The Time Machine on Your Wrist

Purists may turn up their noses at us giving attention to a quartz watch, but give us a second to talk about this one.

For one, this is a Heuer. You know, Heuer, one of our favorite watch brands of old. The company that gave us such iconic models as the Carrera, the Autavia, the Monaco, and this, the Chronosplit.

At the time of the Quartz Crisis, when the Swiss were still figuring out how to deal with the growing dominance of battery-powered watches, the world saw a variety of attempts – from the Americans, the Japanese, and the Swiss alike – to incorporate a quartz movement into radically different watches. When Heuer first introduced the Chronosplit in 1975, their approach was to embrace the new technology and put it inside a futuristic watch that looked ready for the space age.

The Chronosplit itself is also notable for being the first LCD/LED quartz chronograph. The LCD screen on top is for the time and date display, while the bottom LED screen is for the stopwatch function. Each display is powered by its own movement. At the time of its introduction, it was very popular among the Formula 1 set, particularly for its accuracy.

Nowadays, it’s difficult to find a Chronosplit in working condition due to the corrosion of the battery over time and disruptions to the wiring by DIYers trying to fix and replace watch batteries themselves. So you’re in luck that we’ve gotten our hands on a working-condition, gold-plated ref. 100.705 (one of the earliest versions of the Chronosplit) with the original box and papers.

Plus, the original owner of this watch was a pretty interesting guy himself.

Certainly, it’s not a watch for everyone, but come on, it’s the “future.” Embrace the look.