Exterior rear view mirror, in particular for vehicles

The exterior rear view mirror for especially motor vehicles has a mirror base and a mirror head which can be hinged in relation to the base. The mirror has a housing (4) which by a waisting (6) has a transition into a connecting section (3) for the mirror base (1). The connecting section is pivotably connected to the fastening section of the mirror base. The waisting is bounded by side walls (7,8) which extend with a constant curvature. The depth of the waisting is at least the same as and preferably greater than the maximum width of the waisting.