heuer yacht timer for sale

OnTheDash ®

Heuers on the sea — 25 years of yacht timers (1959 to 1984).

Although today’s enthusiasts associate Heuer most closely with motorsports, over the years Heuer developed and marketed a vast array of stopwatches and chronographs for timing all sorts of sports events.  Glancing at Heuer’s 1970 /71 catalog of timers and chronographs, we see timepieces for over 40 sports, ranging from bobsledding to boxing, and from and rodeo to rugby.

Many of Heuer’s stopwatches and chronographs were designed for specific sports.  For example, for track and field, Heuer recommended a stopwatch with 1/100 second indication, with split action (show, below left).  By contrast, the parachutist had far simpler requirements, being well-served by a simple 60 second stopwatch, that is highly legible and reliable in low temperatures.  Indeed, the parachutist had no need for even the simplest feature, the time-in and time-out button to stop and restart the watch.  The waterski-slalom timer (Reference 403.632) indicates the motorboat’s speed over a measured distance, while the rowing timer (Ref 403.414) shows strokes per minute.

Heuer made split second stopwatches to time the differential between two runners, two horses or two cars, flyback timers to check lap times, and even a chess clock will keep track of the times of the players’ moves.

The Challenges of Yacht Timing

Heuer developed special timepieces for many types of competitions, but yacht races (regattas) presented some unique challenges.  First, while timing the race itself is important, the countdown to the start of the race may be even more important.  The competitors have a set time before the start of the race (usually 10 minutes), to plot their course / develop their approach to the start line, and the boat that gets to the start line in the best position will be at a significant advantage in the race itself.

Bouncing on the waves, with the sun and spray obstructing the view, legibility will be critical. Bigger will usually be better, especially for the captain reading the countdown to the start of the race.  In the minutes before the start of the race, the deck will be a busy place, so simplicity in the design and functions of the watch will also be critical.  Of course, let’s not forget that the ideal yacht timer must be waterproof and shock resistant.

This Survey

In this posting, we will survey the yacht timers that Heuer offered over the years from 1959 through 1984. Rather than examining the timepieces themselves, we will review the timepieces that Heuer presented in its catalogs and brochures.  We point out that Heuer made certain yacht timers that never appeared in its catalogs.  Still, a review of the catalogs provides a good overview of the history of these timepieces.

Our review of Heuer’s regatta timers begins in 1959, with a catalog that shows only two stopwatches.  The Reference 33.712 stopwatch counts down 5 minutes on a central minute register, with a 60 second countdown on the outer track.  The Reference 3912 stopwatch takes a different approach, counting down 10 minutes on a small recorder at the top of the dial and counting down 60 seconds on the outer track.  The Ref 33.712 has a hoop for a lanyard; the Ref 3912 attaches to a wrist-strap.  [Click HERE to see this 1959 catalog.]

Heuer’s 1961 catalog continues to show two yacht timers, both of them on wrist-straps.  The Reference 33.512 stopwatch (successor to the 33.712) counts down 5 minutes on a central dial; the Reference 3912 stopwatch counts down 10 minutes (divided into two 5-minute segments) on a small recorder at the top of the dial.  [Click HERE for the entire 1961 catalog.]

In this two-sided sheet (circa 1962), we see three countdown stopwatches for yacht timing, References 912/5, 912/10 and 912/15.  The 5, 10 and 15 designations refer to the number of minutes counted down on the small recorder at the top of the dial.  For $2.00, Heuer offers a separate rubber cap, to protect the timers from shock and the water.

Introduced in the late 1940s, the Solunar wristwatch has a colorful dial that indicates the times for the high and low tides for a specific location.  In this sheet, we see Heuer positioning the Solunar for the yacht racer.

In Heuer’s 1963 catalog of timers and chronographs, we see the same three countdown stopwatches as on the sheet from 1962 — References 912/5, 912/10 and 912/15.  The “W” in the Reference 912/15W indicates that this stopwatch comes in a waterproof case.  The Ref. 33.512 continues as the 5 minute countdown yacht timer worn on a wrist strap.  [Additional pages of this catalog are HERE .]

In Heuer’s 1968 catalog, the Reference 503.512 has replaced the Reference 33.512 as 5-minute countdown yacht timer worn on a wrist strap.  Whereas the older models looked like stopwatches with hoops attached, the new model looks like an oversized wristwatch.

Heuer had been making dashboard timers since the 1930s, with the Master Time (8 day clock) and Autavia and Monte Carlo (12-hour stopwatches) usually directed to the car racers.  In this catalog we see the Navia — essentially a Master Time clock fitted in a new waterproof case —  being offered as a yacht timer.

This 1968 catalog offers two stopwatches for yachting.  The Reference 403.615 uses a small register at the top of the dial for a 15-minute countdown; the Reference 503.615 uses a central register to show a 15-minute countdown, with this register divided into three 5 minute segments.

Headquartered in Bath, England, with branches in Zurich and New York, Chronosport was one of the largest suppliers of specialty timepieces in Europe.  Chronosport’s 1969 / 70 catalog featured specialty timepieces for automobile racing, aviation, boating and watersports, and industrial and scientific timing.  The catalog included a broad range of chronographs, stopwatches and dashboard timers from Heuer, as well as specialty watches and chronographs from Breitling, Desotos, Enicar, Seiko and Sicura.

The catalog includes two Heuers in the yacht racing category  — a Skipper chronograph and the Reference 503.512 yacht timer.

Introduced in 1968, the Skipper chronographs featured a 15 minute countdown register, that took the place of the customary 30 minute recorder.  The first Skippers were housed in Carrera cases, with the 15-minute countdown divided into green, blue and orange segments.  The Skippers soon moved to the Autavia cases, however, because of their better waterproofing, and the 15-minute countdown register used red, white and blue segments.  This Skipper shown in this catalog uses the same snap-back “compressor” case as Heuer’s Reference 7763 Autavia.

This 1972 brochure (below) shows a Reference 503.512 Yacht Timer on a wrist-strap, and a Skipper chronograph (Reference 73464) that has moved from the late-1960s style “compressor” case to the 1970s style screw-back case.

The 1972 chronograph catalog (below) shows an automatic version of the Skipper, Reference 15640, powered by the Caliber 15 movement.  [Click HERE to see the entire 1972 Chronograph catalog.]

