Innovations linked to sport

6 minutes read
Interview with Jack Heuer. TAG Heuer Honorary Chairman, closely involved in product development

Born in 1840 in the village of Brügg located in the Canton of Bern, and the son of shoemakers, Edouard Heuer did not appear destined to make watches. Nonetheless, he learned the trade in Saint-Imier and in 1860, at the age of just 20, he set up on his own under the name 'Edouard Heuer, Fabrique d'Horlogerie'. A sure sign that the brand's dynamism goes back a long way!
An inventor by nature, Edouard Heuer filed numerous patents, including for the pendant winding system, the column wheel, the pocket-chronograph with split-seconds function and the oscillating pinion. Three generations later in 1969, his grand-son Jack invented the Chronomatic Caliber 11, the first wristworn automatic chronograph.
Above all, however, he was a peerless businessman who, in parallel with making watches, also launched into the wholesale import of rubies from the English East Indies, which were indispensable to the watchmaking trade.TAG Heuer_334740_0

The first Heuer workshops in Saint-Imier (Jura).

1887

Oscillating pinion patent.

1916

1st Micrograph 1/100th Olympic Games Antwerp 1920.

1933

1st Autavia Dashboard counter Motor-racing Rallies 1930s-1950s.

1950

1st Mareograph tide indicator Sailing-America's Cup 1967.

1966

1st Microtimer 1/1000th Ferrari Timekeeping 1971-1979.

1969

1st automatic chronograph movement Chronomatic Caliber 11 with microrotor.

1975

1st Chronosplit Manhattan at 1/100th.

1995

1st Regatta movement Louis Vuitton Cup 1995-2003 (sailing).

2002

1st wrist-worn timekeeping instrument F1 Micrograph.

 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

TAG Heuer_334740_1

INVENTOR OF THE 1/100TH OF A SECOND FOR TIMING ENGLISH GREYHOUNDS

In 1876, thanks to the reputation acquired by Heuer in time keeping, he was able to open a subsidiary in London. This market expansion enabled the brand to specialize in chronographs and sports timersTAG Heuer_334740_2

Oscillating pinion 
(1887).
 

A RECOGNIZED SPORTS PARTNER FROM 1928 ON

TAG Heuer_334740_3

In 1928, Heuer hired its first employee dedicated to timekeeping, enabling it to launch into the very first form of sponsoring. 'We used to 'loan' him, with his timing devices, to ski, bobsleigh and horse-riding competitions, which were a means of promoting the brand' recalls Jack Heuer, who headed Heuer until 1982. 'We even developed the 'ski set', a timing system with a gate and a wire stretched across the finishing line: a method offering the ultimate level of precision for the period.''

 

 

 TAG Heuer_334740_4

Mareograph: 1st chronograph with a tide indicator (1950

TAG Heuer_334740_5

1st “Time of Trip” dashboard chronograph in 1911.

A SUCCESSION OF INVENTIONS

Inventions in the field of timekeeping followed on from each other in quick succession, enabling Heuer to become ever more precise and more reliable. In 1931 Auguste Piccard took Heuer pocket chronographs, carrying an official observatory rating certificate, with him in his ascent into the stratosphere. In 1933, the 'Autavia', the first dashboard counter for racing cars, was introduced; in 1939, Heuer developed a water-resistant wrist chronograph; in 1948 came the 'Autograph' featuring a tachometric scale and manually adjustable reference pointer; 1949 saw the arrival of 'Solunar', the first tide indicator watch and 1957 the launch of the 'Ring Master', the first sports timer with an interchangeable scales ring for each sporting discipline; 1964 brought the birth of the line of 'Carrera' chronographs, 1969 the launch of 'Monaco', the world's first chronograph fitted with a square water-resistant case; and 1975, the presentation of the 'Chronosplit', the world's first quartz wrist chronograph...

