ABOUT THIS WATCH

One of the most iconic and recognizable military chronographs ever made, the Heuer 1550SG was designed for pilots in the Bundeswehr which was created in 1955 as the united armed forces of Germany in defense of West Germany and considered the backbone of NATO’s defense in central Europe during the Cold War. While originally intended as a pilot’s watch featuring a flyback function allowing the user to reset the chronograph hand while still running, its utility found its way to other branches of the military as well and proved to be a versatile, useful and solidly constructed tool watch. As it was produced for 35 years until the reunification of Germany in 1990, there are several different dial variations of this watch probably due to different factories producing them throughout its existence. These variations are what make learning about the 1550SG intriguing for watch collectors, but can also be very daunting especially if one is looking for a truly original piece.

This is also why in comparison to other military chronographs the Heuer 1550SG is a relative bargain for what you get. In general this is not really a rare watch by any means, with plenty of these watches floating in the market with New Old Stock parts as well as many civilian versions. But never underestimate the watch collecting community’s ability to nitpick and extract the tiniest of details to determine which features are the rarest and most desirable of any watch. I won’t go into a whole tedious explanation about the different variations of this model, since many detailed articles on this subject have already been written including a fine one from Deployant here, who I’m basically paraphrasing like one of my high school essays, but I will say that any of these with a military engraving and 3H logo (3H stands for Hydrogen 3 aka Tritium) are generally the most coveted of all. Furthermore, within the 4 different variations of the 3H logos this one with the smaller 3H logo and smaller Heuer logo with microscopic T over the 6 marker is the most desirable among collectors.

Going back to being a relative bargain though, I can’t think of many watches, or chronographs for that matter, with this combination of good looks, functionality, quality, collectibility & historical significance in this price range except for the Omega Speedmaster. And considering the fantastic original condition this watch is in, I’m actually on the low end of the price range compared to anything similar currently for sale. The thing I enjoy most about this watch though is that despite being a collectors item it’s still a great everyday beater and is begging to be worn and not babied. So buy it, wear it, and imagine yourself piloting a fighter jet (while actually driving your minivan) and defending democracy against the Soviets.

WATCH SPECS

Maker: Heuer
Model: Bundeswehr
Reference: 1550sg
Year: 1970
Material: Stainless Steel
Dimensions: 42mm diameter; 13mm thickness with crystal
Crystal: Plexiglass
Lume: Tritium
Caliber: Valjoux 230 Flyback
Bracelet/Strap: Tan leather strap by JPM
Lug Width: 20mm
Box/Papers: N/A