The timeline in Heuer’s 1973 Stopwatch catalog tells us that Heuer has developed the Supersport, a wrist stopwatch “in an attractive shape” that uses a central register for the minutes, to offer improved legibility.

Inside the catalog, we see four models of the SuperSport (below, on the left-hand page).  The Reference 775.915 SuperSport is specifically designated as a Yacht Timer, with a central 15 minute register, marked to count down the minutes in three 5-minute segments.  The Reference 775.901 M is a standard 60-minute stopwatch, but the rotating minutes bezel is marked for countdowns.  The Supersports operate in an unusual fashion:  The crown on the left is for winding the watch.  The pusher at 3 o’clock is a three-function crown, that starts, stops and resets the timer on consecutive pushes.  The small button on the top right corner (at 2 o’clock) allows the user to resume timing the event (restart), after the watch has been stopped.

Heuer’s 1973 Stopwatch catalog shows another innovation — water-resistant stopwatches in 62 millimeter fiberglass cases (below, on the right-hand page).  The Reference 403.915 and Reference 503.915 are larger versions of older models; the Reference 542.912 stopwatch has a jumping disc to countdown the minutes.

[Click HERE  to see more of Heuer’s 1973 Stopwatch catalog (in German).]

We saw the 1950s version of the Solunar watch included in a 1962 listing of Yachting Timers , and this 1976 brochure shows the new version of the Solunar, Reference 279.603.  The Solunar from the 1970s is very different from the Solunar of the 1950s, as it shows the tides over a 14-day period, rather than the previous 2-day period.  You can see the Instructions for the Solunar  HERE .

Alongside the Solunar, we see the Supersport Reference 775.915 yacht timer, featuring a central 15-minute countdown timer, with 5-minute segments marked in the white-blue-red sequence of the regatta flags.

[Click HERE to see the entire Heuer 1976 brochure.]

Heuer’s 1977 catalog of Stopwatches for Sports Timing features one new stopwatch for yacht timing, the Reference 603.315 (below, top row).  This stopwatch has a 15-minute scale toward the center of the watch, with three 5-minute countdown segments.

Heuer’s 1978 chronograph and stopwatch catalog featured three waterproof Yacht Timers.  The Reference 503.915 (top row) is in the 62 millimeter fiberglass case, while the Reference 775.915 (bottom row, left) provides the central 15-minute countdown in the Supersport case.  As usual, we see one Yacht Timer on a wrist-strap, the Reference 503.512 (bottom right).  [Click HERE to see the entire 1978 brochure.]

In this 1980 brochure, we see a change in Heuer’s basic Yacht Timer worn on a wrist-strap.  The steel-cased Reference 503.512 stopwatch has been replaced by the fiberglass Reference 203.512 stopwatch.  Notice that the smaller Reference 603.615 stopwatch, in a metal case, is listed as an “Economy” model, while the larger Reference 503.915 stopwatch, in a fiberglass case, is described as a “Professional” model.

Heuer’s 1982 Stopwatch catalog shows us a new line of Yacht Timers on wrist-straps.  The Reference 203.505 Yacht Timer offers a 5-minute countdown, while the Reference 203.510 (“Surfer” model), provides a 10-minute countdown.  The catalog tells us that the central 10-minute register on the Surfer has been designed according to the new International Windsurfing Regatta rules.

The Reference 790 Anemometer measures the speed of the wind, with the catalog telling us that it will be useful for yachting, windsurfing, glider flying, kite flying, track and field, ski-jumping, model airplanes, etc.  It incorporates four scales — m/s, km/h, knots and the Beaufort scale.

Heuer’s 1983 “Time for Action” catalog features 10 timers for yachting — three chronographs and seven stopwatches.  In both the chronographs and the stopwatches, we see the return of a feature from Heuer’s yacht timers of the 1960s — colored balls to count down the minutes to the start.

In the mid-1960s, Heuer distributed the full line of Aquastar chronographs, including the Aquastar “Regate” chronograph.  The Aquastar Regate used five cut-out circles and colored discs for the 5-minute countdowns, to start the race.  Aquastar co-branded these timers for Heuer, so that we saw the Heuer shield at the bottom of the dial with “Aquastar Geneve” across the top.   Two decades later, the 1983 Heuer catalog shows two different styles of Regatta chronographs that use these same cut-out circles and colored discs for the countdown.  The smaller Ref 134.505 Regatta is in a stainless steel case and the larger Reference 134.601 Regatta uses a PVD-coated borrowed from the Autavias.

In this 1983 catalog, we also see what would be the final version of the Skipper.  This Skipper, Reference 15640, borrows its case from the Reference 11063 Autavia, measuring 42.5 mm across the dial and 21 mm between the lugs, with a uni-directional rotating bezel.

The Supersport stopwatches are no longer in the line-up, but Heuer still shows seven stopwatches for yacht timing, four for the wrist and three handheld models.

The Reference 202.515 and 685.915 stopwatches used the same system of cut-out circles and a colored disc for the countdown as we see on the Regatta chronographs.  Red circles appear during the first five minutes, white circles over the next five minutes, and the letters S-T-A-R-T over the last five minutes.

The five other stopwatches included in this catalog are continuations of models shown in previous catalogs.

[Click HERE to see more of Heuer’s 1983 Time for Action catalog (in French).]

The Time for Action catalog shows only watches and chronographs, rather than stopwatches and other styles of timers.  Accordingly, there are only two types of regatta chronographs, the Reference 134.500 and 505 models (in the smaller cases) and the Reference 134.601, 602 and 603, which use PVD cases, borrowed from the Autavias.  All these chronographs use colored discs to countdown the 5-minutes sequences. [See more of the 1984 Time for Action catalog HERE .]

With the 1984 catalog, we have completed our tour of yacht timers offered by Heuer over the 25 years, from 1959 through 1984.  Of course, dive watches became the mainstay for TAG Heuer in the 1980s, and the company also continued with its yacht timers, with the next 25 years including a great variety of yacht timers.

The Movements

From the moment I started this page, I was determined that I would keep it simple — no photographs of actual watches, no historical research, no digging into the movements, no discussion of anything other than the catalogs themselves, etc.  In other words, if it isn’t found within the four corners of the catalog, then I wasn’t going to present it in this posting.

