TAG Heuer

Few brands enjoy so close a relationship to motorsport as TAG Heuer. Founded in 1860 by Edouard Heuer, this company has been producing chronographs since the very beginning. What's more, the manufacturer added dashboard instruments for cars and aircraft to their repertoire in the early 20th century.

Edouard's great-grandson, Jack, made Heuer watches the de facto standard of the racing world in the 1960s. Models like the Autavia, Carrera, and Monaco quickly earned cult followings and remain integral parts of TAG Heuer's current catalog. However, more recent collections like the Formula 1 and Aquaracer series of diving watches are also highly popular among the brand's fans.

Throughout its history, TAG Heuer has distinguished itself as an innovator in the industry – a legacy this Swiss watch manufacturer continues to this day. For example, TAG Heuer's engineers regularly use materials from the motorsport and aerospace industries. Furthermore, they were the first luxury watchmaker that dared to enter the smartwatch market with their Connected series.

The price range for TAG Heuer watches is vast and varies greatly by model and year of production. The most affordable models feature quartz calibers such as the Formula 1 from the late 1980s and early 90s. You can call one of these timepieces your own for between 230 and 370 USD.

The three-hand Aquaracer diving watch with a quartz caliber is also rather affordable and costs anywhere from 470 to 720 USD. The same watch with an automatic caliber can be yours for as little as 1,100 USD. The Aquaracer Chronograph is a more recent addition to the family and demands up to 8,200 USD.

Prices for a Carrera range from roughly 1,200 USD for a three-hand model with the caliber 5 to more than 71,000 USD for a chronograph with the tourbillon caliber Heuer 02T and a diamond-studded bezel.

Those on the market for an Autavia should be prepared to spend at least 2,400 USD. For that price, you can get a modern three-hand edition, which debuted in 2019. Retro chronographs from the current catalog change hands for between 4,800 and 6,000 USD. At the upper end of the price range, you'll find vintage chronographs from the 1960s and 70s. These timepieces regularly demand upwards of 24,000 USD.

The square-shaped Monaco is available as a three-hand watch starting around 1,500 USD. Versions with a chronograph cost a minimum of 2,500 USD. Special collector's editions and vintage models require a much larger investment of 10,500 to 18,000 USD. Finally, the platinum version of the Monaco V4 tops the price list at approximately 71,500 USD.

The Autavia completes the trilogy of legendary TAG Heuer chronographs. Its name is a portmanteau of the words "automobile" and "aviation." It originally debuted in 1933 as a dashboard clock for race cars and aircraft. Heuer later transformed it into a wristwatch, which they then released in 1962. Vintage Autavias like the ref. 2446 from the 60s are extremely coveted today and can demand more than 17,500 USD in good condition. Especially rare models, such as the 2446 GMT, often sell for much higher prices.

Vintage Autavias from the 1970s and 80s are much more affordable. Heuer equipped most Autavias from this era with the Chronomatic calibers 11, 12, and 15. These timepieces have cushion-shaped cases that further set them apart from the manually-wound watches from the 1960s. Well-maintained watches cost between 5,000 and 6,200 USD on Chrono24.

In 2017, TAG Heuer reintroduced the Autavia with the in-house caliber Heuer 02. Its design bears a strong resemblance to chronographs from the 1960s. A bidirectional bezel with a 12-hour scale and a 42-mm case define this retro timepiece. The automatic caliber Heuer 02 provides the watch with an 80-hour power reserve, stop-seconds mechanism, and a quick-set date. You can purchase the version with a black dial and white subdials for about 4,400 USD. The model with a white dial and black subdials on a stainless steel bracelet costs about 5,400 USD.

A New Autavia With Three Hands

TAG Heuer treated the Autavia to a redesign in 2019. The collection has since exclusively contained three-hand watches powered by the caliber 5. This is a modified ETA 2824 movement that TAG Heuer equips with their proprietary Isograph balance made from a special anti-magnetic composite material. Furthermore, the caliber 5 in the new Autavia comes with COSC chronometer certification.

Historical models play a major role in the design of the modern Autavia. The easy-to-read luminous Arabic numerals date back to Autavia dashboard instruments from the 1930s, while the bezel comes from Jack Heuer's early designs from the 1960s. Finally, the crown is nearly identical to the crown found on pilot's watches from the 1940s.

