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Sailing is considered a particularly demanding sport, and the requirements for a watch meant to be worn while sailing are correspondingly high. It must not only be precise and reliable but, above all, rugged enough to withstand wind, weather and water. Beyond that, it helps if a sailing watch offers special complications. These make it easier for sailors to take the time measurements needed during a regatta. In today's magazine article, we take a detailed look at several sailing watches from renowned luxury watchmakers such as Omega, Rolex and Ulysse Nardin.
Sailing and Watches – a Long-Standing Bond Forged at the Regatta
Watches and seafaring have been closely linked since the 18th century at the latest. Precise timekeeping proved early on to be an indispensable requirement for safe navigation on intercontinental overseas routes, which grew ever more important, above all in the flourishing trade between the European maritime powers and their colonies. While seafarers and explorers were already able to use latitude for navigation with relative confidence by the late 15th century, determining longitude exactly posed considerably greater problems.
The reason was that latitude could be determined fairly easily by measuring the sun's highest position or the altitude of culminating stars.
Determining longitude, by contrast, was far more laborious; at first it was only possible through precise dead reckoning or by means of lunar distances. The so-called longitude problem – establishing exact longitude on the open sea – eventually became so pressing that substantial prize money was offered for its solution.
Even so, it took until 1759, when John Harrison, after more than 30 years of work on the matter, was able to present a satisfactory solution using the marine chronometers he had built. These were distinguished by a rate accuracy that was almost unbelievable for the time and were rugged enough that the ship's constant motion did not impair their function.
In military and merchant shipping, sails have long since been replaced by engine power.
In practice, navigation today has long relied on computers, yet a reliable mechanical watch still serves well on board, at least as a backup instrument. Wherever people still sail today, a precise, high-quality sailing watch also continues to perform important tasks – for racing sailors at a regatta as well as for recreational skippers.
The Artemis Racing Diver Chronograph – a Limited Sailing Watch Honoring the America's Cup Team
Ulysse Nardin presented a particularly impressive example of a modern mechanical sailing chronograph at the start of 2017 at the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) in Geneva. The Artemis Racing Diver Chronograph is a tribute to the America's Cup team Artemis Racing and its sailing prowess. It was produced in a run of just 250 pieces. This sailing watch delights its owners on the water as well as on land with its maritime design and impressive performance. The ultramarine blue of the case and rubber strap, along with the characteristic wave pattern on the bezel, are the most striking hallmarks of this chronograph.
The dial design is another special feature. Finely engraved on it are the outlines of the legendary Artemis Racing catamaran. In addition, the 30-minute counter at 9 o'clock and one of the two strap elements display the stylized Artemis logo. Although created primarily as a sailing watch, the Artemis Racing Diver from Ulysse Nardin is equally suited to serve as a fully fledged dive watch.
Its rather imposing 45.8 mm case is made of stainless steel with a rubber coating. It is water-resistant to 20 bar and features a unidirectional rotating bezel for monitoring dive times.
Super-LumiNova improves the legibility of the hands and indices in the dark. On this Ulysse Nardin masterpiece, the seconds are counted by a central hand. Besides the 30-minute counter already mentioned, there is a running small seconds on the opposite side at 3 o'clock and a 12-hour counter at 6 o'clock. The date window sits between 4 and 5 o'clock. The hands are driven by the self-winding caliber UN35.
A Sailing Watch from Omega
Omega offers sailors several options for keeping precise track of the time – and, if needed, other details – even on the water. One is the limited-edition sailing watch Speedmaster X-33 Regatta, which offers a practical mix of analog and digital functions. Especially useful for racing sailors is the innovative regatta function, which displays the all-important 5-minute countdown before the start of a race.
A colorful, purely mechanical alternative is the ETNZ "Deep Black," a special edition of the Seamaster Planet Ocean whose red and blue accents on the dial, bezel and strap allude to the colors of the New Zealand flag. Here, the case and bezel are made of black ceramic. On this model, Omega gave the diving scale a color-highlighted 10-minute segment. The movement with Co-Axial escapement is certified as a Master Chronometer. And even water pressure of 60 bar, or 600 meters, poses no threat to this fascinating sailing watch. In case a somewhat longer sailing trip or a regatta overseas is on the agenda, the watch comes not only with a date display at 3 o'clock but also with an additional hand for a second time zone.
The Rolex Sailing Watch Classic: the Yacht-Master
The Rolex Yacht-Master is a sailing watch that cuts a fine figure not only on board but also at the club in the evening after the regatta. The simpler version, available with a case diameter of 37 or 40 mm, is a three-hand watch with a Cyclops date magnifier, rotating bezel and a chronometer-certified in-house automatic movement. Water resistance to 10 bar, or 100 meters, ensures that even a heavy breaking wave or other wet surprises on board can do this sailing watch no harm.
The Rolex Yacht-Master II, by comparison, is somewhat more elaborate and was designed specifically as a regatta chronograph for demanding competitions on the high seas. The highlight of this model is its countdown function, which can be programmed for periods from 1 to 10 minutes. The setting is stored mechanically. So that the countdown timed by the Rolex sailing watch can be matched exactly to the regatta's official countdown, it can be synchronized via a flyback function once started. The automatic caliber 4161 naturally also carries chronometer certification and was developed by Rolex specifically for the Yacht-Master II.
In total, the manufacture invested more than 35,000 hours in developing this sailing watch. The Yacht-Master is worn on the classic Oyster bracelet, prized as much for its robustness as for its wearing comfort and aesthetics. The Oysterlock folding clasp prevents accidental opening. The convenient Easylink comfort extension system lets you quickly and easily lengthen the bracelet of this sailing watch by a few millimeters.