The TAG Heuer Monaco is one of several significant watch models celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2019, but it is far from the only important, innovative chronograph the Swiss watchmaker has created in its distinguished history. In fact, few watch brands are better known for chronographs than TAG Heuer. The first ones appeared in the company?s catalog in 1882; they were followed by a parade of technically innovative chronographs that continues to this day. Here are seven highlights from TAG Heuer’s history of chronograph watches.
1. Oscillating Pinion (1887)

The stated goal of Heuer founder Edouard Heuer was to make chronographs technically simpler and noticeably cheaper without affecting their reliability or precision. In the 19th century, the horizontal clutch was a standard chronograph feature, but Heuer wanted a simpler way to connect the chronograph to the movement. On May 3, 1887, he was granted a patent for what he called an ?oscillating pinion,? also known as a ?rocking pinion.? It was an arbor with a pinion at each end. One pinion meshed with the movement?s seconds wheel and the other, when the chronograph was switched on, with the chronograph wheel. When the chronograph was switched off, the pinion pulled away from the chronograph wheel. The device worked so well it became a watch-industry staple, and is today used in chronograph movements including the ETA 7750. 2. Mikrograph (1916)
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In 1914, Charles-Auguste Heuer set in motion his company?s ...