1970s Orvis Solunagraph (Ref. 2446SF)

Though seldom seen, most vintage Heuer enthusiasts (or just vintage tool watch enthusiasts) have likely come across a photo or an article on the Orvis Solunagraph, the true tool watch for the outdoorsman. Like many other watch brands during the 70s, Heuer produced a number of different watches with specific applications for different brands that wanted to offer a reliable and trustworthy timepiece to their customers with their brand name on the dial. The Solunagraph for Orvis, much like the Seafarer for Abercrombie & Fitch, is a manual winding chronograph with a specific complication solely for tracking the tides of the Ocean.

The Orvis Solunagraph is based on the EPSA designed compressor case Heuer Autavias of the late 1960s to early 70s and utilizes a Valjoux Cal. 723 chronograph movement. The grey sunburst dial is accented beautifully by the white and blue accents of the sub-dials and hands, the rotating bezel can be seen with either an hours/minutes scale or a tachymeter scale. The 9 o’clock sub-dial is for tracking the tides of the ocean which is set with the additional pusher on the left side on the case.

Orvis was established in 1856 in Manchester, Vermont, and has continued to be a well-respected outdoor equipment company ever since. Heuer was already well established in creating tide tracking watches dating back to the 1950s with the Mareograph. Orvis decided the Mareograph would be the perfect watch for their clientele, albeit with their own name and branding, as the ability to track tides offers a slew of practical applications for fisherman, hunters, and adventurers to help guide them along their journeys.