When Niki Lauda won the World Drivers’ Championship for Ferrari, and the team secured the World Constructors’ Championship, it was a seismic moment for the team, who had been without a title for 11 years. The last winner had been John Surtees, from a totally different era of driving and cars, and the lack of performance had inspired Enzo Ferrari to reimagine the team in 1970.

While Clay Regazzoni had come close to winning the Championship in 1974, he would be pipped at the post by Fittipaldi and McLaren. When Lauda won the following year, it called for a major celebration, and for Heuer, as technical partner for timekeeping and sponsor of the Scuderia, this would mean a new collection.

Taking cues from the celebrated Carrera models reference 1153 in stainless steel and 1158 in gold, the silhouette of the new reference 110.501 powered by the calibre 12 and 150.501 housing the calibre 15 was identical to that of its Carrera siblings. Where it changed course dramatically was the case material: now made of a less expensive base metal, it was offered as either silver chrome-plated or in the more distinctive and menacing black chromium oxide coating.

The dial was flat to keep costs at an acceptable level, forgoing applied markers or steps for the subsidiary dials, and featured a bolometer and tachymeter scale to the rehaut as well as pops of red to convey the racing DNA. What was most curious about the collection was the naming: while today it is commonly known as the Monza, there were a few small batches featuring the name Modena.

The name of the city close to Ferrari’s headquarters, it is a location familiar to many with a great love for the marque and motorsport, but for many who follow racing but are not that familiar with some of the finer details, the place may not be so well known. This is why it is hypothesized that the name was changed to the more familiar high-speed racetrack outside of Milan, and then the name was removed entirely in 1980 when Heuer had to end its relationship with Ferrari.

As a result, those watches signed Modena are exceedingly rare, so it is extremely unusual to come across one in the market. Presenting a fascinating piece of watchmaking and motorsport history, with connections to Ferrari, Lauda, and Heuer, the watch once again underlines the incredible and inseparable connection between Heuer and Formula 1.