With the launch of the new TAG Heuer Carrera Astronomer in three distinct versions, TAG Heuer presents a contemporary reinterpretation of the moon phase complication. Yet this bold step inevitably raises the question of whether the most classically poetic of all complications can truly harmonise with a brand so deeply rooted in the world of motor racing. However, a glance into the company’s history reveals a number of – at times surprising – touchpoints with both space exploration and lunar indications, offering valuable insights into how this complication finds its place within TAG Heuer’s identity. In this article, we take a closer look at these historical connections, the new releases, and the brand’s modern take on the moon phase display.
One of the most notable moon-associated chapters in TAG Heuer’s history is the Solunar. Launched in the late 1940s, this remarkable outlier in a product range otherwise dominated by chronographs was the very first wristwatch to feature a tide indicator, positioned at 6 o’clock. Its name – a blend of “solar” and “lunar” – hints at its purpose: the Solunar was aimed primarily at sailors and fishermen, allowing them to track the ebb and flow of the tides based on the lunar cycle. The indicator was calibrated to a specific location via the pusher and would then complete one full rotation every 50 days – approximately twice the length of the 28.5-day lunar cycle. It was encircled by a 24-hour ring, which helped visualise the tides: blue-ringed white lines marked high tide, while white lines bordered by an orange hue indicated low tide.
With its highly unconventional display, the Solunar laid the groundwork for a chronograph version of the tide watch: the Heuer Mareograph, which made its debut around 1950. This model combined the Solunar’s tide dial (now positioned at 9 o’clock) with a 12-hour counter at 6 o’clock and a 30-minute counter at 3 o’clock that doubled as a regatta timer. Thanks to its division into five-minute intervals, the latter could be used to time the countdown to the start of yacht and boat races. The concept of this chronograph – which was sold by Abercrombie & Fitch as the Seafarer, and later by Orvis as the Solunagraph, though all were manufactured by Heuer – saw a revival in 2024. The idea resurfaced in modern form with the launch of the TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Seafarer × Hodinkee, ushering in a new era for this fascinating chapter in the brand’s history.
Credit © Christie’s
However, during the late 1940s and 1950s, Heuer also produced watches that combined a full calendar with a chronograph complication. These models featured the day of the week and month in two apertures at 12 o’clock, the date indicated by a central hand along the outer edge of the dial – and additionally included a moon phase display.
These relatively rare pieces, such as Ref. 823 and Ref. 2643, were often powered by the Valjoux 88 calibre and offered in both stainless steel and gold cases. Today, such complicated chronographs are considered highly collectible, as Heuer – both then and now – has primarily been associated with pure sports chronographs.
Interestingly, the brand revisited the moon phase tradition once more in the mid-1980s, shortly after the transition from Heuer to TAG Heuer. In 1985, as part of the “Golden Hours” collection launched to mark Heuer’s 125th anniversary, a limited edition 18k gold chronograph with date display and moon phase (Ref. 188.205) was released. Powered by the Lemania 1883, this re-edition reaffirmed the enduring significance of the traditional astronomical complication for the brand.
Let us now turn to the most significant link between TAG Heuer and outer space. The date is 20 February 1962. At Cape Canaveral, preparations are in full swing for a landmark mission: under the Mercury-Atlas 6 programme, the United States aimed to send a man into Earth’s orbit for the very first time. But the mood was tense, shaped by the mounting pressures of the Cold War, which would reach its peak later that year. Just one year earlier, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin had become the first human to orbit the Earth. Standing on the launchpad was the Atlas LV-3B rocket, topped by the Friendship 7 space capsule. Inside the capsule sat pilot John Glenn – and strapped to his wrist was not a Breitling or an Omega Speedmaster, but a stopwatch by Heuer: the Reference 2915A.
At exactly 9:47 a.m., John Glenn launched into space. Accompanied by his Heuer, he orbited the Earth three times over the course of 4 hours and 55 minutes, reaching a maximum altitude of 260 kilometres and an orbital speed of approximately 7.8 kilometres per second. With this fully manned mission, the United States had finally caught up with the Soviet Union in the space race. While the Heuer Reference 2915A may not hold the title of the first watch in space – that honour belongs to the Sturmanskie chronograph worn by Yuri Gagarin – it does claim the distinction of being the first Swiss timepiece to travel into space.
