The Autavia was purpose-built for racers and pilots, and attracted the attention of Formula 1 racers and devotees such as Jochen Rindt and Steve McQueen. In its place he launched the line of Autavia wrist chronographs, the first line of chronographs produced by Heuer to be named, rather than simply numbered. He had first tried his hand with the Autavia, which at the time of his succession was a stopwatch with a virtually illegible dial. Jack Heuer, a longtime racing aficionado, saw an opportunity to revitalize - or at the very least, to reexamine - the company’s already-successful line of chronographs. Starting in 1911, when the sport of automobile racing was still in its infancy, the company produced dashboard clocks for cars, boats, and even airplanes. The Heuer name was not unknown in motor racing and aviation circles. His chosen path? Moving into a line of technical instruments for use in sporting and transportation applications. But in 1962, the responsibility of running the company fell on his shoulders, and he found himself faced with the daunting task of safeguarding his ancestor’s legacy while at the same time forging his own.
He had already played a role in the design of some timepieces, starting with the Solunar in the late 1940s. In 1962, Jack Heuer inherited the company that his great-grandfather had founded in Saint-Imier nearly a century before.
Powered by the automatic TAG Heuer Calibre 16 movement with 42 hours of power reserve, it comes paired to a stainless steel, multi-link bracelet with a signed deployant clasp.ĭating to the 2010s and accompanied by its factory goodies, this modern Carrera is the perfect entryway into complicated watchmaking an excellent first foray into the world of TAG Heuer or simply a wonderful chronograph for the automotive enthusiast. Housed in a 43mm stainless steel case with a sapphire crystal, a signed crown, barrel pushers, and a black tachymeter bezel, it features a luminous black dial with applied steel Arabic indices and a triple-register chronograph layout with a day-date display at 3:00 and a matching handset. This modern take on the Carrera comes in the form of a bold, automatic chronograph. However, in the mid-1990s TAG Heuer realized that its classic designs still held value in the commercial market, and decided to re-release two watches: the square-cased Monaco and the Carrera. In the 1980s, after Heuer was bought by Techniques Avant Garde (TAG), the Carrera line was discontinued. The original ran from the 1960s to the 1980s, its look shifting slightly as trends changed, ultimately taking on the cushion case design and automatic movements of the late 1960s and 1970s. Jack wanted a watch that was stylish and functional - a watch that gives you everything you need, and nothing you don’t. The Carrera was one of Jack Heuer’s most important passion projects, the design ethos for which can be summed up in one word: legibility.
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