The Chronosplit1975

A hi-tech timepiece worn by Enzo Ferrari

In 1975, the word hi-tech was new; the Chronosplit defined it. Electronic, accurate, with a dual digital display, its radical design fused form and function perfectly.

In the mid-Seventies, TAG Heuer inventors were seeking new horizons. After pioneering an electronic stopwatch accurate to 100th of a second, they wanted to make an electronic chronograph just as revolutionary. Their challenge was to combine the time and stopwatch functions in a contemporary design.

People's lifesyles were changing fast. So was design. Funky watches—mostly best forgotten—were in. The Chronosplit was different: simplicity itself. An LCD, with its own light, showed the time. Below, an LED displayed the stopwatch function in red. The displays could be used together or separately.

Calling it "futuristic" is an understatement; "Space Age" does it more justice. Fans rate it the most technically novel digital watch of the era. TAG Heuer produced limited editions, including fifteen with the Ferrari logo, and the great Enzo wore one. That is surely the utlimate seal of approval.