A COCKPIT INSTRUMENT FOR YOUR WRIST

For the first time, TAG Heuer has introduced a watch without a stopwatch function in its traditional Autavia line. We test whether this chronometer-certified newbie is another winner.

- Jens Koch

Heuer first built the Autavia in 1933 as a stopwatch for motor vehicles and aircraft. This cockpit instrument was attached to the dashboard and was used to measure driving or flight times. The Super Autavia, which came later, combined a time display, stopwatch and rotating bezel in a single instrument, with numerals that look like those on the Autavia Calibre 5, our test watch. In 1962, Heuer introduced a wristwatch chronograph bearing the same name. From the beginning, it was available with various tracks on a rotating bezel, such as 12-hour division markings for a second time zone or 60-minute markers to measure intervals of up to one hour.

Autavia Mixes Vintage and Modern Elements

The year 1969 saw the introduction of the Autavia Chrono-Matic powered by the Calibre 11, which was developed in part by Heuer. It was one of the first automatic chronograph movements in a contemporary tonneau case that featured a window date display at 6 o’clock.