When Heuer introduced the world’s first automatic chronographs, in 1969, the line-up of models consisted of the Autavia, the Carrera and the Monaco. With its outrageous square shape, and a midnight blue dial with white and red accents, the Monaco was Heuer’s avant-garde, unconventional chronograph, a creation of the 1960s that would carry the Heuer flag into the 1970s. The Monaco didn’t achieve the popularity that Heuer had hoped for, so in 1974 introduced the Silverstone chronograph, as its replacement.

Like the Monaco, the Silverstone used a square case, but the new model “walked-back” the most outrageous elements of the Monaco. On the Silverstone, the corners of the case were rounded (rather than squared), the registers were flat and used the same paint as the dial, the sharp edges of the case were softened, with a sculpted top bezel, and the case used a traditional screw-back, in place of the clips and springs used for the Monaco. The Silverstone was the first Heuer chronograph to carry the name of a racetrack, with the Daytona, Monza and Jarama soon to follow.   

Unlike most Heuer models of the 1970s, the Silverstone line-up was straight forward – there were three versions with identical cases, bright white hands (with wide luminous inserts) and Calibre 12 movements. All that differed between the three models was the color and finish of the dial and the matching inner bezels.