I remained true to this plan until a couple of days prior to publishing this posting, when I found myself in a conversation with Hans Schrag, about Heuer’s heritage in the yacht timers.  Hans asked whether I had included information about the movements; I replied that the posting was limited to the catalog images . . . and within one hour, Hans had provided the following information:

I hope that readers will find this information about the movements useful, even if it takes away from the simple survey of the catalogs.

Additional References

The following are recommended for additional information on Heuer’s yacht timers (regatta chronographs):

• HeuerChrono.com covers the Heuer Skipper chronographs in full detail, but also includes a very good section on the Heuer Yacht Timers .
• Regatta Yachttimers — a website that covers the history and variations of regatta yachttimer watches.  The site covers approximately 20 brands of yacht timers, including Heuer and TAG Heuer .
• TAG Heuer Sailing Watches , a posting on Calibre11.com
• An excellent article, in Revolution  magazine — Racer’s Edge, The Evolution of the Regatta Chronograph , by Jack Forster
• On his Heuerville blog, Stewart Morley has written an excellent review of his Heuer Regatta, Reference 134.601 (in black PVD).  Stewart also provides minute-by-minute photos, showing how the countdown works (August 25, 2014).
• On his HeuerChrono.com blog, Henrik has added a posting covering Heuer’s use of the “5 Dots” countdown display, on its yacht timers.

In the Sea, By the Sea and On the Sea.

I have been collecting Heuer timepieces for 15 years, but it was only in compiling this survey that I realized the great variety of stopwatches and chronographs that Heuer made for yacht timing and the depth of Heuer’s engagement in the sport.

This survey confirms that in addition to the unique tide watches that Heuer made from the 1950s through the 1970s (the Mareographer and Seafarer), and the amazing array of dive watches that TAG Heuer made starting in the 1980s, Heuer was a dominant producer of timepieces that were used “on the sea”, to time yacht races.  Just as we see Heuer in every aspect of motorsports, from the driver and navigator, to the pit crew, to the officials managing the race, so too we see Heuer timing just about everything that happens at the sea — from the tides, to the dives and now to the racing yachts.

Once again, the more we learn about Heuer’s heritage in sports timing, the more impressive that heritage becomes.

Jeff Stein August 17, 2014 (updated August 26, 2014, to add additional references)

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Regatta Yachttimers

An overview of sailing regatta watches.

The brand TAG Heuer starts in 1984 with the taking over of Heuer by Techniques d’Avant Garde. Very early on the new TAG Heuer management decided to continue to promote TAG Heuer as a sports watch. There was a lot of effort focussed on supporting sailing teams and events.

The first of the TAG Heuer sailing watches was the Searacer   series (with quartz movement), a watch that TAG Heuer released as both a variant of the 2000 Series and the S/el- Link Series. It was worn by Chris Dickson, skipper of the Dennis Conner’s Team’s ‘Toshiba’ in the Whitbread Round The World Race 1997-1998. The first generation Searacer   watches were available with either a brushed and polished stainless steel bracelet with double-safety clasp (reference CK111R.BA0328), or with a calfskin leather strap with signed buckle (reference CK111R.FC8117). Both versions were delivered with an extra nylon strap, enabling the watch to be worn over a wetsuit.

TAG Heuer Searacer Professional

Model: TAG Heuer Searacer Regatta Chronograph .

• Reference: CK111R.BA0328 with steel case and steel bracelet.
•                   CK111R.FC8117 with steel case and black leather strap.
• Caliber: TAG Heuer quartz yachting movement.
• Year: 1997/1999 ?

The distinctive feature of the Searacer is the Regatta function, with its inner-bezel numbered from 1-10. It has a black central sweeping seconds hand for the chronograph functions and two sub-dials. The left sub-dial is a 12 hour counter while the right sub-dial shows 1/10th second for the chronograph. The central red hand counts the Regatta minutes.

How the countdown function works:

Besides as a normal chronograph, the  TAG Heuer  Searacer Regatta Chronograph  also functions as a countdown timer for yacht racing. By depressing and holding the bottom chronograph pusher the chronograph is put into  “Countdown” mode.  This will be indicated by the red left register hand pointing in the downward position. The left register does not have a timing function in this mode and only acts as a countdown mode indicator.  Once the countdown mode is activated, pressing the top chronograph pusher at 2 o’clock begins the countdown timing.

The center black chronograph hand will count seconds. The large red chronograph hand will advance every 10 seconds and by using the outer dial chapter the red hand will count down for 10 minutes. Once the 10 minute countdown has completed, the chronograph will automatically switch back to standard chronograph timing mode and the left register will point up.

  x – x – x – x – x – x – x – x – x – x

The second generation Searacer was based on the S/el- Link case and again came in two versions, one branded S/el and a later series branded Link. Apart from the obvious difference, there are also small details changed between the two second-generation Searacer models, for example the S/el Searacer has an applied TAG Heuer logo in silver, while the Link models have the logo printed on the dial.

TAG Heuer Link Searacer with black, blue and white dial.

Model: TAG Heuer Link Searacer.

• Reference: CT1113.BA0550 with black dial.
•                   CT1114.BA0551 with silver coloured dial.
•                   CT1115.BA0551 with blue dial.
•                   CT1118 Oracle Racing limited edition of 1500 pieces, 2002.
• Caliber: Quartz ETA 251.232/262 movement.

In 2005, TAG Heuer introduces the new Aquaracer Calibre S Regatta , the world’s easiest-to-read and easiest-to-use electro-mechanic chronograph. To commemorate the launch, TAG Heuer signed a long-term agreement with China Team, the People’s Republic of China first ever America’s Cup sailing team.

Aquaracer Calibre S Regatta in blue and anthracite, and the 2006 China Team Special Edition.

Model: TAG Heuer Aquaracer Calibre S Regatta.

• Reference: CAF7110.BA0803 with blue dial and bezel, and steel bracelet.
•                   CAF7110.FT8010 with blue dial and bezel, and black rubber strap.
•                   CAF7111.BA0803 with anthracite dial and bezel, and steel bracelet.
•                   CAF7111.FT8010 with anthracite dial and bezel, and black rubber strap.
•                   CAF7112.BA0803 China Team limited edition of 2000 pieces, 2006.
• Caliber: patented TAG Heuer Calibre S electro-mechanical movement.
• Case size: Ø 41 mm.
• Year: 2005/2007. In 2009 no longer in the catalogue. But in 2010 still at their website.

