Chronosplit Heuer- A Classic?
It must have been an interesting day in 1975 when the new Heuer catalogue arrived at the retailer. Take a look at the 1974 catalogue- all the classics are there with a range of Calibre 12/ 14 and 15 movements: Monaco, Autavia, Carrera, Calculator, Silverstone and Montreal. Most of us would be happy to just collect the watches that appear in this single catalogue, as each of these models is coveted by collectors today.
Imagine the shock in 1975 when Heuer introduced the Chronosplit range- a combination LCD/ LED solid-state quartz watch that looked like nothing else the company had produced before. As the name implies, the watch had two displays, each powered by its own movement.
The Chronosplit is a pretty powerful reflection on the manner in which quartz movements were initially positioned by the Swiss houses- not as a cheap alternative to a mechanical movement, but as heralding a revolution in watch design. Heuer could have packaged the quartz movement in the Autavia case to show the world that quartz watches could look exactly like their mechanical cousins, but with the advantage of less servicing and greater accuracy. Instead, they chose the bold route- to showcase the new technology in a space-age design watch that looked like nothing else.
According to an interview with Watchtime in 2007, Jack Heuer had been inspired to enter the electronic watch market by a trip to Silicon Valley in 1972, where among others he met with Bob Noyce of Intel.
By 1977 the Chronosplit had lost the LED display, replaced instead by a LCD screen- apparently to improve the reliability of the watch, although significant problems continued. The Chronosplit range extended to include the Manhattan (also dual display- digital and analogue- with the movement being supplied by Citizen) and single screen LCD watches, such as the Kentucky- although Heuer did make a limited number of the Chronosplit Kentucky.
These watches have a fantastic F1 heritage, not just due to the incredibly rare Ferrari branded version pictured above (significantly cooler than the Tiffany branded version!), but also with the support of Niki Lauda and Clay Regazzoni.
Despite this heritage, the fact is that most Heuer collectors would never think of investing in a Chronosplit. Why? Not just because it’s a quartz- because these are unique enough to rise above that “problem”- but mainly because of the dire reliability of these watches.
What can go wrong?
Almost everything is the short answer. Archer Maclean is one of the handful of experts in the LED/ LCD world on these watches, and he has put together some fascinating photos that show why these watches are so fragile. Unlike later Heuer quartz watches, it’s not just a case of the batteries being left in and leaking acid- unfortunately the problems go much deeper to flaws in the design of the chips. Take a look at the printed circuit board below- the ship surface is unprotected and then wire bonds incredibly fragile. These bonds weaken over time and it only takes a couple of bonds to break for the watch to become inoperable. Sourcing new connectors? Virtually impossible.
The second photo below (this time from an LED/ LCD version) highlights the problems caused by the Stripe connectors, which also have a habit of eating themselves after a long period of time, and again are very difficult (impossible?) to replace.
Adding to the problem is watches that are worked on by non-experts- it’s so easy to destroy these movements that it is critically important to buy one from an expert- and there are a few around, such as Archer. Don’t be fooled by the old eBay line “LCD not working- probably needs a new battery”.
In Summary
Personally, I love the design of these watches, but I’m not sure I’d ever be brave enough to buy one due to the difficulty of repairing. There are some very tempting sets for sale at the moment- Full NOS watches with boxes and papers.
As mentioned above, buying from a reputable seller is critical. There are a number of sellers who focus specifically on LED/ LCD watches and seem to have a good record at bringing back some of these watches from the dead.
For the Heuer collector who already has enough Calibre 11/ 12/ 14/ 15 watches to fill the safe, The Chronosplit- especially the LED/ LCD version- would make a fine addition to the collection. The only thing holding these back is the ability of the watch to be repaired, but with enough interest, maybe a solution can be found.
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Photos and Credits:
1) Ferrari Chronosplit: Onthedash
2) Other photos: Archer Maclean- thanks for the use of your images. Read more about Archer’s findings on these watches here:
http://www.dwf.cc/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=68
http://www.dwf.cc/viewtopic.php?f=37&t=69
Great post David, and I can understand why some get attracted by such watch, there are glamorous pics of Lauda, my childhood hero, wearing it!
Still I don’t think I could ever be fascintated by a quartz (or anyway electronic) watch again, I’ve definitely turned round to mechanical chronos and that’s the way it’s going to stay.
So, for the lucky ones who already have coffers full of Cal.11,12 and 15 I’d say: well done, now move to Lemania 5100, Val. 72 and 7750!
Cheers.
Fabrizio