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The Heuer logo is seen often in the recent feature film Rush, which chronicles the epic 1976 battle between drivers James Hunt and Niki Lauda.)

He presided over Heuer between 1971 to 1979, when the company served as the official timer for Formula 1 racing. He was there when Steve McQueen donned the Monaco for the film Le Mans. Among other things, he oversaw the Carrera development and launch and the Calibre 11 development program. Jack’s stewardship encompassed the years that put the brand on the map. Left, Jack Heuer as a young man, and after his return as Honorary Chairman of TAG Heuer in 2001.Īfter taking control of the company that bears his name in 1962, Jack Heuer led it until the acquisition by TAG Group in 1985, after which when he left to join the electronic industry.

Heuer launched the movement as the Caliber 11 and staked its claim to history as a developer of the first automatic winding chronograph caliber. At the show, Zenith had only a few prototypes (though, to be fair, the Zenith El Primero caliber was more sophisticated). As planned, they backed up their claim by presenting hundreds of working watches, demonstrating serial production, or industrial, capability. Heuer and its partners held to their schedule, making their announcement at Basel in March. Then in January, 1969, Zenith announced its El Primero. By that time, they would have enough working prototypes to demonstrate serial-production capability. The collaboration developed a movement, and planned to announce it at the Basel watch show in March, 1969. One of the competitors was Seiko, another was Zenith, and the third was a collaboration involving Heuer, Breitling and Buren. This set up a competition to see which company would reach the market first. Recognizing the need for an auto-wind chronograph, three companies and consortiums undertook to develop such a movement, none apparently aware of the others’ efforts. When automatic winding wristwatches reached the market, they sold like hotcakes, leaving manual winders languishing on retailers’ shelves. An original Heuer Calibre 11, one of the first automatic chronograph movements.