THE PAST IN THE PRESENT

A feature of Formula 1 racing since the 1960s, the Autavia model by TAG Heuer has been reborn 55 years after the original watch, but equipped with contemporary aesthetic and mechanical codes

In 1933 Heuer produced its first Autavia chronograph, used as an on-board counter in car races. Its name comes from the contraction of “automobile” and “aviation”. It reappeared 30 years later when Jack Heuer created the first Autovia chronograph wrist watch in 1962. Much appreciated by racing drivers, especially by the German-Austrian F1 driver Jochen Rindt (1942-1970), whose last name was given to the watch as a nickname, the Autavia timepiece has been brought to life for a second time this year.

In 2016, TAG Heuer organised a kind of online contest during which 50 000 participants were asked to choose which watch to recreate from among 16 Autavia models. And it was the Autavia “Rindt” from 1966 that won the vote. But although it has kept some of its more striking signs, such as the revolving bezel and the white counters, other elements make it different to the fifty-year-old version, especially the size of the model and the mechanism inside it.

The steel case of the Autovia has gone from 39mm in diameter to 42. It is topped by a notched and revolving bezel, including a black aluminium ring inscribed with a 12-hour scale. The watch is waterproof down to 100m, and the case back is fitted with a sapphire glass window partially unveiling its mechanism. This an automatic mechanical movement made by TAG Heuer, the calibre Heuer-02, which provides the various hour, calendar and chronograph functions while supplying a big power reserve of 80 hours.

On the black dial, with its white second markers, the applied metal indices have been highlighted with a luminous beige coating. The hour markers are crossed by two stick-type hands showing the hours and minutes. The seconds are set apart, in one of three white and blue counters, brought together with the date at 6 o’clock. The chronograph, meanwhile, is shared out between the seconds at the centre, the minutes at 3 o’clock and the hours at 9 o’clock.

Price: 4 800 CHF (leather strap) – 4 950 (steel strap) www.tagheuer.com

By Sharmila Bertin

AQUATIC CAMOUFLAGE

A few weeks before summer, TAG Heuer has unveiled a new sports watch with a stealth case and a dial with a range of blue tones

Created 15 years ago, in 2003 to be precise, the Aquaracer collection is known for its reliability, robustness and capacity for taking on the most extreme conditions. It is the ideal companion for all kinds of excursions, on land or sea. This year, TAG Heuer is releasing a fashion version of its sports model, the Aquaracer Camouflage 300m. Although it is cut out for adventure, it is not lacking in charm in a contemporary style, with its blue tones forming the famous military patchwork known as camouflage. For the new Aquaracer Camouflage 300m model, an “Arctic” pattern has been used instead of the traditional khaki.

The watch dial is indeed covered with the famous rounded marks, blending azure, light khaki and a very deep blue tone. The cone-shaped applied indices are varnished in lavender blue and coated in anthracite grey Super-LumiNova®, with the three hands – for hours, minutes and seconds – featuring the same aesthetic appearance. The date is displayed in white on a black background at 3 o’clock. A magnifying glass set in the sapphire glass protecting the dial makes reading the date easier.

The case on the Aquaracer Camouflage 300m is made of titanium, which is sanded before being coated with a layer of black PVD, giving it a delicately silky, stealth effect. It is topped by a revolving, unidirectional bezel. A minute scale is engraved on the bezel, then filled with the same periwinkle colour to be seen on the hands on the dial.

This light, simple setting contains the calibre 5, a mechanical automatic movement manufactured by TAG Heuer. The calibre drives the hour and chronograph functions while providing over 38 hours of power reserve.

A textile NATO strap with the same camouflage pattern as on the dial rounds it all off.

Price: 2,600 CHF www.tagheuer.com

By Sharmila Bertin

COLOUR BOOST

Two years after the first model from the new generation of chronographs made by TAG Heuer, the watchmakers present a slightly smaller version, a totally openwork watch available in three classic colours.

In 2015, TAG Heuer revolutionised the world of chronographs with a skeleton watch featuring a 54mm modular case and an openwork mechanism made in its workshops in La Chaux-de-Fonds. This first opus of a new generation of chronographs has opened the way for a trio of Carrera Heuer-01 43mm watches, available in navy blue, deep black and chocolate brown.