You can download the instruction manual for the Aquaracer Calibre S Regatta   here .

In November 2011 TAG Heuer announces the renewal of the partnership with Oracle Racing, the team that will defend the America’s Cup in 2013 in San Francisco Bay.

To mark this partnership, TAG Heuer released a special edition of the Aquaracer 500m Chronograph with the only visible change being the small ‘Oracle Team USA’ added beneath the date window.

And by the end of 2012 the Aquaracer 500m Calibre 72 countdown chronograph   is introduced, as the first model in the 500m ceramic chronograph series. The watch has a ceramic bezel upon a steel case, and marks the return of the 5-minutes regatta visual timer. It becomes available in two versions, a standard one and a Limited Edition ‘Oracle Team USA’.

TAG Heuer Aquaracer 500m Calibre 72 countdown chronograph.

Model: TAG-Heuer Aquaracer 500m Calibre 72 countdown chronograph.

• Reference:  CAK211A.BA0833 with steel bracelet.
•                    CAK211A.FT8019 with rubber strap.
•                    CAK211B.BA0833 Limited edition for Oracle Team USA with steel bracelet.
•                    CAK211B.FT8019 Limited edition for Oracle Team USA with rubber strap.
• Caliber: TAG Heuer self-winding automatic Calibre 72.
• Case size: Ø 43 mm.
• Year: 2013/2014/2015.

Caseback for the standard version and the Limited edition for Oracle Team USA.

• Make: Dubois-Dépraz.
• Caliber: Calibre 72.
• Type: automatic chronograph with yachttimer function.
• Size: 13ʺ / 30 mm.
• Frequency: 28.800 A/h.
• Power reserve: 40 hours.
• Jewels: 51.
• Shock protection system: ?

Base caliber is a Sellita SW-300 chronograph, with a Dubois-Depraz 2140 regatta module integrated.

• http://www.tagheuer.com
• http://calibre11.com/tag-heuer-sailing/
• http://www.calibre11.com/review-aquaracer-calibre-72-countdown/

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Luxury TAG Heuer Yacht Timer Watches index

by LuxPrice-index ©

Quotations from second hand watches TAG Heuer Yacht Timer

Price of second hand watches TAG Heuer Yacht Timer

• TAG Heuer Yacht Timer ref.Tag Heuer - 503512
• TAG Heuer Yacht Timer ref.Tag Heuer - 653515

On Collector Square

Details (9 results)

• 1100 - 2200

Heuer. A Stainless Steel Keyless Open Face Timer

Minimise description

Read our expert's description

• 12000 - 30000
• 1102 - 2754
• 1544 - 3861

Heuer A STAINLESS STEEL WRIST STOPWATCH WITH 5-MINUTE COUNTDOWN REF 503.512 YACHT TIMER CIRCA 1970

• 15000 - 25000
• 12239 - 20398
• 17150 - 28583

Heuer Leonidas. A rare and attractive and unusual stainless steel yacht timer chronograph wristwatch with date and bracelet

• 7500 - 12000

A LOT OF TWO YACHT TIMERS.A)Retailed by Abercrombie & Fitch. Made circa 1965. Rare.composite waterproof counter designed for boat races, with.central 5-minute register. Accompanied by original fitted box..B) Heuer, Swiss, Yacht Timer, Ref. 203.505. Made c

Heuer ref, 653.515 yacht timer steel.heuer, swiss, yacht timer, ref. 653.515. made circa 1970..fine and unusual, large, composite waterproof wrist counter.designed for boat races, with central 5-minute register..accompanied by fitted box and guarantee..to.

C. Two-body, frosted steel, large button to start, stop and reset..D. White, subdivided into fi ve colored sections numbered 0.through 4, outer 5 second divisions..M. Cal. Cal. 17’’’, rhodium-plated, 7 jewels, monometallic.balance, shock absorber, blued steel fl at balance spring..Dial, case and movement signed..Diam 53 mm. Thickness 16 mm.

Heuer - Yacht Timer.Heuer, Swiss, Yacht Timer, Ref. 653.515. Made circa 1970..Fine, unusual, large, water-resistant, stainless steel wrist timer designed for boat races, with central 5-minute.register. Accompanied by a fitted Heuer box..To be sold without

c. Two-body, solid, frosted steel, screwed-down case back, large winding crown and button to start, stop and.reset..d. White, subdivided into five colored sections numbered 0 through 4, outer 5-second Arabic divisions. Red.arrow hand for the seconds and dart shaped hand for the 5-minute register..m. Cal. 17’’’, rhodium-plated, 7 jewels, monometallic balance, shock absorber, blued steel flat balance spring..Dial, case and movement signed. Diam 52 mm. Thickness 17 mm.

Yacht Timer.Heuer, Yacht Timer, Ref. 653.515. Made circa.1970..Unusual, large, composite waterproof wrist counter designed.for boat races, with central 5-minute register..To be sold without reserve

C. Two-body, solid, coated steel, large button to start, stop and.reset. D. White, subdivided into five colored sections numbered.0 through 4, outer 5 second divisions. M. 7 jewels, shock.protected, monometallic compensation balance..Dial, case and movement signed..Diam 55 mm. Thickness 16 mm.

Heuer. A single button yachting recorder

Yacht Timer. Ref 503.512, circa 1970 nickel lever movement, 7 jewels, multi-colored dial, blue arabic numerals, single button for all functions. Signed on movement, case and dial. 52 mm

• Christopher Ward
• Grand Seiko

Yachting Timers & Watches

At worn&wound we’ve long been fascinated by watches that were designed specifically for individual sporting events. This is part of a series on these unique timepieces.

Yacht timers – also referred to as regatta timers, yachting chronographs, or sailing watches – are watches specially designed and made for the countdown to the start of a sailing race. As you can imagine, starting a race on water, with entrants powered by the wind, is not as easy as lining up on a grid, Formula 1 style, or lined up like sprinters at a track meet, waiting for the starting gun. As we just saw in the recent America’s Cup races in San Francisco, the yachts (we use the term loosely in the case of the America’s Cup boats) are already at speed as they approach the starting line. The trick for the skipper is to NOT cross the starting line before the starting gun goes off. If they do, they’re penalized quite heavily (how and how much depends on the rules in effect for the specific race).

