Tag Heuer Ref. CBE2111.BA0687, Case No: 1/1932. Autavia "Limited Edition Jack Heuer's 85th birthday," 2017.
TAG Heuer is celebrating Jack Heuer's 85th birthday, and it is doing so with the release of a new limited edition Autavia, a chronograph designed under his leadership of the brand in 1962. The manufacturer's latest watch is based on the current interpretation of the Autavia which the Swiss manufacture re-launched earlier this year.
Important details such as the old school Heuer and Autavia logos were kept by TAG, but other features were inevitably given the 21st-century treatment. The new case measures 42mm, up 3mm from the original design, and the watch houses one of the company's latest self-winding movements.
Above: A look at the prototype, which recently visited our offices. The caseback of the auction piece will be numbered 1/1932.
The new limited edition Autavia introduces a fresh dial configuration, very different to the old Autavia made famous by Formula One driver Karl Jochen Rindt during the 1960s. In fact, TAG Heuer has reversed the dial configuration, choosing a silver sunray brushed dial with black "azurage" subcounters in a classic panda configuration. This was done following Jack Heuer's personal input. His signature and the Heuer family crest are both engraved in the caseback.
This particular model, No. 1 in a limited series of 1,932 watches (a number chosen after Jack Heuer's birth year). It will be only modern watch featured in our Heuer-themed sale, which features the collections of Richard Crosthwaite and Paul Gavin, and it will be the final lot of the sale.
It was generously donated by TAG Heuer and all the proceeds of its sale will be donated to "Save the Children," which is the largest independent children's rights organization. The watch comes with an original box, warranty card and a hardcover copy of Autavia - Story of an icon. It will be sold with no reserve.