The Reference 2915A worn by John Glenn was a stopwatch with a white dial, secured to his wrist using elastic straps. The central chronograph hand completed one full rotation every 60 seconds. The upper sub-dial recorded intervals of up to 60 minutes, while the lower sub-dial tracked durations of up to 12 hours. Thanks to a combination of large Arabic numerals and a finely graduated minute track at the edge of the dial, the chronograph allowed time to be measured with a precision of 1/5th of a second. Pressing the crown in sequence enabled the wearer to start, stop, and resume the chronograph, while the side pusher reset the hands to zero.
In 2012, TAG Heuer marked two important milestones with a commemorative timepiece: the 50th anniversary of being the first Swiss watch brand in space, and the first successful SpaceX mission to the International Space Station (ISS). The result was the TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre 1887 SpaceX Chronograph – a limited edition of 2,012 pieces. The dial design paid tribute to the historic Reference 2915A, reinterpreting its layout for a modern wristwatch. Accordingly, the anniversary model featured a white dial with a 60-minute counter at 12 o’clock and a 12-hour counter at 6 o’clock, housed in a 43 mm stainless steel case. TAG Heuer also retained the triangular markers at 12 and 6 o’clock, as well as the numerals in the original typeface. A new element, however, was the addition of a date window and a graphic at 3 o’clock depicting a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the Dragon capsule in low Earth orbit. Notably, one of these limited-edition pieces actually made it into space: during SpaceX’s mission to the ISS in May 2012, a Carrera SpaceX Chronograph accompanied the crew onboard. Upon return, the Calibre 1887 inside was found to be fully intact and was subjected to a thorough technical inspection back on Earth.
Having explored TAG Heuer’s historical ties to space, we now turn our attention to the brand’s latest release. With the Carrera Astronomer, TAG Heuer seeks to establish a distinct counterpoint to the predominantly motorsport-inspired models in its portfolio – while also tapping into a new customer segment through an alternative price point. To achieve this, the brand relies on a complication that is as unconventional in its execution as the moon phase display itself is unexpected for TAG Heuer today.
Unlike the traditional method of depicting the moon phases via a rotating disc with two moons, the Carrera Astronomer employs hands to guide the wearer through the synodic lunar month – a period of exactly 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes, and 2.8 seconds. During this time, the moon transitions through the waxing crescent, first quarter, and waxing gibbous phases, culminating in the full moon – before waning through the gibbous, third quarter, and crescent phases, eventually returning to the new moon.
What sets the Carrera Astronomer apart is its ability not only to display the lunar phases themselves, but also to indicate the exact day of the synodic month, along with selected phase descriptions. In a modern reinterpretation of the complication, a rotating disc carries two indicators: a lower arrow points to the written description of the current phase, while an upper arrow marks the corresponding day of the lunar month, paired with a visual representation of the moon’s appearance. This disc advances once daily at 1:00 a.m. At the heart of this mechanism is the newly developed Calibre 7, offering a power reserve of 56 hours. Based on the Sellita SW385-1, the movement operates at a frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour.
The new TAG Heuer Carrera Astronomer debuts in three versions, all united by a 39 mm stainless-steel case measuring 12.16 mm in height, a sunray-brushed silver inner dial, and an engraved observatory motif on the caseback. But while these shared elements set the foundation, it is the differences between the models that define their character. The black-and-silver edition pairs a black chapter ring with rhodium-plated hands, indices, and logo, while the moon phase display is rendered entirely in black. The rose-gold version adopts the same silvery tone for its moon phase disc as used on the dial, complemented by rose-gold-plated hands, indices, and accents on the seven-row stainless-steel bracelet.
The most striking version of the TAG Heuer Astronomer introduces a pale green hue not only to the hands and indices but also to the moons themselves. These elements are set against dark grey tones on the chapter ring and moon phase display. Rather than a metal bracelet, this variant is fitted with a calfskin leather strap that echoes the darker colour palette.
With the new Carrera Astronomer models, TAG Heuer aims to broaden the appeal of its three-hand offerings. Drawing on its spacefaring legacy – as the first Swiss watch worn in space by John Glenn – the brand introduces a novel and coherent moon phase display that offers a precise visualisation of the synodic lunar month and its various phases. One minor drawback does present itself in everyday use: depending on the position of the hands, legibility of the moon phase display can occasionally be compromised, as the hands are located within the indication itself. This can partially obscure the display and make the dial appear somewhat less clear at certain moments.
In terms of pricing, the green version comes in at €4,400, the silver-black edition is priced at €4,600, while the rose-gold variant sits at the top of the range at €7,000. Both the green and the rose gold versions are limited to 500 pieces each, with a corresponding engraving on the caseback indicating the limitation.