So some sort of a count-down timer is useful to the pilot and tactician. Horns signal the start of the countdown period and a skipper can start his yacht timer by the audible signal. He then has an on board measurement of progress to the start of the race, and can sail his yacht accordingly – hopefully to reach the starting line, at speed, just as the starting gun sounds.

Over the decades there have been numerous yacht timers and specialized chronographs produced by the world’s watch companies. Perhaps the most well-known yachting timer today is the Rolex YachtMaster, but there are others, past and present. Current and recent pieces include those from Tutima, Alpina, Atlantic, Omega, Panerai, and IWC, as well as electronic offerings from TAG Heuer, Suunto, Tissot and others.

But the vintage timepieces – the regatta timers of old – are what really get our juices flowing. Sailing chronographs like the Heuer Autavia Skipper, the Regate (sold under three different brand names – Aquastar, Heuer, and Tissot), Heuer’s Yacht Timer (both wrist-mounted and stopwatch form factor), the Breitling Chronomat and SuperOcean (both in regatta timing trim), the Memosail (two are on eBay as we write this), Lemania’s self-branded Regatta Yacht Timer in handheld stopwatch format, and the wonderfully busy Wakmann.

Regatta timers have various ways of indicating the countdown time. There’s typically a multi-colored or numbered disc rotating beneath the dial with the colors or numerals showing through windows similar to a date disc. Five vari-colored dots – usually blue followed by red (Alpina, Regate), numerals against colored backgrounds (Memosail), or a separate chrono hand coupled with colored zones on the watch’s bezel (Tutima, Bretling, Heuer) or indicating time remaining to the start via a separate scale within the dial (Rolex).

Heuer’s Autavia Skipper was part of the legendary Autavia line in the 1970s. It featured the Autavia’s classic tonneau shaped case, a red, white, and blue countdown sub-dial at 3 o’clock, a small seconds at 10 o’clock, and date at 6. Chrono pushers were in the classic locations at 2 and 4, but the crown was positioned at 9 o’clock. The watch featured a 60 minute rotating bezel, and examples are often see with a blue dial & bezel combination.

Heuer’s Yacht Timer from the 1960s came in both a wrist-mounted version and a handheld stopwatch form factor. Color-wise, regatta timer dials are never shy, and the Heuer is no exception. This watch was basically a fifteen or thirty minute stopwatch (there were at least two versions) with a multi-colored dial formatted and printed for the countdown function.

Aquastar’s Regate, also branded and sold as Heuer, Tissot and other brands such as “Racing”  in the early 1980s, used a Lemania movement with a classic five-dot/ window format, with a tri-colored rotating disc beneath the dial. five windows for five minutes, and once the timing started the colored wheel would progressively show thru the windows, changing them one at a time from blue to red to white (or silver).

In the 1960s and early 1970s, Breitling produced watches in regatta timing trim in both the Chronomat and SuperOcean lines. The Chronomat featured a center mounted minute with a multi-colored inner chapter ring. The SuperOcean used the center-mounted totalizing hand with a multi-colored bezel. These black-cased watches featured Venus 178 or 188 movements, modified to handle the unique needs of a yachting chronograph.

Lemania’s self-branded Regatta Yacht Timer is another handheld stopwatch format timer. The timing function is the familiar series of five windows with a colored disc beneath, but with the letters S-T-A-R-T replacing the third color (similar to the Memosail).

The Wakmann , yet another 1970s piece, looks almost too nice to have been a working watch. To us, it looks more like a dress watch for the Yacht Club awards banquet (but then, so does the current Rolex Yachtmaster II). The timer’s motor is a Lemania Caliber 1341 automatic with hour sub-dial at 6 o’clock and running seconds at 9 o’clock. Countdown chrono minutes and seconds are indicated by center mounted hands with orange tips. The display has a lot going on, with a date window at 3 o’clock, a white stationary chapter ring with days of the month, a multi-colored chapter ring with days of the week (moveable via a secondary crown at 10 o’clock – line it up with the correct day of the week for the current month), and a third multi-colored chapter ring outside the first two, this one with 15 countdown minutes in the first quadrant and a tachymeter over the following three quadrants. We’d be concerned about reading this in the heat of racing battle. That said, we love this watch for its center minutes totalizer, its unique display of day of the week and month, and it’s cool 1970s cushion styling.

With ultra-modern quartz-based timers available (TAG Heuer produced what was effectively a dedicated smartwatch, specifically to be worn by members of the America’s Cup Team Oracle, which relayed real-time data stream of boat performance to each crew member), and the inevitably harsh conditions of sailboat racing, these wonderful vintage racers have probably seen their heyday (one can’t imagine a skipper actually wearing a Rolex Yachtmaster II in a modern race). But their unique styling, and sheer mechanical timing abilities are works of wonder in any age. We’d wear one, even if it’s only to sail our desk into next week.

by Ed Estlow

special thanks to our friends at analogshift.com for lending us the Wakmann

and Francesco B for use of his Racing Regatta images

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Welcome to Heuerchrono.com

The heuer skipper, heuer regatta and heuer yacht timer reference. + much more information about yachting wrist watches from the 60s and 70s., see some amazing collections of yachting watches, like this here from thien @t_chrobar, heuerchrono.com- the #1 reference ressource of heuer skipper, heuer regatta, heuer mareographe and abercrombie & fitch seafarer, heuer solunar and heuer yacht timer and many informations about vintage yachting wristwatches from the 60s and 70s from gallet, yema, seaboard-yacht, breitling etc. etc., heuer skipper overview.

Heuer Skipper 7754

The very first skipper..

Carrera 7753 case. Built only in 1968. The green, the blue! The GRAIL.

Heuer Skipper 7764

The coolest skipper..

Autavia 7763 compressor case. Built only in 1969. Classic beauty. Autavia Skipper.

Heuer Skipper 73464 1st

Dial beauty skipper..

Manual wind, plexi, Wonderful blue. Balanced dial. Bright orange details.

Heuer Skipper 73464 2nd

Another case..

Different case and different order of colors on countdown to the 1st exec. Rare. Cool.

