Belgian race car driver Jacky Ickx launched his own watch in the early 1970's, with the help of Jack Heuer and his Heuer brand. The Jacky Ickx Easy Rider mechnical - like the Heuer Leonidas Ref. 423.809 variant here - was released for the first time circa 1971, and would remain in production until 1975.
It's impossible to discuss this model without giving some background information on the Heuer Easy Rider and its close relative the Easy Rider Jacky Ickx - in 1972 Jack Heuer had the idea of launching a new Heuer model that would appeal to a fashionable younger audience. Heuer was a major sponsor of the Ferrari Formula 1 team, so it was a natural progression to have its new chronograph – the Easy Rider – endorsed by Ferrari driver Jacky Ickx.
Youthful and dashing, Jacky Ickx possessed the perfect image to market to promote this product to Heuer’s target audience. The Belgian was one of the biggest figures in global motorsport by 1971, and he had already won the 24 Hours of Le Mans once 1969, behind the wheel of the legendary Ford GT, and would go on to win the endurance classic five more times in 1975-77 and 1981-82.
Meanwhile, in his Formula One career, he’d come runner-up in the 1970 world championship standings for Scuderia Ferrari after doing the same the previous year for Brabham, and was the odds-on favorite to win the championship for the Scuderia in 1971 after 1970 world champion Jochen Rindt’s tragic death at the 1970 Italian Grand Prix.
The Easy Rider proved popular with a younger clientele and the now classic 1970s design have left the Easy Rider a highly collectible commodity to this day. The Leoinidas-signed dial variant of the Easy Rider is a confirmed model in the Heuer range, being an equivalent to the Jacky Ickx-signed variant in all but dial.
What makes the Easy Rider for sale here so interesting is that it is, and equally isn’t, a Heuer Easy Rider. In every respect other than the dial, this model is an Easy-Rider, but the dial is actually signed “Leonidas" and "Swiss Made” but features no reference to Jacky Ickx whatsoever. Regardless, this is a true Heuer watch, despite the dial. This would scarecely be unique for Heuer, as it followed this example in other instances – like the Traditions, Mathey Prevot, and others lines like it.
The dials on these vintage Heuer chronographs are some of the most eye catching ever made, and are a unique guilty pleasure, with its combination of bright colors set in horizontal bands running across the dial.
This Easy Rider comes with its original rubber tropic strap, nylon strap, hard plastic travel case, and springbar tool.
1970s Heuer Easy Rider Ref. 423.809 Mechanical Watch, w/Tropic Strap & Hang Tag
DIAL: Beautiful Leonidas-signed dial, with no patina evident and matching hour, minute, and second hands. The dial and hands couldn’t be more representative of the 1970s, with the distinctive red stripes on the hour and minute hands mirroring the lines running across the dial, evocative of the famous Heuer Autavia. Oddly, despite this reference being heavily featured in Heuer advertising at the time, the Heuer name was never printed on the dial. Instead, all variants prominently displayed the Easy-Rider wording.
CASE: Fiberglass resin case measures 45.5mm (46mm w/crown) x 40mm monoblack oval lugless case (it’s one-piece nature means it has no caseback, and the movement is accessed via the front of the watch, akin to the Omega Dynamic of the same era).
CRYSTAL: Domed crystal is scratch-free, with minor scuffs.
BAND: Original rubber Tropic Sport strap, no cracks; it also comes with a dark blue, red, and white nylon strap.
MOVEMENT: Ebauches Bettlach of Soleure Calibre EB8420 pin lever manual wind mechanical movement, with a running speed of 18,000bph.
CROWN: Correct unsigned crown - please note this is a two-piece stem assembly, a hard pull with separate it from the case for movement removal.
CHRONOGRAPH PUSHERS: Pushers depress with satisfying click. Chronograph hands snap back and reset to zero with no issue.
Of note, this Easy Rider mechanical includes its original Heuer hang tag.
