Series Overview: Heuer Solunar
When you think about vintage Heuer watches from the 1970s, they generally fall into one of two categories: One of the “Big Three” (Monaco, Autavia and Carrera), or another Chronograph series powered by Heuer’s Chronomatic Movement (Silverstone, Calculator, Verona, Monza, Skipper to name a few). But this week we have something for you that fits into neither category- the Heuer Solunar.
Launched in 1976, the second-generation Solunar (the name being a portmanteau of “Solar” and “Lunar”) is a tool-watch designed to show the time of low and high tides over a 2 week period. The watch was aimed at fishermen, and is a fascinating example of both niche marketing and how a watch can be used for much more than simply telling the time.
But before we look too closely at the second-generation Solunar, let’s start with the original- a beautiful watch from the late 1940s.
1949 Solunar
Look familiar? Regular readers will recall seeing this wonderful 1949 Heuer Solunar in Mark Moss’ review of Heuer’s history in the 1930s and 1940s.
Mark recounts the story of the origins of the Solunar:
“This was introduced at the instigation of Abercrombie & Fitch, the US sporting goods retailer, who would develop a strong relationship with Heuer in this post-war period. Their managing director informed Charles-Edouard Heuer of the demand for a tide watch from fishermen, but the necessary calculations for displaying tides were performed with the help of Charles-Edouard’s son’s physics teacher! The name of said son? Jack Heuer….”
The success of the Solunar led to a Chronograph version of the tide watch, called the Heuer Mareograph.While the Mareograph range continued intermittently through to the 1970s, the Solunar disappeared from the Heuer range until being revived in a very different form.
Solunar 279.603
Arriving in 1976, the Solunar was somewhat of an oddity in the Heuer Catalogue (shown in the 1977 Catalogue above), with its large (45mm) stainless steel case, dual-crown, Day-date window at 3 o’clock and lack of Chronograph complication.
The watch only came in one colour- a bold blue, which in reality is darker than the catalogue would indicate (see below).
While there were other Tide watches on the market, Heuer kept to the ethos of the brand at the time and launched a tide watch with an automatic movement.