Although the steel case has decreased from 45mm to 43mm in diameter, it has kept its modular features with the 12 elements that make it endlessly transformable through the use of other coatings or materials, such as PVD or ceramics. This is the case, for example, for the fixed bezel on top of the metal setting, with its polished ceramic ring, coloured blue, black or brown, and where a silver tachymeter is placed. The chapter ring showing the 60-second scale also matches the colour of the chosen model.

The completely transparent dial on the Carrera Heuer-01 43mm, encircled by luminescent markers, means that you can see the openwork mechanism driving the different functions of the watch. The Heuer 01 automatic calibre powers the hour, calendar and chronograph displays while providing a power reserve of 50 hours. The hours and minutes are shown at the centre of a real mechanical lace effect, while the seconds appear in a counter circled by a coloured ring at 9 o’clock. All the chronograph functions are displayed using red-coated elements, such as the central second hand and the small hands on the counters (the minutes are shown at 12 o’clock and the hours at 6 o’clock). A window at 3.30 displays the date discreetly – with a totally transparent disc – in black on a white background.

Price on request. www.tagheuer.com

By Sharmila Bertin

ULTRA-FEMININE, SUBLIMELY-SPORTIVE 

TAG Heuer sets its end-of-year focus on up-to-the-minute blue, the soft warmth of rose gold and twinkling diamonds to tempt the ladies.

Highly inspired by car racing, by speed and a passion for sports, the Carrera timepiece was first issued back in 1963. Over the years it has become an acknowledged fine-watchmaking icon and has also been imagined in a variation reserved exclusively for feminine wrists. Carrera Lady. Today, TAG Heuer proposes this watch dressed in blue, with delicate touches of rose gold and a host of diamonds.

Released under the name of Carrera Lady Steel Blue Dial, this new 100-metre water-resistant timepiece is available in two versions; the first stylishly-classical, fashioned in polished steel and, the second –also in steel – enhanced with a rim-studded bezel comprising 72 precious stones totalling 0.70 carats. Both pieces are powered by the ETA 955 quartz movement set in a 39 mm-diameter case.

The sunrayed dial, designed in a blue, evoking a blend of duck and peacock blues, displays a white minute tracker around the flange. The hour chapter is adorned with rose gold indexes highlighted with luminescent striations. Two golden, phosphorescent baton-type hands, set in the centre of the dial, indicating the hours and minutes are completed by a direct drive. The date, featured in a transparent aperture at 3 o’clock, is black-figured on a white-backdrop to ensure optimal reading.

The Carrera Lady Steel Blue Dial is available with a tone-on-tone blue leather strap decorated with lozenge-shaped checkerboard topstitching or with a bracelet made of pure steel links.

Price: CHF1,700 (steel on leather) – CHF1,850 (steel on steel) – CHF3,750 (steel, diamond-set on leather) – CHF3,900 (steel diamond-set on steel)

By Sharmila Bertin

Winter glow for Christmas

The TAG Heuer Connected Rose Gold smartwatch has been given an 18 carat rose gold coat for the festive season.

True to its brand identity, TAG Heuer wanted to bring out a new model pairing modern materials such as titanium and precious metals such as rose gold.

TAG Heuer has been tackling the smartwatch to make a piece that looks like a classic TAG Heuer but houses connected technology. TAG Heuer worked closely with Intel and Google to design a watch that blends connectivity and Swiss watch expertise to achieve its goal. Intel delved into the watch’s intelligent side with TAG Heuer to give it performance and myriad connection options including audio feed, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi whilst enabling wearers to use a wide range of functions fuelled by the Android Wear system.

The 46mm TAG Heuer Connected Rose Gold looks like a real watch. The TAG Heuer Connected has 4 GB of memory, a last generation lithium battery with a 1-day battery life, a small microphone so you can communicate with it using Google Voice control and a sapphire crystal touchscreen (a vital addition to the control pusher at 3). The IP67-approved piece is waterproof for everyday life and has a contact charger to charge it up. Like all the brand’s watches, the TAG Heuer Connected comes with a 2 year warranty and TAG Heuer gives every TAG Heuer Connected owner the chance to swap it for a mechanical watch for 1,500 USD when the warranty expires.

Price: 9,900 CHF tagheuer.com

By Inès Aloui

Introducing the TAG Heuer Aquaracer 300m Calibre 5

The Aquaracer first appeared in 2003 and has made its mark on the TAG Heuer collections. Its chunky case sculpted for underwater exploration has gone from 41mm to 43mm and its striped dial comes in blue or black.