Plan to spend around 2,700 USD on a stainless steel Autavia. You'll need an additional 1,200 USD on hand to purchase the same watch in bronze.

The TAG Heuer Connected was the first smartwatch ever made by a Swiss luxury watch company. Its design resembles that of the Carrera, and its different virtual dials – known as "watch faces" – take their cues from various historical models. The Connected uses an Intel processor and the Android Wear operating system. You can pair the watch with your iOS or Android device and download thousands of apps. For example, you can use the Connected to get directions, pay for items via Google Pay, listen to music, translate phrases, or track your exercise.

The TAG Heuer Connected has a 41 or 45-mm case and is largely made of lightweight titanium. However, there are also models with rose gold-plated or ceramic bezels and lugs. Watches with diamond-studded bezels and lugs are particularly luxurious and geared mainly toward women. When it comes to the band, you can choose from a leather or rubber strap or a ceramic or titanium bracelet.

You can find a first-generation Connected on Chrono24 for between 1,100 and 2,200 USD. The second generation debuted in 2020 and sells for anywhere from 1,900 to 2,600 USD.

The history of TAG Heuer began in 1860 when 20-year-old Edouard Heuer founded his then-small business in the Swiss town of Saint-Imier. Four years later, Heuer had garnered enough success that he was able to move his company to an impressive building in Biel. In 1882, Heuer patented his first stopwatch, and production began that same year. He developed the so-called oscillating pinion, a revolution in chronograph production, five years later. This mechanism is comprised of a movable stem and two pinions, one of which is constantly engaged with the second wheel.

In 1902, Charles and Jules Heuer took over the family business. Under their leadership, the company focused on producing specialty watches, such as the dashboard chronograph Time of Trip in 1911. This chronograph measured 11 cm in diameter and was ideally suited for installation on car and airplane dashboards. The large central hand told the time while the small pair of hands at 12 o'clock timed periods up to 12 hours.

Heuer achieved another milestone in 1916 with the Mikrograph, a chronograph able to measure time in increments of 1/100th of a second. The delicate second hand only required three seconds to make a complete revolution, and its balance wheel vibrated at an unbelievable frequency of 360,000 vibrations per hour (vph), or 50 Hz. This "super timer," as Heuer called it, was perfect for measuring the flight time of artillery projectiles.

In the early 1930s, Heuer introduced the Time of Trip's successor, the Autavia – a dashboard clock for cars and aircraft. It has a central second hand and two subdials for the 60-minute and 12-hour counters. The stopwatch was often paired with its counterpart, the Hervue, on a solid base plate. The Hervue had a power reserve of eight days and a movement from Revue Thommen. In 1962, exactly 30 years after the Autavia premiered, Heuer debuted a wristwatch chronograph under the same name.

In January 1964, the family business Ed. Heuer & Co. S.A. merged with Leonidas Watch Factory Ltd. However, the Heuer family remained at the helm. During the quartz crisis, the production of mechanical watches was almost completely discontinued. This resulted in the company adding quartz watches, such as the Chronosplit, to their portfolio.

In 1982, then-head of the company, Jack Heuer, was forced to sell his shares in the business. The watch manufacturer Piaget took charge from 1982 to 1985. In 1985, Techniques d'Avant Garde (TAG) entered the scene and took the reins. In 1988, the company was renamed TAG Heuer S.A., and in 1996, they went public. French luxury conglomerate LVMH (Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE) has owned the company since 1999. Zenith and Hublot also belong to LVMH.

TAG Heuer has always fostered a close relationship with motorsport. From the development of their first stopwatch in 1882 to watches meant for travel and ultra-modern chronographs, this Swiss company is the chronograph specialist.

This wasn't lost on Steve McQueen, who wore a square Heuer Monaco in the 1971 film "Le Mans." After making its debut on the silver screen, this watch with a dark blue dial quickly became a cult icon. In late 2020, McQueen's actual watch from the movie went up for auction at Phillips and sold for over 2.2 million USD, making it the most expensive TAG Heuer to date.

Heuer's widespread popularity isn't limited to the Monaco. Racing legends like Aryton Senna and Bruce McLaren relied on the precise timekeeping of their Carreras, while Mario Andretti is a fan of the Autavia. Even former President Barack Obama wore a TAG Heuer during his time as a senator, specifically a model from the 1500 series with similar features to the current Aquaracer collection.