FEATURE: My Top Five (Modern) Autavias

As you probably know by now, I'm not a 'vintage' watch guy, so for me the TAG Heuer Autavia starts in 2003 with a 'TAG' branded re-issue that brought us three models; black and orange (known as the 'Rindt') white and blue ('Siffert') and the white dialed rose gold model. All these models had the Calibre 11 movement and so featured the left hand crown as per the classic Monaco we all know and love.

Unfortunately this range didn't really take off and the models were gone again within a couple of years. It seems perhaps buyers weren't enamoured of the 'TAG Heuer' logo on the dial and since at this time Heuer originals weren't as expensive as they are today it was easier to pick up an original for a sensible price.

I really liked the Siffert model, but I'm not a fan of the case shape, so I was pleased to see it re-imagined for the round cased Calibre 11 limited edition (just 100 pcs made!). At the time it came out I couldn't afford it, and there were other reasons I didn't buy one - but I honestly thought it would be the only Autavia I would ever consider, but things change...

I can't honestly say I had to spend hours whittling down the field, painstakingly picking models apart and agonising over my decisions as there really aren't that many Autavias to start with and a lot of them can be discounted quite easily from my point of view because I really don't like the bezel on the original Autavia Heuer 02, so that counted out quite a few including the otherwise quite attractive blue dialed 'Watches of Switzerland' limited edition!

Still, there's still some nice pieces here all the same:

#5. CBE2111.BA0687

(Jack Heuer 85th Anniversary)

The Jack Heuer 85th Anniversary model was a big improvement over the CBE2110 for me, if only because they changed the bezel to one with a much more delicate design. That said, I'm not crazy about silver dial watches and unfortunately the 'beads of rice' bracelet doesn't work for me either, which doesn't bode well for the whole Heuer 02 range really... but this was definitely one of the nicer ones.

#4. WBE5112.EB0173

(Calibre 5 Chronometer)

When the 'new' Autavia Isograph was launched at the beginning of 2019 I wasn't overly interested if I'm completely honest, but visiting the Meadowhall TAG Heuer boutique I came across the entire range on show (not available to buy) and was rather impressed. What looked like quite a flat and uninteresting dial in pictures had much more depth and detail than I expected and the I much prefered the less ostentatious bracelet. While I wouldn't say I was desperate to buy one, it certainly changed my perception of the range enormously and this blue/black dial is almost the pick of the bunch for me.

#3. CBE2118.FC8246

(1972 Viceroy Re-Edition)

Okay, so maybe I'm willing to overlook the bezel here, since this classic combination of black and red gives this one a more aggressive and sporty look which works for me. Only available in the United States, this Autavia was originally intended to be a limited edition of 150pcs, but was changed instead to a 'Special Edition' meaning an indeterminate number of pieces at TAG Heuer's discretion. A smart move I would say as I bet they could easily shift 500 of these without too much trouble.

#2. CBE2114.EB0131

(Calibre 11 Limited Edition Heuer 02)

The 'Calibre11' (website not movement) limited edition Heuer 02 Autavia was an instant hit, with a simple but stunning colour scheme and a commensurate rise in resale value! On release it combined all the best elements of the Heuer 02 Autavia range, with the (much more aesthetically pleasing) tachymetre bezel, a white dial and (subtle) blue accents hinting at it's 'Siffert' roots. It is the only Autavia Heuer 02 I would have ever considered buying myself and part of me wishes I took advantage when I had the opportunity - but now it's way out of reach, even if I decided I did want one. Glad though that I don't have the guilt of being tempted to flip for a profit, especially since David from 'Calibre11' very kindly arranged my trip to the TAG Heuer factory in 2018!  

#1. WBE5190.FC8268

(Calibre 5 Chronometer)

It was a tough call between the top two, but ultimately I decided I had to go with the one that I thought I might, possibly, maybe, one day purchase... and that is this green dial model with a bronze case. Again I got to see this in its original 'Isograph' incarnation at the Sheffield boutique and it really impressed me. The crown is a bit on the silly side, but it didn't seem quite as oversized in reality as the pictures suggest and the watch definitely has a great feeling about it. It just feels very well made, and as I said before the dial has much more depth and detail than pictures suggest. 

