As a yachtie, the countdown timers of the early 1970s are very interesting. These days we are wearing digital countdown timers and we mostly hate them. My last one had a plastic strap, it was broken during a jib change and I lost it overboard. I really don’t want to have super expensive timepieces on my wrist during a race, it makes me a little nervous.

I would love to wear a modern chronograph sailing. They are available but are pricey, I would love to wear one though. As long as it was designed for sailing, it requires a programmable countdown timer, we mostly require a 5 minute countdown, sometimes 3 minutes and 10 minutes isn’t unheard of. Getting a good start is important for getting an early advantage, then you need to build on the early advantage and build a lead. Sure, you can catch up and overtake the leaders, but it is better to use that advantage to increase your lead.

Heuer no longer manufactures sailing chronographs, if I want one, I will have to head onto the second hand vintage market. I would be extremely hesitant to wear a vintage Heuer chronograph during a yacht race, the chances of smashing it or losing it overboard are high. Heuer made their reputation producing motor racing chronographs, Heuer were all about chronographs. A yacht timer is a pretty good use of a chronograph function, the tool watch aesthetics really suit my style.