TAG Heuer took advantage of the absence of several high-profile brands from the exhibition to make a splash with the release of the iconic Autavia as a new stand-alone collection, cementing its commitment to monetize the brand’s cool heritage. While the replica TAG Heuer has reissued certain heritage pieces in the past, including Autavia and Monaco models, the positioning of this as a great collection indicates that they plan to scale up such offerings in the months to come.
Actually, the new Autavia pieces are hybrids of old and new horology, with overall aesthetics designed to evoke the “versatility, ruggedness, and reliability” of the original Autavia wristwatches made in the 1960s, while making use of TAG’s cutting-edge carbon-composite hairspring technology, to “appeal to a new generation of adventurers. ”
The first Autavias made from 1933 to 1957, were actually dashboard instruments used in racing cars and aircraft, and the name was a combination of Automobile and Aviation. After production of the Autavia dashboard timer stopped, Jack Heuer decided to use the name for a new racing-inspired chronograph released in 1962, and one of watchmaking’s most enduring icons was born.
The Autavia also became popular with various armed forces around the world before meeting an “untimely” end of production in 1985. This includes five references in stainless steel and two references in bronze, which has been enjoying something of a revival lately.
The steel watches come in the following combos: blue dial and blue ceramic bezel with a brown leather strap; black dial and black ceramic bezel with a brown leather strap; grey dial and stainless steel bezel with a brown leather band.
The bronze models meanwhile come as either a brown dial and brown ceramic bezel on a brown calfskin strap or a green dial and black ceramic bezel on a khaki calfskin strap. Each features the rounded first-generation Autavia case and beveled lugs from the 1960s, as well as oversized winding crowns. However, the general aesthetic inspiration comes from the pilot’s cheap replica watches, which differentiates them from the racier ’60S Autavia watches. What’s more, the NATO straps, leather straps, and stainless-steel bracelets are also marketed separately.
Powering the new collection is the fake TAG’s chronometer-certified Calibre 5 featuring the cutting-edge, carbon-composite hairspring that the watchmaker first introduced earlier this year. The combination of the caliber and the carbon-composite hairspring “gives every model in this collection Isograph distinction,” TAG says; the trademarked name comes from the Greek word iso, “which means ‘equal,’ and refers to the stable and consistent movement of the component. ” Key benefits “include the fact that the lightweight, low-density hairspring is virtually unaffected by gravity and shock and is completely antimagnetic,” TAG declares, also noting that it is the exclusive producer of these hairsprings.