The success of the Carrera following its launch in 1963 meant that the name of the collection had a superpower that Heuer wanted to leverage. Taking inspiration from the legendary Carrera Panamericana Road race that ran from 1950 to 1954, initially as a tourist promotion by the Mexican government before evolving into one of the most demanding and deadly events of the era, the name would have a magnetic quality due to its authentic connection to motorsport.

Jack Heuer had heard the name when attending the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1962 and met the parents of Pedro and Riccardo Rodriguez in the pits of Luigi Chinetti’s North American Racing Team. The Rodriguez parents regaled Jack with tales of bravery and fortitude by drivers and cars that he immediately fell in love with. Further enhancing the name in Jack’s mind was the universal nature of Carrera: easily pronounceable in many languages and with secondary meanings connected to one’s path in life and of course the race track.

Such a great name could be utilized to add appeal to existing models, case in point the reference 2547 Dato 12. Heuer had offered triple calendar chronographs in the catalog from the 1940s and represented the most complicated watches from the company. As the design evolved, the case form would change and the design aesthetics would be modernized but it would continue to retail the same traits that were not in line with the standard Carrera including a snap on case back, lack of peaked lugs and no tension ring low the crystal.

Still the dials would acquire the modern typography and eventually the panda and reverse panda configuration that made it look to most people very much like Heuer’s elegant sporting chronograph, further reinforced by the complicated movement inside. As a result, it would be presented in the catalog with the Carrera name, showing the power of strong collection positioning, particularly for a brand synonymous with motorsport.

Today these complicated Carrera models are seen by some collectors as the pinnacle of watchmaking for Heuer in the 1960s and have developed a cult following. While the silvered dials are more common, it is the panda and reverse panda configurations, such as the example shown here which are particularly desirable and are rarely seen in the market.