A New Approach to the Moon Phase Complication: The TAG Heuer Carrera Astronomer
TAG Heuer fake luxury watches has unveiled three new Carrera Chronometer Moon Phase models, reinterpreting the moon phase complication with a modern twist. However, this bold move raises the question: Can this most classically poetic of complications truly coexist harmoniously with a brand so deeply rooted in the world of motorsport? A look at TAG Heuer's history reveals numerous, sometimes surprising, intersections between space exploration and the moon phase, offering valuable insights into how this complication has come to occupy a special place in the TAG Heuer brand image. This article delves into these historical connections, new creations, and the brand's modern interpretation of the moon phase.
The Story of the Solunar – The First Watch with a Tide Indicator
One of the most striking chapters in TAG Heuer's lunar history is the Solunar. Launched in the late 1940s, this watch, in its predominantly chronograph-based collection, stood out as the first watch to feature a tide indicator, located at 6 o'clock. Its name—a portmanteau of "solar" and "lunar"—hints at its purpose: the Solunar was primarily intended for sailors and fishermen, allowing them to track the rise and fall of the tides according to the lunar cycle. The indicator, calibrated to a specific position via a push-piece, then completes a full rotation every 50 days—roughly twice the length of the 28.5-day lunar cycle. It is surrounded by a 24-hour ring, which helps visualize the tides: a white line within a blue circle indicates high tide, while a white line within an orange frame indicates low tide.
The Solunar, with its groundbreaking display, paved the way for the chronograph version of the tide gauge: the Heuer Mareograph, which debuted around 1950. This watch combined the Solunar's tide dial (now located at 9 o'clock) with a 12-hour counter at 6 o'clock and a 30-minute counter at 3 o'clock, the latter of which also served as a regatta timer. Because it was divided into five-minute increments, the latter was used to time the countdown to the start of sailing and rowing races. This chronograph concept—sold by Abercrombie & Fitch as the Seafarer and later by Orvis as the Solunagraph, although both were manufactured by Heuer—became popular again in 2024. With the launch of the TAG Heuer Carrera Seafarer Chronograph × Hodinkee, the concept resurfaced in a modern form, ushering in a new era for this fascinating chapter in the brand's history. high quality fake watches
Classic Heuer models with moon phases
However, in the late 1940s and 1950s, Heuer also introduced watches that combined a full calendar with a chronograph complication. These models featured two windows for the day and month at 12 o'clock, with the date indicated by a central hand on the outer edge of the dial, and also featured a moon phase display.
These relatively rare models, such as the Ref. 823 and Ref. 2643, are typically equipped with the Valjoux 88 movement and are available in both stainless steel and gold cases. Today, such complex chronographs are considered highly collectible, as Heuer (both past and present) primarily focuses on pure sports chronographs.
Notably, shortly after the brand's transition from Heuer to TAG Heuer, the brand returned to the moon phase tradition in the mid-1980s. In 1985, as part of the "Golden Hour" collection commemorating Heuer's 125th anniversary, an 18K gold limited edition chronograph (Ref. 188.205) with both a date and moon phase display was released. Powered by a Lemania 1883 movement, this re-edition once again demonstrates the enduring significance of traditional astronomical complications for the brand.
The first Swiss watch to fly into space? A Heuer.
Let's review some of TAG Heuer's most significant connections to outer space. It was February 20, 1962. At Cape Canaveral, preparations were underway for a landmark mission: under the Mercury-Atlas VI program, the United States aimed to launch humans into Earth orbit for the first time. But the atmosphere was tense, with the pressures of the Cold War growing and reaching a peak later that year. Just a year earlier, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin had become the first human to orbit the Earth. On the launch pad stood an Atlas LV-3B rocket, topped by the Friendship 7 capsule. Inside sat pilot John Glenn—and on his wrist, not a Breitling or Omega Speedmaster, was a TAG Heuer stopwatch: Reference 2915A.Hublot MP fake watches
At 9:47 a.m., John Glenn lifted off. Wearing his TAG Heuer watch, he orbited the Earth three times in four hours and 55 minutes, reaching a maximum altitude of 260 kilometers and an orbital velocity of approximately 7.8 kilometers per second. With this manned mission, the United States finally caught up with the Soviet Union in the space race. While the TAG Heuer Reference 2915A wasn't the first watch to fly into space—that honor belongs to the "Sturmanskie" chronograph worn by Yuri Gagarin—it does hold the distinction of being the first Swiss watch to do so.
