TAG Heuer Autavia Jack Heuer Edition: Malaysia Price and Review

Celebrating birthday the TAG Heuer way.

Perhaps one of the biggest birthday flexes you can pull is to design your very own limited edition watch. And that’s exactly what TAG Heuer’s honorary president and brand founder’s great-grandson Jack Heuer (below) has done for his 85th birthday last year - by giving us his personal take on the 2017 Autavia reissue.

For those who are unfamiliar with the Autavia (the name a combination of the words ‘automotive’ and ‘aviation’), and the significance of Jack Heuer’s re-design, well, the collection that original debuted in 1962 was the first new model launched under the guidance of the company’s then-new CEO, none other than Jack Heuer himself.

Last year, TAG Heuer decided to relaunch the collection after conducting an online poll in 2016 called the ‘Autavia Cup’. The reissue proved a runaway success and we imagine that Jack Heuer couldn’t resist putting his own spin on the watch.

Although the Autavia Jack Heuer Edition and the reissue model from earlier 2017 bear similarities in terms of form and function, aesthetic changes lend the former an even more retro-tinged dimension. A lot of it has to do with the ‘panda’ dial featuring three black snailed sub-dials against a silver base with sunray finish – the reverse of the earlier model.

Other tweaks include the luminescent markers - the Jack Heuer edition opts for a simpler white SuperLuminova finish, instead of the ‘aged’ lume on the earlier re-issue - as well as a new bezel that displays both 12-hour markings and an elapsed time scale, as opposed to a simpler 12-hour display. Elsewhere, the back of this watch trumpets its limited edition stature with a solid polished steel caseback engraved with the Heuer family shield and Jack Heuer’s signature (above).

Limited to 1,932 pieces (Jack Heuer’s birth year), this limited edition, like its predecessor, is a serious chronograph that will please technical watch buffs. It is driven by a high-performance automatic movement with column wheel mechanism for greater tactility, and 80 hours of power reserve. At the same time, the throwback allure that anchors the watch’s design makes it a thoroughly accessible ticker for the casual watch lover.