A 1978 Heuer Silverstone chronograph watch is up for sale with Silverstone Auctions during the MotoGP weekend on June 11th.
The period timepiece is one of four purchased by the legendary Mike ‘the bike’ Hailwood.
In 1978 Mike Hailwood won his fourteenth Isle of Man TT on a Ducati 900SS, after which he presented the watches to his close ‘family’ team of four, including the current sale watch given in ’78 to Ted Macauley. Hailwood died in a road car accident in 1981.
This watch has only ever had three owners: Mike Hailwood, who obtained four of them direct from Heuer, his helmet sponsors Kangol, Ted Macauley himself and the current vendor. The 43 mm diameter, blue-faced watch reflects the curvature of the Silverstone circuit, hence its Silverstone name. Showing baton numerals on an inner bezel, it has subsidiary dials for 30-minute and 12-hour recording, with a calendar opening at the six o’clock position. It has stop start buttons at the two and four o’clock positions respectively and a black leather Heuer strap.
It is engraved on the back ‘T Macauley – Team Hailwood – IOM TT – 1978’. The guide price is £4,200 - £4,600.