Heuer Skipper 1564

Cal15, plexi..

1563 case Plexi. The automatic and lightweight beauty Skipper.

Heuer Skipper 15640 blue

15630 case Mineral glass. First 11630 Autavia line Skipper.

Heuer Skipper 15640 black

Black dial..

15630 case Mineral glass. Black gilt dial. Rare in the 11630 Autavia line cases.

Heuer Skipper black late

15063 case Bezel inner ring. Mineral glass. Black gilt dial. Last Skipper made by Heuer.

Leonidas Easy-Rider 1st

Green-blue-white.

fibreglass case plexi EB 8420 modified mvt.

Leonidas Easy-Rider 2nd

White-blue-red.

white-blue-red regatta register fibreglass case plexi EB 8420 modified mvt.

So – what is a Heuer Skipper?

This site is the ultimate reference website and knowledge collection of the HEUER Yachting and Regatta watches.  The Heuer Skipper is the yachting wrist chronograph made by Heuer from the late 1960s to the early 1980s in various configurations (and some more yachting watches). With the blue and black dial and the colorful regatta-dial and orange hands it is one of the most cool and beautiful watches [...]

The most rare Skipper? How many Skipper we know in total?

Always asked: how many Skipper are out there? Nobody knows exactly, but here are how many from every execution are known or seen till today since the last 15 years. Please - I am not 100% sure about the real numbers, I put all in I have ever seen - without knowing the way of ALL where they going through a sale or trade etc - [...]

Amazing – Skipper 7764 weared by a team member and Aquastar Regate on the wrist of the Team of British Prime Minister in 1971

Crazy found, thanks to Nico! On this pic we can see the British Prime Minister Edward Heath (1916 - 2005, centre) and the crew of his racing yacht Morning Cloud, circa August 1971. (Photo by Terence Spencer/Popperfoto via Getty Images)The Prime Minister seems wearing a Aquastar Heuer Regate with Felsa 4000n as we know on the Intrepid crew and the guy we need to get known [...]

Heuer Skipper prices and market – some thoughts

Well well well... whats up with the "market"? Whats up with the Skipperprices? Whats on the market.... 15 pieces on chrono24 last week: 2x 1564 | 2x 73462 1st | 73462 2nd | 8 black 15640 (6 blacklate) - and too crazy prices Skipperreras. credit:chrono24 It shows the "standard market" - the most known are the 11063 case black late Skipper, there are popping [...]

Vintagemodernstuff Collection of Yachtings

  And another member of the watchfam with good taste for beautiful yachtings. Check out here on this collection page covering only the yachting watches he has. AMAZING! Thanks for showing!

The new TAG Heuer Skipper…. my 2 cents

Because not many from the Heuer crowd saying a word about it and some are asking for my feelings about, here are my thoughts. To bring it in the line, first check Jeffs Post about the "Five New TAG Heuer Carrera Chronographs for 2023" here. You will see the series of new Carreras, same dial layouts and case/pusher. Then check the new Skipper. Maybe here: tagheuer.com - [...]

Neutrino14s Collection of Yachtings

  There is a page of @Neutrino14s collection of beautiful yachtings. Check out here on this collection page covering only the yachting watches he has. AMAZING! Thanks for showing!

Habring2 ChronoSport Nautic – new watch with the charme of a Vintage Yachting

HABRING²  - a young couple, Maria and Richard Habring, started a watchmaker business in 2003 in Austria. Maria was born near Dresden and they met in the Glashütte Watch Valley as Richard works for Lange Watches. The brand was named HABRING² in 2004 and since then they produced many nice watches in very limited number of pieces. credit: habring2.com Habrings build first 2 prototypes for [...]

Heuer Logo Printing Tool for dials discovered – and telling something new!

How amazing is that discovery made by Cenic Watches? A printing tool for printing Logos and lines on dials for Heuer. It seems that the Heuershield, A&F, Meister, Gübelin and Sternzeit Reguliert were printed in the Heuer factory on demand, 40 cliches came with the tool, mostly all that Heuer ever used. How crazy! So whats new? Printing dials for Meister etc and also just plain [...]

The case is not the burner but with the fancy colorful dial and a Valjoux 72 as a kind of 3 hand design (no no - there are 4 main hands!!) it is one of the coolest 70s Regatta-Rockers. credit: hashtagwatchco.com >>> read more about these funky 70s yachting watch here!

How to change a bezel?

Change a bezel on an Autavia or Skipper To replace a bezel is very essy if you follow some tricks: - inspect closely the slot betwesn the lower part of the bezel and the sunburst of the case: usually there is a point where the bezel sits a bit higher and there is a bit of light between them - there I put a thin [...]

The “sandy” Skipperrera

From time to time we see dials with patina. Some patina looks just "no way" but some - like this paintless wonder - looks amazing. Look what a guy from Australia found: a really rare FAB.SUISSE (3 known!) Heuer Skipperrera 7754! Thanks to Clarke for the infos and pictures, this is definitely a watch to wear!

Aquastar Regate 1st exec Service

After found a very rare early 1st execution Aquastar Regate with Felsa 4000N in the "container case" a service was needed. So sent to THE man for these kind of watches - Richard Askham in the UK.  He did all well and tried hard to fix the pusher, that doesn´t switch back to zero not perfect from time to time but he was "beaten by the [...]

Amazing 2446 Screwcase Seafarer on Sotheby´s

8 hours to go and this amazing Seafarer is on 75k US$ plus premium on the actual Sothebys auction you can find here. Update: this amazing watch is sold for 94,5k US$ (79k€) plus premium! Dang! One of the crazy value auctions we have seen, the highest value of the 2446 first exec Autavia with full lumen hands is not reached but this auction plays in the [...]

Gallet Black Yachting on eBay

There ended a Gallet Yachting with black dial, an rare bird on eBay last night. Sold for 3.750US$ to a ebay-profile with 0 rating. Aha. Now again on eBay. Soso. Text of the seller " Good size (same 36mm as Heuer Carrera) , solid stainless steel which means it will never brass or or chip. Dial is amazing with very few flaws, from what I can [...]

Many years ago as I started researching the Yachting Wristwatches I met online Hervé, known in the french forums as Dundee, on IG he is @Dundee64. We texted and mailed a lot about the different executions of Yachtingrafs and he sourced some to me as I sourced some to him. Over the years we talked always from time to time about this and that and watches. [...]

