A regatta timer is a watch built to count down the minutes before a sailing race starts. It helps the skipper avoid crossing the start line before the starting gun fires. That matters because crossing too early brings a heavy penalty, set by the rules of that race.
How does a regatta timer work?
Horns sound to begin the countdown period before a race. When the skipper hears that signal, they start the timer. From then on the watch shows how much time is left until the start. Many regatta timers show the countdown with a coloured or numbered disc that turns underneath the dial. On the Aquastar Regate, one of five dots changes colour at each minute. That lets the wearer see at a glance how many minutes remain before the start.
Where it comes from
Yacht timers were first carried in the pocket on a cord. Only later did they become large wristwatches. Heuer offered a yacht timer by 1936. In 1961 JeanRichard SA filed a patent for a regatta watch that counted down five minutes. Frédéric Robert, the inventor named in that patent, used it to develop the Aquastar Regate. Frederique Constant released a regatta watch in 1997, with a function that counted down the time before a regatta started. Older regatta timers are scarce today and much sought after by collectors.
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