The self-winding Calibre 5 has been chosen to bring the Aquaracer 300m Calibre 5 to life. It powers the time and date functions, provides a 38-hour power reserve and is housed in the steel case that’s waterproof to depths of 300m. The silver lacquer diving scale is engraved on the blue or black ceramic dodecagonal rotating bezel with 12 facets.

The horizontal stripes on the dial set the scene for luminescent indices and a minute track printed near the chapter ring. Two wide hands track the hours and minutes whilst a central seconds hand with a yellow rectangular tip glides over the seconds. The magnifying glass in the sapphire crystal makes it easy to read the date at 3.

Price: 2,400 CHF tagheuer.com

By Sharmila Bertin

PIKES PEAK – The legendary automobile race celebrates its 100th anniversary with TAG Heuer.

“The Race to the Clouds” is a legend in the mountains of Colorado.

Today, it still runs with few protection barriers, and is now known as

“The Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb Brought to you by Gran Turismo” .

TAG Heuer – the official timekeeper for the greatest and most legendary events in motor racing history – couldn’t miss this occasion to celebrate the race’s centenary!

It is worth recalling that TAG Heuer is also partnering the Red Bull Racing F1 Team, and is founding partner and Official Timekeeper of the FIA Formula E Championship; Tag Heuer is also Official Timekeeper of the legendary Carrera Panamericana, the Goodwood Festival of Speed, the Automobile Club de Monaco (ACM) and the Monaco Grand Prix, the Indianapolis 500 (Indy 500), the FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC), endurance racing with the Dempsey Racing team, and motorcycle racing in the Endurance World Championship (FIM EWC).

tagheuer.com

Introducing the TAG Heuer Monza

Christened Heuer and not TAG Heuer, this watch is a new take on the classic Monza. The brand’s founder’s great grandson, Jack Heuer, designed a chronograph to celebrate Niki Lauda’s first world championship title at Ferrari in 1976. Heuer was the official Scuderia timekeeper (1971-1979) and it’s the first time the Monza engraving has appeared on a watch dial. The new design has a pulsometer (to measure your heart rate), a tachymeter scale (to calculate speed), red hands and counters for a dash of racing spirit.

Forty years have passed and the 2016 model is going back to its roots: the same font as the original, the same scales on the dial and the same black case. The only thing that’s changed is that the structure and bezel have replaced steel with titanium.

The self-winding 17 calibre brings to life the chronograph functions and date at 6. The screwdown case back features the number of the piece and the signature Heuer logo.

Price: 4,900 CHF tagheuer.com

By Fabrice Eschmann

TAG Heuer – Carrera Heuer-02T

Everything TAG Heuer does is a hit. The avant-garde brand knows how to spot trends and make products that their fans want. However, one of the collections shines brighter than the rest, especially with the Carrera Heuer-02T showcasing the watch brand’s expertise.

Its 45mm titanium case is topped by a black bezel engraved with a tachymeter scale and fuelled by a COSC-certified self-winding chronometer. The movement provides a 65-hour power reserve and brings the time, chronograph and tourbillon functions to life.

The markers on the all-black openwork dial are rimmed with silver: luminescent hour and minute hands in the centre, hollow indices, chronograph counter rims (minutes at 3 and hours at 9), chronograph seconds and features surrounding the tourbillon.

Price: 14,900 CHF – 19,900 CHF (Black Phantom limited edition)

By Sharmila Bertin

tagheuer.com

Heuer unveiled a chronograph with an unusual square watertight case in 1969 named Monaco in tribute to the Grand Prix. The iconic Monaco chronograph has since become a signature in TAG Heuer’s product range, comes in a variety of designs (mainly in terms of functions and dial colour), and is back to end the year on a high with a new twist on the original model. Its 39x39mm steel case houses the 11 calibre, a self-winding movement providing a 40-hour power reserve, time, date and chronograph functions. The petrol blue dial features the signature edgy luminescent hands whilst the minute track glows red and white. The vibrant hue appears on both hands and the central seconds hand whilst the small seconds (at 3), chronograph minutes counter (at 9) and date display (at 6) are adorned in black and white. Price: 5,200 CHF. Sharmila Bertin
tagheuer.com