As yet I haven't taken the plunge into 'bronze' watches, but this one definitely appeals. My only real concern is how to keep it looking nice and shiny! I know a lot of people love bronze because it ages and turns green (some people even put their watches in plastic bags full of eggs to accelerate the process - madness!) but I like it because it looks a bit like gold but has more warmth to it. I understand you can clean it with vinegar, but it seems like a lot of hassle to me!

It's always the way that you shouldn't dismiss watches from pictures, but never was this more true than with the modern Autavia range - they just don't photograph all that well, which is a shame but it does mean you get a nice surprise when you actually come face to face with one!

Check out the modern Autavia range on the TAG Heuer Enthusiast Gallery Blogspot:
http://tagheuerenthusiastgallery.blogspot.com/search/label/Autavia?view=snapshot

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Autavia Isograph R.I.P by Not So Obvious Watches

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Autavia Isograph Review by Oracle Time

VIDEO: Baselworld 2019: Scientific Talk on the Autavia Isograph with Guy Semon of TAG Heuer by Watch Advisor

ON THE WRIST: TAG Heuer Autavia Isograph Watches

The new Autavia Collection

TAG Heuer Boutique / Meadowhall, Sheffield, 25th May 2019

A few weeks ago I got an email inviting me to the Oxford Street store to view the new Autavia range. As it happened I was going to London that day for a gig, but I didn't fancy the idea of trying to persuade my wife to treck all the way across the other side of London just to look at five watches I wasn't particularly fussed about. So I passed on that occasion, but luckily, walking in to the Meadowhall store today I was confronted by not only the new Autavia range but also the Nanograph!

The watches were not available to purchase as they don't start shipping for another few weeks, but they certainly seemed to be attracting a lot of attention; at least the Autavias were. I'm not sure the Nanograph was in the best place as it was positioned directly behind you when looking at the Autavias; I didn't even spot it until I'd been in the store for about fifteen minutes!

WBE5191.FC8276

The first Autavia I picked up was this brown dial, bronze cased version and straight away I could see why people were saying these look better that the photographs suggest. For some reason the pictures really flatten them out and when you get to hold them in your hands you quickly realise there's more dimension to the dial than first appears. The indices to the edges (outside the Arabic numerals) are far more angular than I thought and rather than being printed white lume as they appear, they are actually applied polished rhodium. These also sit on the rehaut, which again is not obvious from the photographs I've seen, and while I'm still not crazy about those retro numerals, I assume at least they are going to give plenty of lume-glow.

As far as I can recall this is the first bronze watch I've ever tried on and I don't know if I expected it to be heavier than steel, but it wasn't noticeably so. As I presume these watches have been touring the country working hard to drum up business the bronze is already looking quite tarnished, which is good really as it gives a good indication of how your watch will actually look after a few weeks. On the other hand I'd like to see a brand new one and see what it looks like when the wrapper has just come off.

WBE5190.FC8268

The second model I picked up was this green version of the same bronze cased Autavia, and I have to say that the render above is a bit misleading. The green is a lot more subtle than this suggests, particularly on the strap which I didn't even realise was green until I got it in my hands. This is all to the good I feel, as sometimes a little bit of subtlety works better in the long run, and the dark green works extremely well with the bronze case. I think this one is going to sell particularly well once people get to see it.

One of the things I was worried about (perhaps 'worried' is a tad strong...) was that in the renders here the crown looks too big. I know they are going for this 'Pilot' watch aesthetic, something that doesn't particularly appeal to me personally it must be said, but in reality the crowns look much more in keeping with the overall dimensions than you might imagine. Yes the crown is oversized, but it doesn't look too big for the watch, they've got it spot on I think; big enough to match the brief but not so big that it's off-putting.

WBE5112.EB0173

The last Autavia I tried on was this blue dial, steel bracelet version and while I'm a bracelet guy and definitely not a brown (or green) leather strap guy, for me this doesn't work anything like as well. The bracelet and clasp remind me of the ones fitted to the Grand Carrera, which is no bad thing in itself, but it doesn't seem to fit with the style of the dial somehow. 

