Vintage Tag Heuers, now on sale

Steve McQueen gave the Heuer Monaco instant street cred among collectors, making it one of the most desirable Heuers in existence

The vintage Heuer market has been been faring remarkably well in recent years, and the last few major watch auctions by Christie's and Phillips have shown that it's not slowing down soon.

If you want to buy a classic, mint-condition Steve McQueen Monaco watch, it will cost you $15,000 to $20,000 nowadays, and a pair of rarer Heuer Autavias managed to pull in a combined hammer price of more than $150,000 at the Phillips Steel Chronographs auction in Geneva this past May.

Even the previously undervalued Heuer Monza has seen a healthy little spike since TAG Heuer released its sexy reissue at Baselworld this year.

Over the past few years Crown & Caliber - a reputable online watch reseller we highlighted here last August- has been amassing a significant collection of notable Heuer watches, and this coming September it's planning the biggest online auction of Heuers we've ever heard of. The count is currently at a little more than 70, and from now until August 22, Crown & Caliber has issued a call for consignment from other collectors who want to auction off their rare beauties.

"The Heuer market right now is experiencing a huge boom in interest over the past few years," explains C&C's CEO Hamilton Powell. "I think it's partly because of the trend toward vintage watches in general from the community and brands alike-you see a lot of brands releasing "Heritage" collections in the last couple of years and bringing back older designs as inspiration. But I think it's also because Heuer watches have such a rich history not only in the watch world, but in sports and racing culture as well, and so many of their designs are iconic and timeless."

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