Automatic wristwatch with day/date — view 1 of 4 — View 1 of 4 · Image: © The Trustees of the British Museum · original image source (opens another website in a new tab)

View 1 of 4 · Image: © The Trustees of the British Museum · original image source (opens another website in a new tab)

Wristwatches · Wrist-watch

Automatic wristwatch with day/date

DocumentedDocumented from the holding institution's catalogue record.

Maker / attribution: TAG Heuer (Made by); Sellita (Movement made by)
Date: 2011–2014
Historical period: Contemporary Horology (2010 – Present)
Country of origin: Switzerland
Place: Switzerland
Object type: Wrist-watch
Materials / technique: stainless steel, rhodium, sapphire
Dimensions: Diameter: 42 millimetres (case exc. crown) Height: 105 millimetres (max inc strap) Width: 46 millimetres (max) Depth: 17 millimetres (max inc strap)
Holding institution: British Museum
Accession / object no.: 2018,8024.3
Credit line: British Museum, London
Catalogue title (original): Automatic wristwatch with day/date (English)

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Record summary

Held and catalogued by British Museum (object number 2018,8024.3), this is a wrist-watch by TAG Heuer, made in Switzerland, dated 2011–2014. The Atlas places it in the Contemporary Horology period (2010 – Present) of its Wristwatches collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: stainless steel, rhodium, sapphire. Recorded dimensions: Diameter: 42 millimetres (case exc. crown) Height: 105 millimetres (max inc strap) Width: 46 millimetres (max) Depth: 17 millimetres (max inc strap). The record is illustrated with 4 photographs.

Assembled from the source record's structured fields. Dates and attributions are given as the source states them; where a field is missing the Atlas leaves it blank rather than estimating.

Catalogue description

Description — British Museum

Automatic wristwatch with day/date Strap: Brushed stainless steel link strap. Case: Brushed steel case. Brushed steel screw in case back with sapphire crystal central insert. Polished steel screw-in crown at 3 o'clock. Polished steel bezel, with arabic numerals (for even hours, 2-12). Sapphire crystal. Dial: Black dial with vertical grooved 'anti-reflective pattern. Polished steel indexes for hour markers. Day/date aperture at 6 o'clock. Faceted polished Rhodium plated hour and minute hand with luminescent inserts, polished seconds hand. Movement: Automatic movement TAGHeuer 'Calibre 5' based on Selita SW 240-1 26-jewel movement.

Curator's comments — British Museum

The watch came in a large brown cardboard and cream faux-leather presentation box, which was not registered. (Objects 2018,8024.2-5 all came with identical boxes, so only one example was registered). See 2018,8024.2 for an example of the type of box this watch was sold in. The watch has a rapid date change, and has a power reserve of 38 hours. It is water-resistant to 100m The balance frequency is 28,800 vph TAG Heuer introduced the 'Link' watch in the 1980s, revamping it in 2011.

Inscriptions & marks

inscription; dial; TAG; HEUER; LINK; CALIBRE 5; SWISS MADE; inscription; Strap; 3165 X; TAGHeuer TAGHeuer; STAINLESS STEEL X-B9; FAA061; 3165 X; inscription; Case back; WAT2010-0; RUF6955; SWISS MADE SINCE 1860 -; SAPPHIRE CRYSTAL -; AUTOMATIC-; 100 METERS-; inscription; movement, winding weight; TAGEHeuer; Calibre 5; SWISS MADE; inscription; Movement back plate; TWENTY-SIX 26 JEWELS SWISS MADE; DM11/8 314 SW 240-1

Provenance

Donated by:, Anonymous

Historical context

Contemporary Horology (2010 – Present)

Silicon components, connected watches, optical-lattice research clocks and a thriving independent scene.

Smartwatches became the world's best-selling watches, while mechanical watchmaking focuses on craft, innovation (silicon components, new escapements) and independent makers.

Read the period in the timeline More wristwatches from this period Earlier: Mechanical Renaissance

Atlas type guide

Automatic (self-winding) watches

Self-winding watches use the wearer's motion to wind the mainspring. Abraham-Louis Perrelet and Breguet made 'perpétuelle' pocket watches with oscillating weights in the late eighteenth century, but the principle only became practical in the wristwatch. John Harwood patented a bumper automatic in 1923; Rolex's Perpetual rotor (1931) winding in one direction, and later bidirectional rotors (Eterna, Felsa Bidynator), established the modern form. Micro-rotors (Universal Genève, Buren) and peripheral rotors made automatic watches thinner.

What to look for

A semicircular rotor turning 360° over the movement, or a 'bumper' weight that rebounds between springs.
'Automatic', 'Perpetual' or 'Self-winding' on the dial.
A sealed screw-back case, since automatic watches are wound less often by the crown.

Dating clues

Bumper automatics: 1923–c. 1955.
Full rotors: from 1931 (Rolex); widespread after c. 1950.
Micro-rotors: from 1954–1958.

General guidance written by the Atlas editors about this kind of object. It is not a statement about this particular piece; for that, rely on the source record above and on physical examination.

Mechanisms mentioned

Jewel bearings — Component
Self-winding (automatic) mechanism — Component
Power reserve indicator — Complication

Record completeness

Maker or attributionRecorded
DateRecorded
Place or countryRecorded
MaterialsRecorded
DimensionsRecorded
Narrative descriptionRecorded
Inscriptions / marksRecorded
ProvenanceRecorded
Several photographsRecorded

Editorial status: Documented — facts as published by the source; not independently verified by Atlas editors.

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Sources & image rights

Record source: British Museum (opens another website in a new tab).

Image rights: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 (© The Trustees of the British Museum) — permission review (opens another website in a new tab).

Images are hosted by the Atlas for study and credited to their owner. Rights holders may request correction, credit changes or removal, or grant permission, via the editorial office.

Cite this record

"Automatic wristwatch with day/date." British Museum, 2018,8024.3. Catalogue record in The Horology Atlas, WatchMuseum.org, https://atlas.watchmuseum.org/museum/automatic-wristwatch-with-day-date-dbd1d0.