Here we have an eye-catching example of a 1984 Heuer Professional 1000 ref 844/3. It is a 200m diver watch with the 42mm stainless steel case with the uni-directional bezel with the aluminium insert with 60-minute countdown. It has the matte black dial with Heuer 1000 signing and the luminous plots, with triangular 12 and batons at 6 and 9. The hands are of Mercedes style with lollipop luminous central second. To the right is the crown guard and screw down crown. The rear has the screw down back signed with the Heuer name and reference 844/3. It comes on the original Heuer Jubilee bracelet with divers’ extension. It will fit up to an 8” wrist circumference. Inside is the ETA 2872 automatic movement with date, signed as the Heuer calibre 4.85 with Heuer branding. It has been recently serviced and is in very good condition, keeping accurate time.
It has the instruction booklet and signed warranty booklet which dates to January 1986. It also comes with a Heuer box, which would appear earlier.
The 1000 Series of dive watches from Heuer and TAG Heuer played a critical role in the history of the company. They were developed at a time when Swiss mechanical chronographs faced industrial and economic challenges. With Heuer having little background in this category of watch, these relatively inexpensive dive watches were quickly met with enormous success.
The Heuer 844 made use of Georges Monnin’s case design, before investing in in-house manufacture of cases. It was first marketed in the 1979 Heuer catalogue. The first two variants feature the Monnin cases, with the 844-2 to the 844-5 being made in Switzerland. The 844-5 was the first to feature TAG Heuer on the dial from 1985. The 844 series was then succeeded fully by the 1000 series.
The 42mm case was much larger than the Submariner or Seamaster at the time. This would appear to be a transitional reference, dating from approximately 1984, the reference 844/3 with the “1000” signing was added below the Heuer shield.
The dial is very good and has the matte black finish. It has the white dash markers for the minutes/seconds. The hour markers are circular, with the triangular 12 marker and dashes for 6 and 9. They are a bright white, with the original luminous in-fill which glows. They have a darkened tone with the puffy texture. Below 12 is the Heuer signing with the “1000” below. Above 6 it is signed “Automatic, 200 Meters, Professional”. Either side of 6 is the “Swiss Made” marking. The date window is balanced at 3 O’clock with the white frame and bevelled edge. The wheel is white with the clear black arabic numerals. The original hands are of Mercedes style with the luminous lollipop central second. The luminous in-fill has been restored and is bright, matching the hour markers.
The bezel surrounds the dial, holding the mineral crystal. The bezel is uni-directional with the thick notched surround. The bezel insert is a modern replacement, with the scuffed original included with the watch.
The case is impressive and impactful with the 42mm diameter. It has the rounded lug design with the bevelled edges and brushed finishing to the top. The crown guard is large, providing protection for the chunky screw down crown. The screw back is signed with the Heuer logo and the reference 844/3. It is marked as water resistant to 20 ATM and Automatic. Inside it is signed with the Brevet 503305, with the Heuer-Leonidas name. It is marked with the further reference 1032.001.
The movement is a Heuer 4.85 which is an ETA 2872 base calibre. It is an automatic movement with a jewel count of 17 and a quickset date function. It has been recently serviced and is keeping time to within 10 seconds variation a day.
It comes on the original Heuer signed Jubilee bracelet, with the diver’s extension. It will fit up to an 8” wrist circumference.
It has the instruction booklet and signed warranty booklet which dates to January 1986. It was not uncommon for some pieces to take time to sell, representing a disparity between production year and eventual sale date.
It also comes with a Heuer box, which would appear earlier.
The watch is modelled on a 7” wrist circumference.
Please see the images as these compliment and aid the description provided below.
A further condition report is below.
Dial:
The dial is in very good original condition with no obvious marking. The luminous in-fill to the hour markers is good, in the lightly aged tone. It still has some ability to glow when charged.
Hands:
The hands are original and are in good condition with no obvious marking to the polished finish. The luminous has been re-done as it was darker than the hour markers. Now it matches nicely.
Glass:
The mineral crystal is original and is in excellent condition with no marks.
Crown:
The crown is in good condition, screwing down as it should. It has light marking associated with age.
Bezel:
The bezel is steel with the notched surround. There is some scuffing to the edge of one section (visible in the separate image). It also has some dints to the inside of the track inline with the outer scuffing. The bezel insert is a replacement which is in perfect condition.
Case:
The case is Stainless Steel and has the original lightly brushed finish to the tops of the case, with polished sides. It has scratching associated with light wear, noticeable to the sides.
Caseback:
The case back is Stainless Steel and is in good condition with clear engraving and logo. It has light surface scratching associated with ageing, with no deep marks from poor opening.
Bracelet:
The watch is on its original Heuer Jubilee bracelet with divers’ extension. It will fit up to an 8-inch wrist circumference. It is in good condition with only light marking associated with age. It has been lightly polished in the past.
Movement:
The Heuer 4.85 is an ETA 2872 base movement. It is a 17-jewel automatic movement with a quickset date function.
It has been recently serviced by our watchmaker. It is keeping time to within +10 seconds variation a day, with an amplitude of 300 degrees and a 0.2m/s beat error.
Case Dimensions:
Case width: 42mm
Case width with crown guard: 44.75mm
Case width with crown: 45.4mm
Case length: 39.5mm
Case length lug to lug: 46.6mm
Case Depth: 12.75mm
Lug width: 20mm