Lot 467

Heuer

Orvis Solunagraph

An extremely rare vintage wrist chronograph with tide indication - reference 2446 second execution, produced for Orvis, an American company specialising in specialist outdoor equipment with a focus on fly fishing

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The pusher on the left is for setting of the tide display, i.e. low and high tide can be tracked precisely, an important feature for fishing or hunting. Heuer had already been producing this complication since the 1950s with the Mareograph and for Abercrombie & Fitch under the name "Seafarer", one of which we sold in our 101st auction.
The present timepiece is the second version of the Solunagraph with wavy lines on the tide dial, controllable by the pusher at 9 o'clock.
Overall, the condition of this watch is excellent. The stainless steel case has a few signs of age-related wear, but is unpolished and is a very modern size, a condition that vintage watch collectors desire. The reference and serial numbers between the lugs are clearly legible and the original crown is correctly signed with the Heuer logo. The black bi-directional rotating "MH" bezel with its 60-minute and 12-hour divisions is similarly beautiful and evenly patinated as the rest of the case. A real eye-catcher, however, is the perfect deep dark grey dial with its silver-coloured sub-dials and blue accents. The luminous material above the applied bar-shaped hour markers and the small dots at 3, 6 and 9 o'clock are slightly darkened and fully intact. All in all, we have here a charismatic sports chronograph from the early 1970s. As it was only rarely used for sporting events, production numbers were small, which explains why this timepiece hardly ever appears on the market.