Sixties’ Superstar
ONE OF THE BEST HIGHLIGHTS AT BASELWORLD 2017 WAS NONE OTHER THAN TAG HEUER’S RETURNING ICON: AUTAVIA
The Baselworld fair has, every now and then, brought in a decent amount of celebrities to rev up the crowd and fete the launch of new timepieces. TAG Heuer, especially, really knows how to work the crowds. For the newly re-launched Autavia timepiece, it did what others might want to take note of and probably follow.
Autavia itself was a collection that Jack Heuer, the living great grandson of the brand’s founder, created in 1962. As a matter of fact, the Autavia was his first wrist chronograph with a rotatable bezel. And he took the name, a portmanteau of “automobile” and “aviation,” after the first dash counter for race cars and aircraft that his great grandfather once made.
For the 2017 relaunch edition, TAG Heuer conducted an online vote in 2016 where just about anybody could pick the best out of 16 Autavia models to be recreated. The winner was the 1966 “Rindt” edition, which was once worn by F1 racer Jochen Rindt. Updated with a noticeably larger case and some snazzy elements, the new Autavia finally came to the surface on the first day of Baselworld, revealed by none other than Jack Heuer himself and actor-slash-brand ambassador Patrick Dempsey. Moreover, Dempsey also directed and appeared in the campaign film for this automatic chronograph.
All in all, there’s an obvious reason why many fall for this 42mm watch. The aesthetic codes of the 1960s are present on the dial and the “mushroom” pushers, but the rest of the watch is beautifully tuned to suit the present. One contemporary addition is the new in-house Heuer-02 movement with 80 hours of power reserve. True fans of the Autavia might also want to look out for the exclusive book titled “Autavia – Story of an Icon” that chronicles the history and the relaunch of the storied watch line. TAG Heuer certainly outdid themselves with such a massive online/offline campaign that took the best from the past and present.