These watches are all 42mm, and while the first two sat nicely on my wrist, this last one felt much bulkier and less wearable. In contrast, the steel looks a little unexciting after the novelty of the bronze cased versions, which is slightly surprising as on paper I thought this would be my Autavia of choice. 

All of the new Autavia's have ceramic bezels as you'd expect for this kind of money really and while I'm still not 'in love' with the Autavia, I definitely feel a lot more warmly to this version (and in particular the bronze cased versions) than I ever have towards the Heuer 02 Autavias. 

I can't help wondering what will happen to these five Autavias that are touring the country drumming up business. Clearly they will be handled a lot and won't be fit for regular sale, is it possible that they might end up in the outlets at some point? And how many more 'display' Autavias might there be knocking around?

VIDEO: Baselworld 2019: TAG Heuer Autavia Isograph by Hours and Minutes Australia

VIDEO: Baselworld 2019 - TAG Heuer Autavia Isograph. Talking to Guy Bove Product Director by Watch Advisor

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Unveils Isograph High Tech Hairspring in Autavia Collection by Watches TV

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Autavia - Baselworld 2019 by WatchGecko

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Autavia Isograph Bronze by Time and Tide Watches

VIDEO: Latest Releases from TAG Baselword 2019 by Time and Tide

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Autavia Isograph

WBE5110.EB0173

You may remember that Baselworld 2018 resulted in some 'leaked' prototypes of Calibre 5 and Calibre 7 Autavia which didn't exactly look that promising. As the weeks dragged into months and the months became nearly a year, it became apparent that perhaps those models weren't actually going to make the cut. And from my perspective, that was a good move!

So now, on the eve of Baselworld 2019 we find ourselves presented with a brand new variety of Autavia, this time called the 'Isograph' and containing the Calibre 5 movement, albeit upgraded with the carbon hairspring found in the recent Nanograph Carrera. 

WBE5112.FC8266

TAG Heuer's social media teasing suggested a 'pilot' watch of sorts, and it is, kind of... well, ish. I mean it's got an oversized crown for sure, that looks like it's come off a Carrera. Thankully they've dispensed with the red stripe down the middle... and it's 42mm, which is sensible. I do wonder how many people really want those massive pilot's watches, granted a few collectors, but as a mass market item it's never going to wash.

My initial reaction when seeing this new model was - Oh, it looks like a Breitling. Which it kinda does, and given Breitling's aeronautical leanings I guess that was slightly inevitable. More specifically the numerals remind me of the Colt Skyracer, which is not something to be proud of unfortunately. 

Thankfully though the Autavia's Arabic numerals are applied!

The second thing that struck me was, that something looked 'wrong'. That something turned out to be the TAG Heuer logo up there at the 12 position. The 'TAG Heuer' logo rather than the 'Heuer' logo... which on the face of it I should be happy about, even if it's going to annoy a lot of people. But the problem is, the new TAG logo is very clean, very sharp, very... modern, not to put too fine a point on it and consequently to me it looks a bit out of place on this retro dial. I get the reasoning behind it, this is a 'new' watch and not a re-issue so the Heuer logo wouldn't be appropriate, and not too long ago I did photoshop the new logo onto one of the Heuer Calibre 17 Carreras and it looked great, but this one, not so much. I guess it will look okay eventually, these things always settle in, but off the bat it seemed to look a bit off. It will be interesting to see how the target audience reacts, we've already seen Breitling change their logo back to their older design - unfortunately TAG Heuer are in this peculiar position of not having that to fall back on, or rather they choose not to fall back on it because it would anger the Heuer purists. Who would want to have to make these decisions?

The new Autavia comes in a selection of colours and straps, including for the first time a bronze model. You may remember the leaked bronze Autavia drawing from last year's Baselworld... this is probably one of the better looking new Autavias and I imagine this one will sell well - assuming TAG aren't too late to the bronze party?

On the face of it, these watches fill a gap in the TAG Heuer line-up, making the Autavia a more affordable proposition. With the steel case/steel bezel on a leather strap models starting at 3400CHF (Approx £2600) and topping out at 4200CHF (£3200) for the bronze case/ceramic bezel on leather TAG finally has something to offer the retro enthusiast for the price of a top line Aquaracer.