TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Seafarer × Hodinkee

Quick specs TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Seafarer × Hodinkee
Price: $ 7,950 | € 9.050 | £ 8,050 | CHF 9’000
Size: 42 mm
Reference: CBS2014.FT6293

Another collaboration from Hodinkee, this time leading to the TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Seafarer × Hodinkee. Hodinkee is an American (news) portal for watch lovers that slowly started to sell vintage watches as well. And now they sell new watches too, from all kinds of brands, and they do collaborations to help brands releasing new models.

Yes, it’s a bit tricky when journalism and commerce cross paths. As there is a financial relationship with a watch manufacturer while Hodinkee also reviews watches of that manufacturer. That said, look at this beauty. The model is inspired by the 1968 Abercrombie & Fitch Seafarer ref. 2446C. Which is also a Heuer Mareograph(e) ref. 2446C. We’ll come back to that later. Basically, it is a chronograph movement with tide complication mounted in an Heuer Autavia 2446C compressor case. You can see it at the last photo of this article.

Abercrombie & Fitch and Heuer partner to create a tide watch

Inside this 2446C is a modified Valjoux 72, as it has a tide indicator. With the fact that the moon controls the tides, you can calculate the tides in general, just as we can calculate the moon phase. Back in the 1940s Heuer (TAG was added to the name later) produces white-label watches for others, and one of them is the then sporting goods store Abercrombie & Fitch.

At the end of the 1940s A&F requested Heuer to create a sports watch for hunters, fishermen, and sailors. And do so using a patented watch complication that was designed (on paper) by A&F’s president Walter Haynes. With this complication one could read tides.

How does the tide indicator work

Charles-Edouard Heuer converted the patented tide indication design into gears and teeth and all, resulting in a complication with a rotating disc with the speed of two lunar cycles. So, two times 29.5 days, thus with a rotation speed of 59 days. Read this article about tides and water levels if you want more insights.

Tides differ all over the world, just like moon phases. So, a tide indicator should have the option to quickly update it to match local tide tables. (You have to find these first in order to make it work, so you might want to go to Tide-forecast.com.) The update of the tables is done by the pusher at the 4 o’clock position. On your 1949 A&F and on the new Carrera Chronograph Seafarer. The colors on the tide indicator tell you whether it is high or low tide.

History of the tide indicator on Heuer watches

All this designing first leads to the Heuer Solunar and Abercrombie & Fitch Solunar, in 1949, followed by the Abercrombie & Fitch Seafarer ref. 346. Both made by Heuer, that releases its version of the latter as well with the Mareographe ref. 346 in 1950 (see the first photos of this article). This first execution got a follow up with a second execution.

After these the Mareographe ref. 2443 appears, also in two executions, and also released by F. Gübelin for instance, from Heuer’s white-label program. Then the Mareographe ref. 2444 comes out (also two executions) after which the Mareographe ref. 2447 would follow, the last model before the ref. 2446C. This 2446C is released in 1968 by Heuer, and also as the Abercrombie & Fitch Seafarer ref. 2446C. This 2446C model also has two executions, both with an external bezel.

The “new Seafarer”

This new TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Seafarer × Hodinkee is a blend of both the ref. 2446C and the ref. 346. More from the latter we think as that model has a glassbox design without an external bezel, just like the new Seafarer. Only the dial is more close to the 2446C as the tide indicator counter has blue accents, surrounded by an hour-scale for the times of the tides. It’s operated by a huge pusher at 4 o’clock. And you can also use it as a moon phase indicator of course.

Then there is a 30-minute totalizer at the 3 o’clock position that can be used as a regatta timer, and its scale is divided into five-minute sectors. Run the chronograph and the minutes will be timed to the moment you have to take off, of course helped by the chronograph central seconds hand to start at the precise second. With a boat race for example.

The TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Seafarer × Hodinkee has a power reserve of 80 hours

At the 6 o’clock position of the black opaline dial is a silver colored small seconds sub dial. The flange of the dial has a 60-minute/seconds scale, the hands and indexes are steel colored and have luminova. The movement of the TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Seafarer × Hodinkee is the new TAG Heuer caliber TH20-13. An evolution of the Heuer caliber 02 with an added tide indicator counter. The case and sapphire are the same as all new (good looking) Carrera’s, here in 42 millimeters with the classic glassbox sapphire.

This Seafarer × Hodinkee comes on a black integrated rubber strap with textile pattern and a stainless steel folding clasp with push-buttons. Should you like a vintage inspired Hodinkee collab with Porsche, take a look at this Porsche Design Chronograph 1 Limited Edition for Hodinkee. Rather have a TAG Heuer connected to Porsche, you might want this TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph x Porsche 963. And take a look at the TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Skipper Rose Gold, also an offspring from a collab between Hodinkee and TAG Heuer.

On the left the Heuer Mareographe ref. 2446C from the late 1960s and on the right the new Tag Heuer Seafarer