TAG Heuer and its founder, Jack Heuer, are synonymous with auto racing watches and played a critical role in shaping the chronograph genre.
However, until it was revived in 2024, few watch fans were aware of Mr. Heuer’s significant contribution to nautical timekeeping.
In the 1940s, Heuer was tasked with developing a mechanical tide monitoring complication for a major client, Abercrombie & Fitch. The watchmaker delivered in 1949 with the Solunar, which was allegedly designed with the assistance of Heuer’s physics teacher.
The initial watch failed to take off, but a few years later, when the complication was placed in a nautical-themed chronograph called the Seafarer, it became a hit. Produced until 1970, it went down in watch lore as the most sought-after model from the Heuer-Abercrombie partnership.
Hodinkee and TAG Heuer teamed up to revive the Seafarer in 2024. Based on a reference from 1969, it has a black dial with silver, white and tonal blue detailing.
Nearly a year later, TAG Heuer is launching another Seafarer-inspired chronograph without Hodinkee at the helm. This one notably does not have the Solunar complication, but it is tied to another, more famous watch from the brand’s storied history.