Aquastar Regate with Felsa 4000N – found an amazing 1st execution

We know the nice early Aquastar Regate with Felsa 4000N special modified movement as the queen of the 5 dots, branded with Heuer for the 1967 Amercia´s Cup Race with INTREPID. Till now I didn´t recognise that we can see 2 executions of that. Big thanks to Pete, who is writing a book about Aquastar with a chapter for the Regattas. He pointed me on that and [...]

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TAG Heuer Is Bringing Back My Favorite Sports Watch Ever

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Everybody’s got a “grail” watch .

I’m a pro, so I’ve got two. The first one is Patek Philippe’s first waterproof chronograph, the ref. 1463 , produced between the 1940s and 1960s. These start at about $150,000 and climb from there, which is a lotta moolah for a watch. The second is the Abercrombie & Fitch Seafarer, which Heuer made for the then-outdoorsman brand between the 1940s and 1970s. I especially like the earlier references 346 and 2443. Starting around $25,000, these don’t come cheap either. But it’s at least possible that I’ll be dumb and/or drunk enough to make this kind of financial mistake one day. (After all, this is why I don’t have children.)

Now, it seems that there is a way for me to save $13,000 and still walk away with one of my grails. How? The watch blog Hodinkee and TAG Heuer just teamed up on a reissue of the famed Seafarer, and are issuing it in a run of 968 pieces—125 for the Hodinkee Shop, with the remaining 843 pieces for TAG to sell through its boutiques and retailers. Based upon the later ref. 2446C executions of Heuer’s Autavia , it uses that model’s color scheme and houses the watch in TAG Heuer’s modern Carrera Glassbox , upsizing it slightly to 42mm. At $7,950, it ain’t exactly cheap, but it’s considerably more affordable than a vintage version. Most importantly, it gives folks like me access to a watch that hasn’t been produced in over 50 years. It's available on Hodinkee right now.

The list of qualities I love about this watch is nearly endless. The Seafarer is purpose-built to solve a moderately obscure problem, it’s unusually colorful for a mid-century sports watch, and well proportioned in nearly all its many iterations. The thing about the Seafarer that gets me every time is that it so vividly conjures feelings of summertime for me. The hunting/fishing complication tied to the tides and the yacht timer function take me back to the late ’90s and early 2000s when I was but a wee lad in summer camp sailing on Plunkett Reservoir in the Berkshires with my fellow brats, or hiking in the ’Gunks north of New York City with my family, or even rifling through Long Beach Island’s antique stores with my ma. Everything about the Seafarer is sunny, which is why I’m delighted to see it resurfaced.

But let’s back up a second—a brief history lesson is in order to understand why this watch is so special. Betcha thought Abercrombie & Fitch was just an overhyped mall brand full of chest-thumping young models and pricey, colorful T-shirts? Well, you’re not wrong, but before it turned into that, it was one of America’s foremost outdoor retailers—the type of place where Theodore Roosevelt and Ernest Hemingway would shop for fishing and hunting gear. (The company’s flagship store in Manhattan housed 12 floors of such gear and included an angler’s pool and an in-house watchmaker.) Walter Haynes, then-president of A&F, would visit Heuer twice a year to pick out new model’s for the brand’s watch counter.

In the late 1940s, Abercrombie requested a watch based on the budding “Solunar” theory, a system developed by John Alden Knight that gave the outdoorsman ideal times to hunt and fish based upon the position of the sun and moon—and thus, the tides. Charles-Edouard Heuer tasked his young son, 15-year-old Jack Heuer , with developing a method of integrating solunar theory into a wristwatch. Bringing the problem to Jack’s high school physics teacher, the two devised a movement that would display the changing tides in a special indicator throughout the course of a month. The “Solunar,” as it was called, was unique but didn’t sell particularly well.

However, when Heuer combined the unique complication with a useful three-register chronograph—merging the technical with sublime design—sales took off. This new watch, dubbed the Seafarer, featured a reconfigured hand-wound caliber from Valjoux with a unique tide indicator at 9 o’clock. (The outer 12-hour track contains a rotating disc divided by white lines into quadrants: tan to indicate low tide, and blue to indicate high tide.) Add in the colorfully demarcated 30-minute counter at 3 o’clock—which allows the watch to function as a yacht timer—plus the 12-hour counter at 6 o’clock, and the result is a supremely beautiful watch purpose-built for the sportsman.

The Seafarer’s limited production has only buoyed its appeal among collectors. The model was discontinued in the 1970s amid the onset of the Quartz Crisis and the eventual collapse of Abercrombie & Fitch (in its original iteration). But collectors have long since caught on to the indelible cool and wild design of this special piece, with earlier examples in good condition hammering for tens of thousands of dollars at auction.

The new TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Seafarer x Hodinkee freezes the watch to a happier time: in 1968, at a time when Heuer (and the greater watch world) was still in “peak” mechanical chronograph frenzy. Of course, given the existence of modern TAG Heuer’s excellent Carrera “Glassbox” case—with its domed sapphire crystal and excellent legibility—it wisely retained the 2446C’s color scheme while fitting the movement in an upsized version. I may have cried a single tear of sorrow at the lost possibility of a modern, 38mm ref. 346 or 2443—but even TAG Heuer has to cater to the masses. Why waste the Glassbox case when it presents such varied possibilities? Especially since Hodinkee and TAG nailed the beautiful color scheme, the tide and yachting complications, and the general usefulness of the Autavia-era Seafarers, which are what make the original watch so compelling.

The new Seafarer smartly blends vintage inspiration with modern sleekness. The triple-register chronograph with its tide indicator is reproduced in all its colorful glory, and is joined by applied stainless steel hour indices and a special paddle pusher at 9 o’clock to control the tide function. A 60-minute inner count-up bezel replaces the outer rotating bezel on the vintage Autavia-cased Seafarers, and the case measures 42mm, no doubt to accommodate the TAG Heuer cal. TH20-09 movement—which, of course, is of the automatic variety, rather than hand-wound. The black opaline dial, with its sky and royal blue accents, is superb looking, and the black, textured rubber strap looks comfortable. (A beads-of-rice bracelet, like those present on certain vintage Seafarer models, would’ve been a welcome addition.)

