Before TAG: A History of Heuer-Leonidas And Its Focus On Chronographs

Before TAG Heuer, there was Heuer-Leonidas. The history of Heuer is heavily influenced by the chronograph. After Heuer and Leonidas merged, the combined company was actually the largest manufacturer of stopwatches and chronographs in Switzerland at that time. In this post, I’d like to cover some of Heuer and Leonidas’s history, and also display some vintage ads, too.

History Of Heuer: A Rich Heritage As A Chronograph Producer

The original Heuer company was founded in 1860, by Edourad Heuer (who was only 20 years old at the time). In 1887, Heuer’s patent to improve the “oscillating pinion” would allow the chronograph to start and stop instantly with the use of a push button, so we can see that the chronograph has been integral to the company’s identity since close to the beginning.

The company’s specialty in chronographs and stopwatches actually posed a unique problem for Heuer during World War 2. Unlike regular watches, these were considered “war material” by the surrounding Axis Powers, and so exporting them outside of Switzerland proved exceedingly difficult. This led Heuer to concentrate more on its own domestic, Swiss market.

Heuer Advertisement from 1945

After the war, the sale of chronographs boomed, and Heuer was there to ride that wave. Chronographs specifically were seen as the mark of the physically-fit, heroic war veteran, but by 1949, sales began to decline rapidly.

Heuer decided to capitalize on its unused capacity to introduce a line of self-winding wristwatches, therefore. These were primarily sold to the American market, and were often produced as private label watches.

1950s Heuer advertisement

Post-War WW2: A “Golden Era” In The History Of Heuer

According to Tag Heuer itself (from the history section of its website), 1958 “marked the dawn of a new era” for the company. Jack Heuer became the fourth generation to manage the family business. Jack was the great-grandson of the original founder, and renewed the focus on chronographs.

The next decade would see the release of many iconic chronographs, including the Autavia in 1962. This was the company’s first chronograph with a collection name. 1962 was also the year that the first Heuer was used in space. John Glenn utilized a Heuer 2915A stopwatch as a backup timer aboard the Friendship 7 in February of that year. The iconic Carrera Chronograph would then be released the next year, in 1963.

One of the first automatic chronograph movements would be introduced by Heuer in 1969. The Calibre 11 (Chronomatic) movement was first showcased in Autavia, Carrera, and Monaco chronograph watches. The Monaco is perhaps the most famous of this trio, due to an association with Steve McQueen.

The “Chronomatic” automatic chronograph movement was created in 1969 through a consortium that included Hamilton/Buren, Breitling, Heuer-Leonidas and Dubois-Depraz. The movement utilized a Dubois-Depraz chronograph module, which was attached to the backside of a Buren movement.

1969 Heuer advertisement

A Match Made In Heaven: The Leonidas Merger

Leonidas was founded in 1841, and like Heuer, was a well know manufacturer of chronographs and timers. It was a merger that just made sense.

1955 Leonidas watch advertisement (pre-Heuer merger)

Heuer and Leonidas would officially merge in 1964, and the Leonidas name would only be used sparingly going forward. By the late 1960s, Heuer-Leonidas was the fastest-growing producer of timekeeping instruments, as well as the most dominant. Sales grew 18% year-over-year from 1969 to 1970, and growth over a ten year period was even more impressive – in excess of 20% annualized.

Of course, this above-average growth wouldn’t last long as the Quartz Crisis hit. Jack Heuer called 1971 a “tough year”, saying that he’d rather forget the 1971 entirely. Sales were down by almost 9% and profits declined at an even worse rate.

The End of Heuer-Leonidas

TAG Heuer was formed in 1985, after Heuer was acquired by the TAG Group (Techniques d’Avant Garde). Once the merger was complete, the Leonidas name was dropped. Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton S.A. (LVMH) would then go on to acquire TAG Heuer in 1999, and it’s still TAG’s parent company today. LVMH also owns Zenith, which ironically was one of Heuer’s main competitors to develop the first automatic chronograph in the late 1960s. TAG Heuer remains a producer of chronographs, maintaining names like Autavia and Carrera – and thus keeping its legacy alive.

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