“Historically, I love all the Heuer models, such as the Carrera or the Monaco, which I also collect.”
Christof Behling TAG Heuer lead designer
And yet Autavia remains the most exiting model for the collectors: its spirit has evolved over the years, yet it has retained its strength. In my eyes, it is ‘iconic’ in the best way sense of the word.
Monaco and Carrera watches are icons!
Monaco and Carrera are icons, but in a different way: their utterly unique design is instantly recognizable. However, Autavia is very versatile, with several different designs. Yet it still has the same strength and the same basic features: the proportions, the powerful bezel, the very legible and practical indices, and the striking contrasts. Its iconic status comes more from the unique ‘aspect’ of the original idea behind it. If you disregard the changes in the cases, this aspect is revealed, and in a very ‘ Jack Heuer’ fashion. The Autavia spirit is so powerful that even after so many years and modifications, people recognize it. Each of the variations is part of the Autavia’s evolution. In this sense, and just like the evolutions of the Porsche 911, which has also retained faithful to its original spirit, the Autavia is able to change while remaining true to the original. It is a genuine icon.
To create the new Autavia, we had to find a balance between respect for and attachment to the old model, and a version suited to modern needs. If we had approached the exercise with a purist’s eye, everything would have to be reproduced: the size, the indices, the technology…everything! In that case, it would make more sense to collect the original Heuer models. I myself have several Autavias from the 1960s and 1970s, and I love them. This new product is different. It expresses our admiration for Jack Heuer’s design from the 1960s and turns it into a version manufactured to 2017 standards. With the Heuer 02, of course, we are lucky that we now have access to a much better movement than those available of the time! There have been lots of significant developments in movement production. It would be a mistake to not combine our attachment to the past with everything we are capable of doing today, as current technology is much improved. The new Autavia builds this bridge between the past and the future.
Aesthetic features of Autavia Vintage Watch
We respected the original aesthetic features as best we could: the font and the finish of the counters, and the indentations on the bezel. Some may think that the contrasts between the counters are too stark, or that the silver indices are too bright. Yet this is how the Autavia originally looked, before time altered its colors. To cater to modern tastes, the movement and the case are larger. The counters are therefore positioned slightly differently, with the proportions adapted to match. Today, the Autavia embarks on a new journey.
Christoph Behling, lead designer at TAG Heuer since 2003, is behind all the brand’s consept watches, as well as a large proportion of the current catalogue, including the new Autavia pieces in particular, he adapted the lines of the model to suit modern tastes while respecting Jack Heuer’s original design.
