Why This Watch Matters Designed for a specific purpose, Heuer's Master-Time dashboard clock is so versatile today. This one was retailed in New York by Abercrombie & Fitch Co. The Full Story Abercrombie & Fitch dates back to 1892 when the retailer was founded in Manhattan by David T. Abercrombie. Ezra Fitch, one of his best earliest clients, would join him a few years later. A&F catered to the upper echelon of society, who, at the time, were obsessed with camping, fishing, and hunting, playing off the spirit of the American Frontier and Teddy Roosevelt's "Rough Riders." The brand's client list once included names like Ernest Hemingway and Amelia Earhart as well as Presidents Hoover, Eisenhower, Taft, Harding, and Kennedy. You could walk through the doors of A&F's Madison Avenue HQ and get everything you needed for the outdoors – including watches. Heuer and Abercrombie & Fitch teamed up in the 1940s to stock the retailer with the highest quality, Swiss made watches with a focus on chronographs. Most of the watches were co-branded as both Heuer and A&F on the dial. A few of the most famous watches that Heuer built for Abercrombie & Fitch include the Seafarer and Solunar watches with tide indicators. A&F continued to carry Heuer watches in their store for decades, including during the early 1960s when this Master-Time dashboard-mounted clock was offered. Just as the retailer rode the frontier spirit earlier in the century, Abercrombie, especially through their relationship with Heuer, made goods for the growing recreational racer in the 1950s and 1960s where hot rodding and endurance racing were kings. This example of Heuer's Autavia stopwatch comes with a correct single timer dashboard mount signed "ED HEUER & CO SWISS" on the back. The case and baseplate are both in great condition, but the dial is really what we love here. With a simple, well-thought-out layout and finished with a matte black surface, this dial is really so special. The original tritium lume on the numerals and hands is mostly complete and has developed a light creamy yellow patina. The descriptions tend to get a bit long winded with A&F Heuer here at HODINKEE; we're really big fans. The addition of "ABERCROMBIE & FITCH Co." on this dial just works so well in a slightly different grey color compared to the rest of the printing. It looks like the model was designed to include the American retailer's signature. The Fine Print Maker: HeuerModel: Master-TimeReference: N/AYear: Circa 1960sCase No: 23180Material: Stainless steelDimensions: 54mm diameter; 18mm thickness; Base-plate 57.5mm height x 57.5mm width x 3.5mm thicknessCrystal: PlexiglassLume: Yes, tritiumCaliber: Arogno, manually-wound, caliber 28Bracelet/Strap: N/ALug Width: N/ABox/Papers: No What we Love and What You Should Know This Master-Time dashboard clock is in very good and honest vintage condition. The base-plate is signed and has some scratches on the reverse side. Above the signature on the back of the plate there is a hand engraving, "GW SMO" with a line under it. The front bezel of the base-plate is in good condition with a few spots of patina. The stopwatch case has some scratches and is stamped with a case number "23180" on its side to the left of the crown. The ridged rotating bezel is in good condition and shows some light wear around the edges. The bezel is tight when rotating. The dial has developed light patina throughout. The tritium lume on the dial has developed patina and aged to a pleasing light creamy color. The hands have developed a light patina. The lume on the hands has aged to a similar color to that of the dial. The skinny seconds hand is finished in white paint and in excellent condition. The dial is signed "ABERCROMBIE & FITCH Co." The movement is stamped with an import code reading, "AXF," meaning it was made for the U.S. market and specifically for A&F, corresponding to the signature on the dial. The stopwatch case, baseplate, dial, and movement are all signed by Heuer.
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