there was a time not all that long ago, when they were \u2018just watches\u2019 and were used to the point of destruction, as was obviously the case here. As you can see above, the watch was filthy, the crystal cracked and both pusher caps were missing.<\/p>\n

The watch did tick, albeit weakly and inspecting the oils under the microscope revealed nothing but dust, so I presume the previous owner wore the watch until it finally stopped and then into a drawer it went.<\/p>\n

Inside the watch is a Valjoux cal. 7733, dating this watch squarely in the 1970\u2019s as early Camaro models were fitted with either a Valjoux cal. 72, or 92. Given the poor cosmetic condition of the case, the movement was surprisingly good, a broken minute jumper spring being the only problem I could see.<\/p>\n

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Looking closer at the case, the watch still had its original Heuer branded crown, which was good, but the back of the pusher bodies were worn completely smooth, suggesting that the watch must have been worn for quite some time (possibly years?) without any pusher heads, contact with the skin eventually wearing the rear half of the pusher bodies away.<\/p>\n

Given that, it\u2019s amazing that the movement wasn\u2019t in worse condition, as there would have been no water resistance at all.<\/p>\n

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Out of the case, the dial and hands were also surprisingly good, the lume in the hands being the only obvious casualty of moisture ingress.<\/p>\n

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When it comes to dealing with pushers, my tool of choice is a Horotec multi-tool, the MSA 03.622, used specifically for removing pusher bodies and pendant tubes. The tool consists of an aluminium body and a range of attachments in differing sizes, each one splined on the inside.<\/p>\n

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However, even the right tool proved ineffective this time, as the splines on the pusher bodies were so worn that the tool couldn\u2019t get enough purchase on either body to get them out\u2026 Great!<\/p>\n

Having encountered this problem before, I\u2019ve carefully filed a slot into the top of the pusher bodies and extracted them with a large screwdriver. This method worked for one pusher in this case, but not for the second. There wasn\u2019t even enough metal left for that and the body simply collapsed, leaving a mangled mess\u2026 Perfect!<\/p>\n

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Out of options, I had to no choice but to drill and tap the inside of the pusher body and glue in a large screw to get it out. I have done this a few times in the past, but it\u2019s a delicate operation as there isn\u2019t much metal to play with, the risk being drilling right through the body and damaging the existing threads in the case \u2013 all last resort kind of stuff.<\/p>\n

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With the pusher problems dealt with (the owner included a pair of correct fluted pushers for this model, which was great), I could finally focus on the rest of the work.<\/p>\n

The movement was fully serviced with the broken minute jumper spring replaced, the hands relumed, the case cleaned, and a new crystal and caseback gasket fitted to finish the job.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the watch all finished up\u2026 well worth the effort, I\u2019m sure you\u2019ll agree.<\/p>\n

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Rich.<\/p>\n

** Many thanks to David Taylor for letting me feature his watch on the blog. **<\/p>\n