And you might be thinking: Cool-looking watch, but who, in the age of the smartphone, needs a watch with a mechanical tide indicator? The same could be asked of mechanical watches in general. The new Seafarer is cool because of the old Seafarer —the ingenious mechanical system that solved a then-current problem, combined with the presence of a secondary useful complication and a beautiful oceanic color scheme, was striking, utilitarian, and thought-provoking. The moment you see one, your mind immediately turns to scenes of fishing, boating, summer, and the water. This is a watch that almost calls to you, reminding you of hot-weather activities that 9 out of 10 blokes recommend. (And even that one dude who hates both the water and summertime is bound to admit that this is one good-looking watch .)

The Carrera Glassbox was a coup for modern TAG. In developing a contemporary, highly legible housing, the brand could use it to reissue any number of vintage classics in modern iterations—which it’s been doing with aplomb. But, of course, a company with such a long history of tool watch production needs to cater to its nerdy, die-hard audience of collectors in addition to the wider world of casual buyers. Could the reintroduction, after 50 years, of the Seafarer mean that we’ll see other references on offer in the future—perhaps ones that could more accurately be classified as “vintage reissues,” complete with vintage proportions and hand-wound movements? It’s tough to say. The evidence here isn’t great. Hodinkee worked with TAG on a modern reissue of the brand’s Skipperera in 2017. TAG didn’t officially bring back that model until last summer . For the most part, the maison appears to be cleaning its catalog of excess SKUs and offering a tighter, more modern curation of largely modern novelties. But hey, a nerd can dream, can’t he?

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Heuer Can-Am Sports Timer (1975)

In the year 1975, the Heuer name became synonymous with sports timing across the world. The Swiss brand would produce a wide assortment of multifunctional […]

Heuer Yacht Timer Ref. 503.913

‘The perfect mate for your next race’- the Heuer Yacht Timer was created by Heuer in the mid-1980s in their pursuit of sports timing excellence. […]

Heuer Yacht Timer 9901

This increasingly rare Heuer stopwatches celebrates Heuer’s often understated reputation in the world of nautical timing. Like the iconic Skipper model, this yacht timer features […]

Heuer Royal Air Force PVD Monte Carlo

A great looking historic timepiece, this Heuer Monte Carlo Dashboard timer was often used on Harrier jump jets amongst other planes by the Royal Air […]

Water protected Yacht Timer

52.5MM colour coded central 5 minute register.Reverse second division facilitates count-down. 3 crown functions. Manual 7 jewel movement.

Heuer Supersport wrist timer

The Heuer catalogue of the era described this as “A modern watch for sportsmen, referees” It is in all original condition perhaps even never worn. […]

Fine & Rare Vintage Heuer Rattrapante (Split Seconds) Timer

One of the most complex stopwatches produced by Heuer, this Rattrapante timer incorporates a split seconds timing function which remains in great working order to […]

Heuer Trackmaster stopwatch

Great looking stopwatch with sticker on the back, overall outstanding condition, slight crack in the crystal from the edge of the case.

Hanhart MegaMinute Chrome 60 Minute Timer

One of three examples available, this stunning Hanhart MegaMinute Chrome 60 Minute Timer was used professionally by Liverpool Football Club (provenance available upon request). A […]

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<a href=\"https://tools.wmflabs.org/wikivoyage/w/poi2gpx.php?print=gpx&amp;lang=en&amp;name=Obninsk\" title=\"Download GPX file for this article\" data-parsoid=\"{}\"><img alt=\"Download GPX file for this article\" resource=\"./File:GPX_Document_rev3-20x20.png\" src=\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f7/GPX_Document_rev3-20x20.png\" decoding=\"async\" data-file-width=\"20\" data-file-height=\"20\" data-file-type=\"bitmap\" height=\"20\" width=\"20\" class=\"mw-file-element\" data-parsoid='{\"a\":{\"resource\":\"./File:GPX_Document_rev3-20x20.png\",\"height\":\"20\",\"width\":\"20\"},\"sa\":{\"resource\":\"File:GPX Document rev3-20x20.png\"}}'/></a></span>"}'/> Obninsk is a city of 116,000 people (2021) in Kaluga Oblast on the bank of the Protva River. The new city of Obninsk was developed after World War II as a scientific city specializing in nuclear physics and atomic energy, meteorology, radiology, radiation chemistry and geophysics. It is home to many scientific research institutes.

Obninsk was the first science city in the USSR . In 1945, the First Research Institute Laboratory "V", which later became known as IPPE, was founded. On June 27, 1954, Obninsk started operations of the world's first nuclear power plant to generate electricity for a power grid. The city was built next to the plant in order to support it. Scientists, engineers, construction workers, teachers and other professionals moved to Obninsk from all over the Soviet Union.

Obninsk has cold and snowy winters and warm, humid summers. The average temperature in January is around -9 °C, and in July around +18 °C. Spring is cool, the average temperature in March is approximately −3 °C, in April +5.5 °C, and in May +12.3 °C. Autumn is moderately cool, in September the average temperature is +11 °C, in October +5 °C, and in November -1.5 °C. The average annual relative humidity is about 76-78%.

It is 100 km (62 mi) southwest of Moscow , and 80 km (50 mi) northeast of Kaluga along the Kaluga A130 highway.

The city is on the main rail line between Moscow and Kyiv and at the intersection of Kyiv and Warsaw highways. Three international airports are within reach from Obninsk: Vnukovo (70 km), Domodedovo (100 km), and Sheremetyevo (130 km).

• In a forest park in the southeast of the city there is a 19th century manor, Bugry.
• In the north-west of the city are the remains of an 18th century estate, Belkino with the Church of Boris and Gleb (1773).
• Next to the remains of the Belkino estate, the cascade of the Belkinsky ponds and the restored Belkinsky park with a gazebo for lovers and a decorative bridge.
• The most notable landmark of the city is the 310-m meteorological mast, which is part of the NPO Typhoon meteorological complex.
• In the 1940s, the Old City was built in the city according to the projects of Leningrad architects.
• The Church of the Nativity of Christ on Aksyonovskaya Square was built according to the project of the Obninsk architect Mikhail Belousov. It is the main city temple and is distinguished by its graceful decoration and gilded domes.

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