Heuer Jacky Ickx Easy-Rider
In 1971, Heuer released a budget-friendly line of chronographs known as the Easy-Rider series. The one in the photo from our collection is signed with Jacky Ickx’s name and signature.
Despite strong performances early in the season, including a win at the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, Jacky Ickx’s Ferrari 312B2 proved shockingly unreliable, with engine failures at four of the next five Grands Prix. Meanwhile, a dominant Jackie Stewart led the Tyrell team to an incredible run of victories and the 1971 World Championship. However, despite its unreliability, Ickx’s Ferrari 312B2 of that year is widely regarded as one of the finest Grand Prix cars ever built.
The watch is a bold piece, instantly recognizable as a product of its time, yet wears its 1970s heritage well. The elongated case certainly does not appear dated and, at 44 mm wide and 41 mm from lug to lug, is a nice size in today’s market.
The mechanism, the manually wound Ebauches Bettlach EB8420 movement, is a cheap and effective system, but it is not made to last. Customers were generally able to use the watches for a few years before major overhauls were required, and many watchmakers refused to work on them due to a combination of the unusual system and the fact that Bettlach produced the movements so cheaply that they were considered disposable. and therefore did not produce many spare parts.
From our point of view, the Jacky-Ickx is an Iconic watch and a beautiful piece of history from a great driver, a nice collector’s item for racing enthusiasts and watch enthusiasts.