Vanity Fair UK - 10.2019

T

he relationship between timekeeping and the ocean stretches back to the 18th century and the

race to calculate longitude accurately while at sea—a problem that was eventually solved by

John Harrison and his series of marine chronometers. The road to ocean supremacy was one

of the greatest journeys of all time, but today, life at sea is as much about recreation and sport as it was

once about world domination. As travel became more widespread after the Second World War, the interest

in nautical sports grew, and with it the demand for wristwatches suitable for new environments. Gérald

Genta and his followers created the beach-ready genre of practical, elegant “sports luxe” timepieces, but

as the maritime lifestyle grew, so too did the call for related horological functions.

One of the most interesting and niche complications to appear was that of the regatta watch. Unlike in

most other competitive races, visual and audible signals are given before the start of a race in a regatta,

enabling the yachts to build speed and position themselves as close to the starting line as possible when

the starting gun is fired. A regatta watch, therefore, is designed to provide the helmsman and crew with

a precise representation of the countdown, which can be anywhere between three and 15 minutes.

One of the first brands to address the needs of competitive sailing was Heuer, which debuted its first

water-resistant pocket watch over a century ago and created the first chronograph with tide indicators in

1950: the Maréograph. A partnership with manufacturer Aquastar in 1965 led to Heuer distributing the

twin-branded Heuer Aquastar Régate, in which the countdown minutes are marked off via a series of

five balls that change colour. It was this watch that commemorated Heuer’s first official sailing partnership

in 1967 when it became the timekeeper and crew watch of double America’s Cup winner Intrepid.

By 1968, Heuer had introduced its own regatta watch, the Skipper. Made until the 1980s, there were

several versions with different dials, cases, movements and model names, but the basic functions remained

the same. Interest in these classic models soared in 2016 when a “Skipperera” (a Skipper in a Carrera

case) sold at Fel lows , i n less t ha n m i nt cond it ion w it h a n est i mate of £ 400 - 600, for more t ha n £20,000.

Within a year, models in good condition were fetching £60,000, leading TAG Heuer to create a new,

limited edition Carrera Skipper in 2017. The model sold out in record time.

TOP PRIZE

The story of Heuer’s sailing evolution has already made mention of the pinnacle of competitive yachting

that originated in 1851: the America’s Cup. Given its prestige and accompanying glamour, it is no surprise

RACING CLASSTRACEY LLEWELLYN charts watchmaking’s famous links to the high seas. Image by PETER CROWTHER

PANERAI

Submersible Luna

Rossa 47mm

TISSOT

Sailing Touch

TAG HEUER

Limited Edition

Carrera Skipper

for Hodinkee

48 VANITY FAIR ON TIME AUTUMN^2019