So, no matter occurred to the Autavia Isograph? It was simply TAG Heuer‘s largest launch in 2019, one destined to fill a spot within the model’s choices as a wonderfully reasonably priced, three-hand sports activities watch constructed atop the legendary Autavia heritage. However the brand new Autavia was greater than only a good-looking three-dimensional dial set inside a well-proportioned case — inside, the watch was powered by a revolutionary new hairspring expertise that debuted solely two months prior. It was, not surprisingly, one of the talked-about watches at Baselworld final yr, however after a splashy launch, the watches themselves by no means appeared to completely materialize at retailers. Then, again in January of this yr, TAG Heuer issued a press launch asserting the Autavia Chronometer, powered by what gave the impression to be a normal chronometer-certified Calibre 5 motion — the identical as what’s inside most of TAG Heuer’s trendy three-handed watches. I just lately checked in with the TAG Heuer workforce to get extra perception into the story behind the motion change, whereas spending a couple of weeks with the brand new Cal. 5 Autavia on the wrist to get a greater thought of the way it wears (spoiler alert: precisely the identical because it wore final yr).
Bodily talking, each the 2019 Isograph and the 2020 Cal. 5 Autavia watches are nearly similar. The case, in each chrome steel and bronze, with its knurled push-pull crown and snappy bi-directional rotating bezel, the cool quick-release strap choices, and multitude of pretty degradé shade selections all stay the identical. The bodily dimensions of the 42mm x 14mm case and its 100-meter water resistance are additionally the identical. A more in-depth have a look at the dial reveals the one inform: the phrase “Automated” has changed “Isograph” the place the latter was as soon as sandwiched between “Autavia” and “Chronometer.”
A TAG Heuer Calibre 5 motion outfitted with an Isograph hairspring at Baselworld, 2019
Because the heartbeat of each mechanical watch, the hairspring is objectively essentially the most sophisticated a part of the watch’s motion to fabricate. With tolerances measuring underneath zero.1 microns, the normal Swiss watch hairspring begins its life as an iron-nickel alloy wire that’s remodeled right into a whisper-thin coiled spring over the course of plenty of extremely complicated processes. On the identical time, it is usually the motion’s most important and delicate part, one which’s extremely prone to exterior affect — shock, magnetism, gravity (i.e., the watch’s place being horizontal or upright, and many others., whereas on the wrist), and even delicate pure defects in manufacturing — all of which may yield imprecise and unpredictable timekeeping within the watch itself. Persistently producing a hairspring that’s impervious to those unintended effects, and doing so at industrial scale, has remained a conundrum for a lot of a well-heeled manufactory. Due to this, only a few manufacturers have ever managed to attain true independence from Nivarox, the Swatch Group’s longtime provider of this crucial part for a lot of the watch business.
So, to name TAG Heuer’s bid to provide a brand new amagnetic hairspring out of an experimental new carbon-based materials at its personal manufactory in La Chaux-de-Fonds “of venture” could be placing it mildly. However the really disruptive transfer on the model’s half wasn’t simply producing a hairspring at scale that would out-perform any established silicon or alloy different, it was placing that proprietary hairspring in a brand new assortment of comparatively reasonably priced sports activities watches — making the technological breakthrough and its real end-user advantages accessible for just about everybody. All of that was nicely and good, however as we’d later be taught, the full-scale industrialization of the Isograph hairsprings wasn’t fairly prepared for prime time, with manufacturing unable to satisfy world demand. So slightly than completely relegate the brand new Autavia to obscurity on the proverbial ready checklist, the model opted to make a operating change: recall any unsold stock of the Isograph Autavias and revert again to the usual Calibre 5 motion deployed in a lot of its three-handed Aquaracer, Carrera, and Formulation 1 watches.
The brand new 2020 Calibre 5 Chronometer Autavia…
…and the 2019 Isograph-equipped variant are in any other case visually similar
What does that imply for collectors? Properly, for starters, whereas we’d by no means know the precise variety of Isograph-badged Autavia watches that escaped recall and stay on wrists, its revolutionary expertise and very quick manufacturing run all however ensures a really excessive stage of collectability. It additionally means a slight value change: The brand new Autavia will get a $400 discount on the now-discontinued Isograph variants, making a pretty and extremely succesful sports activities watch that rather more reasonably priced. However maybe extra importantly, the Calibre 5 (ETA 2824-2 base) is one in every of TAG Heuer’s most generally deployed calibres, with an extended historical past of predictable timekeeping and straightforward serviceability — these advantages will definitely lengthen to the brand new Autavia, as nicely.
Motion change apart, the very fact stays that it might need appeared like an odd maneuver in 2019 to re-launch the long-lasting Autavia chronograph platform round a three-handed sports activities watch, however as we discovered after chatting with CEO Stephane Bianchi in Dubai earlier this yr, it wasn’t a simple resolution. But it surely was a selection made with the complete understanding three-hand watch nonetheless faithfully represented the spirit and functionality of the Autavia, which was initially conceived as a sporting watch that would serve the wants of each pilots and motor racers. Plus, it bears repeating — this was additionally a aware resolution to handle a spot in TAG Heuer’s heritage-inspired choices, the place a sporty and reasonably priced choice merely didn’t but exist.
Finally, although the beating coronary heart of the Calibre 5 Autavia may not be fairly as thrilling as its progenitor, the watch itself is each bit nearly as good as, if not higher than, earlier than, particularly if economics is on the core of your subsequent watch buy. However the actual query right here is whether or not or not the Isograph ever return to the Autavia? It could be just a little too early to inform, but when I have been a playing man, I’d argue that every one the funding in its analysis, improvement, and manufacturing gained’t be going to waste and re-launch is actually on the best way. As for particularly when that could be, although, it’s most likely secure to imagine that the model gained’t leap the gun twice — and when it’s prepared, it’ll be actually prepared.
The TAG Heuer Autavia Chronometer is out there now and begins at a retail value of $three,100, which is a $400 discount on the entry value level for the discontinued Isograph variants from 2019. For extra data, go to tagheuer.com.
