The bracelet question – which fits best on your Heuer Skipper and was delivered with?

On the Skipper Grid you can find the bracelet and straps that were the choice on the sale in the 1970´s: steel bracelets, Corfam leather straps or in the end of the 70´s Swiss Tropic rubber straps in blue or black.

Heuer Skipper 7754

That one comes usually on a GF beads of rice with double grains for Carrera 2447 with HEL endings (18mm) or Corfam strap as well.

Skipperera with black Corfam in the TAGHeuer Museum in La Chaux de Fonds

Skipperera with black Corfam
in the TAGHeuer Museum in La Chaux de Fonds

Heuer Skipper 7764

That one comes usually on a GF beads of rice with double grains for Autavia 2446 snap back case with the HLB endings (20mm) or black Corfam strap as well.

7764_chris01

Autavia Skipper with GF beads of rice
credit: Chris


Heuer Skipper 73464 and 1564:
GF beads of rice steel bracelet or blue Corfam strap

73463case_02

GF beads of rice – the must have for an early Skipper

First steel bracelet was the GF (Gay Freres) beads of rice bracelet with the endings HLB or later HLF.
Endings with HLB were used before calibre 15, so fitted right to the early 73464. HLF will fit on both Skipper 73464 and 1564.


Heuer Skipper 15640 blue and black (11630 case):
GF beads of rice steel bracelet and plated (aka oyster) bracelet or blue Corfam strap

The plated bracelet or so called oyster bracelet with Heuer buckle comes up with the 15640 in the 11630 cases. The endings aren´t signed.

ddd

top: plated/oyster | below: GF

All Heuer Skipper in Autavia cases (73464, 1564, 15640 blue and black) you can wear on the 20mm steel bracelets and – fits perfect and looks very good on both!

1564_15640_04

Search the mistake!
left: 1564 on a plated bracelet | right: 15640 on a GF bracelet

Back to the plated/oyster bracelet: in this time it is very rare.

And if you look deep enough you can find two versions of that!

heuer_plated_diff

two versions of the oyster bracelet | on top he most common with bevel edges

One is plain on the edges and the other one have a bevel on the full length. It should be done by good machines. And you can find the two versions on many pictures around in the net. The plain one seems more rare, maybe it´s the early version.

Again: The GF and the plated bracelets fits perfect and looks very good – on all Heuer Skipper in Autavia cases except the Heuer Skipper black late in the 11063 case.


Heuer Skipper 15640 black late (11063 case!)

That one needs an 21mm ending – usualy for the 11063 Autavias on a Jubilee bracelet. These one comes in the late 70´s with an Heuer signed buckle and in the early 80´s with the last Heuer Skipper black late with a TAGHeuer signed buckle.

skipper016

15640 black late with jubilee bracelet and unstamped endlinks
Credit: Holger

Some other kinds of bracelet you can find on Heuer Skippers – not sure if they were bought with that.

First a 15640 black late Heuer Skipper with a late bracelet and TAG-Heuer clasp, not often seen this and not sure, if it´s the real deal and mega “bling-bling” for the Skipper. Most common are the jubilee bracelets for the 11063 cases.

Bracelet with Tag-Heuer buckle for late black Skipper credit: Anthony Receveur

Bracelet with Tag-Heuer buckle for late black Skipper
credit: Anthony Receveur

Here is a Heuer Skipper on a NSA bracelet from the 70´s. NSA bracelets you find usualy on a Montreal. It´s fitted with a Heuer buckle and with the right endlinks made for Autavia cases.

1564_tritium3h_06

1564 with NSA bracelet
credit: tritium3h

And here is another rare steel bracelet mady by Heuer in the 70´s – looks more than an Omega bracelet. Could be from a Heuer Diver too with fitted endlinks. The clasp got a very nice fitting mechanism and a diver extension.

1564_tw_04

1564 with Heuer steel bracelet
credit: Thomas


Handmade straps

There are some of very kind and good skilled strapmaker you can find in the Heuer community:

Giuliano: he made racingstraps at your taste – define color and stitch and have fun!

1564_15640_03

Giuliano Straps – shoes are made for walking

James from db10straps: large variaty of straps in all colors and different stitches – you need one of these.

db10_customer_strap

Customers pic of a Skipper on DB10-Straps
credit: James

Stewart from Heuerville.com: finest leatherstraps

stewart_strap_heuerville

awesome classic strap on a black Skipper
credit: Stewart from heuerville.co.uk

Abel from heuertime.com: very fine corfamstyle racing straps in black

7764_hc_002

Skipper 7764 on a corfamstyle


Do you have alternative but genuine bracelets / straps or pictures of that? Please send!

Like all pages… to be continued.


And because I can´t find it again at the onthedash-forum here is the copy of the list of

Gay Freres Bracelets for Heuer, the definitive guide.

credit: onthedash.com with some of own notes. Unfortunately I haven´t a copy of the site with the publisher of the last version of the post, so please let me know who you are, if you find this site.

Gay Freres Bracelet, the definitive guide



This is the classification made from David in 2005:



Early style GF (double grains for linking links)

Note: size of the first solid links on the double grain GF bracelets are different! There are 17.73mm for the use on 18 and 19mm endlinks (HEL/HL/HLA) and 18.64mm for the 20mm 2446c Autavia snap back case with HLB!

HEL 18mm 2447 Carrera manual (Heuer Skipper 7754)
HL 19mm 2446 Autavia screw back case
HLA 19mm Camaro
HLB 20mm 2446c Autavia snap back case (Heuer Skipper 7764)



Later style GF (single grains for linking links)
HLD 20mm Autavia 1163 (Only 1969-1970 Bracelets) (Heuer Skipper 73464/1564)
HLF 20mm Autavia 1163 (1971-1973) (Heuer Skipper 73464/1564)
HLC 20mm Carrera 1153 automatic

Note that the actual width of the end links is not the nominal width but 0.7 mm less so the 20mm lug fits a 19.3 mm end link.

The first letter “H” stands for Heuer (as “U” in the UL links stands for Universal Geneve…)

Here are some photos showing the difference in the grains and in the end links:

GF-9

GF-1

GF-2

GF-3

DSC-0097

DSC-0096

credits: onthedash forum and I would love to know who is “I” who packed it in the one not to find post at onthedash forum and added the wonderful pics: “I try to summarize what’s been said in several topics on Chronocentric by avantnoire (David) and Peter Moller that i thank for their research.”
Thanks to Darren who figure out the differences of GF first links sizes!