WORLD LEADER IN SPORTS TIMERS

It was in around 1960-61 that CEO Jack Heuer decided to focus on sports timers. He quickly came to lead the world market in this field, especially after buying up the main competitor, Leonidas, in 1964. Subsequently, between 1977 and 1978, he created a range of super-water-resistant diver's watches which also enabled him to conquer the underwater fishing segment. In parallel, he developed a whole range of ever more precise electronic timers. Heuer was part of 'Swiss Timing' which was organized at that time by the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry in conjunction with Omega and Longines, in order to calculate and classify the results by print-outs, taking timekeeping of both skiing and Formula One motor-racing to new heights of precision.TAG Heuer_334740_6

1st Chronomatic Caliber 11 with microrotor (1969).

An inventor who remains on the cutting-edge of avantgarde design and technology, Jack Heuer is currently the only descendant of a watch family carrying the surname of the founding member to be genuinely involved in new product development. Alongside the TAG Heuer Research and Development teams, he takes part in the creation of new models, contributing both his 'watchmaker's eye' and his knowledge in the field of precision stemming from the brand's sporting heritage.

'I always try to reiterate the core brand values', he insists, 'since I believe it is crucial to retain the unique spirit that has characterized our history from the time of founding. This spirit must permeate TAG Heuer in the 21st century. It is the guiding principle that has travelled through five generations and constitutes a living legacy; a legacy of innovation', explains Jack Heuer.

It is in this spirit that Jack Heuer participated in creating the new Autavia: based on a model he had himself created in 1963, it will be presented at the Basel Show in a totally revamped version merging avant-garde design with high technology.

TAG HEUER AND THE GENEVA WATCH MUSEUM

TAG Heuer_334740_7

The “Rally Master” dashboard instruments patented in 1958 with a “Sebring” stopwatch with a flyback hand (left) and a“Monte Carlo” stopwatch with 12-hour digital display (right).

'230 watches and pieces of jewellery, worth several million francs, have disappeared from the Geneva Watch Museum, early in the morning of November 24th 2002… The Winterthur and Lloyd's insurance companies are promising a 'substantial reward' to anyone able to give information leading to the arrest of the perpetrators of the theft, as well as the recovery of the watches…'

Despite appeals in the press, the Geneva Watch Museum has not seen the return of these objects. Many major watch brands have expressed their solidarity with Geneva by offering vintage pieces so that its museum can quickly re-open. As part of this movement, TAG Heuer has donated twenty rare watches bearing witness to watchmaking history, which were part of its private museum.

Here are a few examples to be admired in the form of photos, while awaiting the moment when the reinforced museum security will enable them to be viewed in new showcases.TAG Heuer_334740_8

1940: Pocket stopwatch with a hand-winding movement, 1/5th second precision, 60-minute register. Chrome case.

TAG Heuer_334740_9

1955: Pocket stopwatch with a hand-winding movement, 1/5th second precision, 30-minute register. Chrome case. : 1st chronograph with a tide indicator (1950).

TAG Heuer_334740_10

HCV 125 (1985): Gold pocket chronograph celebrating the 125th anniversary of TAG Heuer. 1/5th second precision, 30-minute and 12-hour registers, date/day/ month, moon phases.

 

HCV 125 (1985): Chronographe de poche en or créé pour marquer le 125e anniversaire de TAG Heuer. Ce chronographe mécanique a une précision de 1/5e de seconde, des compteurs de 30 minutes et 12 heures avec indicateur de dates/jour/mois et de phases de lune.

TAG Heuer_334740_11

Calculator (1972): Automatic chronograph, 1/5th of a second precision, 30-minute register, date at 6 o'clock. The Calculator was launched before the widespread use of pocket calculators.

TAG Heuer_334740_12

Executive (1980): Quartz watch with turning bezel.

TAG Heuer_334740_13

Carrera (1968): Hand-winding chronograph, 1/5th second precision, with 30-minute register and date. Originally brought out in 1964, this model tried to improve the legibility of the dial by engraving a scale of fifths of seconds on a slightly raised band placed under the convex glass in Plexiglas. The dial thus seemed to have gained two millimetres. It was named “Carrera” after the famous “Carrera Panamericana Mexico” raced in Mexico.

TAG Heuer_334740_14

Link: Automatic Chronograph, chronometer certified by the COSC. The emblematic bracelet of the Link is an ultimate refinement and a reference in terms of fluidity, comfort and ergonomics: a design made to defy time.

Featured brand