The Reference 2915A worn by John Glenn was a stopwatch with a white dial, secured to his wrist by an elastic strap. The central chronograph hand rotated once every 60 seconds. The upper subdial recorded intervals of up to 60 minutes, while the lower subdial recorded durations of up to 12 hours. Thanks to the combination of large Arabic numerals and a finely graduated minute track around the edge of the dial, this chronograph was accurate to within one-fifth of a second. The wearer started, stopped, and resumed the chronograph by sequentially pressing the crown, while a pusher on the side reset the hands to zero.
In 2012, TAG Heuer unveiled a commemorative timepiece commemorating two significant milestones: the 50th anniversary of becoming the first Swiss watch brand in space, and SpaceX's first successful landing on the International Space Station (ISS). To commemorate the occasion, TAG Heuer unveiled the Carrera Calibre 1887 SpaceX Chronograph, a limited edition of 2,012 pieces. The dial design pays homage to the historic Reference 2915A, reinterpreting its layout for a modern watch. This anniversary model features a white dial with a 60-minute counter at 12 o'clock and a 12-hour counter at 6 o'clock, housed in a 43mm stainless steel case. TAG Heuer retains the triangular hour markers at 12 and 6 o'clock, as well as the numerals in the original font. However, a date window has been added, and a graphic depicting a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Dragon spacecraft into low-Earth orbit has been added at 3 o'clock. Notably, one of these limited-edition watches has already been to space: a Carrera SpaceX chronograph accompanied the SpaceX crew on their May 2012 mission to the International Space Station. Upon return, the watch's 1887 caliber was found intact and underwent a thorough technical inspection on Earth.
TAG Heuer's New Moon Phase: The Carrera Astronomer
Having explored TAG Heuer's historic ties with space, we now turn our attention to the brand's latest creation. With the Carrera Astronomer, TAG Heuer sought to create a stark contrast to its motorsport-focused line while reaching new customer segments through a more competitive price point. To achieve this, the brand employed a complication that was as unconventional as the moon phase itself, which was quite unexpected for TAG Heuer. Jacob & Co. Astronomia fake
Unlike the traditional display of moon phases via a rotating disc featuring two moons, the Carrera Astronomer Moon Phase uses a hand to guide the wearer through the lunar month—a cycle of exactly 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes, and 2.8 seconds. During this period, the moon progresses through waxing crescent, first quarter, and ascending gibbous phases before reaching full moon. It then progresses through last quarter, last quarter, and first quarter phases before returning to new moon.
The Carrera Astronomer is unique in that it not only displays the moon phase itself, but also indicates the exact date of the lunar month and the selected phase description. In this modern interpretation of this complication, a rotating disc features two indicators: a lower arrow pointing to the written description of the current moon phase, while an upper arrow marks the corresponding lunar month date, accompanied by a visual representation of the moon's appearance. The disc advances once daily at 1:00 a.m. At the heart of this mechanism lies the newly developed Calibre 7 movement, which offers a 56-hour power reserve. The movement is based on the Sellita SW385-1 and beats at a frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour.
The Aesthetics of the TAG Heuer Carrera Astronomer
The new TAG Heuer Carrera Astronomer is available in three versions, all featuring a 39mm diameter and 12.16mm thick stainless steel case, a silver inner dial with a sunray finish, and a caseback engraved with the chronometer motif. While these common elements provide the foundation, the differences between the models define their individuality. The black-and-silver version features a black minute track, rhodium-plated hands, hour markers, and logo, while the moon phase display is entirely black. The rose-gold version features a moon phase disc in the same silver hue as the dial, complemented by rose-gold-plated hands, hour markers, and embellishments on the seven-row stainless-steel bracelet.
The most striking version of the TAG Heuer Astronomer features a pale green hue not only on the hands and hour markers, but also on the moon motif. These elements contrast strikingly with the dark grey tones of the minute ring and moon-phase display. Rather than a metal bracelet, the watch is presented on a calfskin strap that matches the dark hue.
TAG Heuer aims to elevate the appeal of its three-hand watches with the new Carrera Astronomer. Drawing inspiration from its space legend – the first watch worn in space by John Glenn – the brand presents a novel and fluid moon-phase display that accurately depicts the lunar month and its various phases. However, in everyday use, the moon-phase display has a minor drawback: due to the positioning of the hand within the moon-phase display, readability can be affected, depending on the hand's position. This can obscure portions of the display, making the dial less legible at certain times. https://www.grand-watch.co
No comments:
Post a Comment