Podcast A Matter of Time Podcast, Season 2: The rise of tide indicators
5 min
Behind every iconic watch there’s a timeless story. Welcome to A Matter of Time, a new podcast by TAG Heuer. Hosted by Nicholas Biebuyck, Heritage Director at TAG Heuer, we dig into our archives to bring you untold stories of our timepieces and how they have influenced watchmaking, sport, and popular culture through time.
In Season 2, we explore the intimate connection between TAG Heuer and the sea. Board our time machine and discover treasured timepieces that have captured the imagination of the sailing world and watch collectors everywhere. Oh, and don’t forget to subscribe to A Matter of Time wherever you get your podcasts.
The podcast is available on:
New horizons
At TAG Heuer, we have an incredible breadth of history that links us closely to the sea. The story begins in the late 1940s, when Heuer was producing watches for Abercrombie & Fitch, one of the most prestigious sporting goods retailers at the time. This relationship led to the creation of the Solunar, the Seafarer and a wave of tide indicators in the 1950s. These timepieces set TAG Heuer on course to seek out new horizons, leading to the birth of the Heuer Skipper in 1968. A watch that sealed the brand’s connection with the ocean forever.
Episode 1 - 1949: Solunar - the first wristwatch with a permanent tide indicator
In the first episode, we turn the clocks back to 1949, when Heuer was creating watches for Abercrombie & Fitch. Discover how a watchmaker, a physics teacher, and a passion for fishing and mushroom hunting led to the birth of the Solunar, the first wristwatch with a permanent tide indicator.
Snippet from Episode 1: Charles-Edouard [Heuer] was a keen mushroom hunter, and he knew that during a full moon, the mushroom harvest was much better. As a result, he decided to push the math a little bit further to make the [tide] indicator as accurate as possible. He raised the topic with his son Jack, who went to his school physics teacher and explained the problem. He was able to produce a more accurate calculation for the gear train, making the tide indicator even more accurate. Utilizing the pattern of Walter Haynes, combined with the manufacturing expertise of Heuer, led to the launch of the Solunar in 1949. This was a revolutionary product.
-
Heuer Solunar, 1949
Episode 2 - 1950s - 1960s: the Seafarer sets sail
In this episode, we explore the legacies of a range of Heuer chronographs with tide indicators. From the Seafarers of the 1950s and 1960s to the Solunargraph and the Mareograph, we sail through a decade of iconic timepieces.
Snippet from Episode 2: We jump to the reference 2443. This [reference] again features an oversized case, but with these very interesting lugs. They’re also familiar to those who know the pre-Carrera reference 2447. This is one of my favorite case designs. It’s amazingly sized. It’s great to wear on the wrist. And when you find these cases in unpolished condition, these sharp facets add this amazing sensation to the aesthetic of the case. Again we see a screw down caseback and oversized crown. But now the tide indicator fills the dial at 9 o’clock. So you can see all of this amazing color and design integrated into the dial.
-
Heuer Seafarer, Reference 346, 1950s
Episode 3 - 1967: the Skipper is born
This time, we travel back to The America’s Cup in 1967. It was the year the racing yacht Intrepid stormed to victory. To commemorate Emil Mosbacher’s triumph, Heuer produced the iconic Reference 7754, or the Heuer Skipper. A timepiece that forever sealed TAG Heuer’s relationship with the ocean and sailing.
Read more about the new TAG Heuer Carrera Skipper, 2023 edition, and buy on tagheuer.com.
Snippet from Episode 3: It’s the legendary Skipper name, born with the reference 7754, that would create this indelible connection between our brand [TAG Heuer] and sailing.
-
Heuer Skipper, Reference 7754, 1967
Stay tuned for more episodes of A Matter of Time Podcast ! Subscribe to the podcast here.
