Of course, that makes a lot of sense. However, I'm not sure calling them Autavia would have been a good idea. Imagine the response from 'people like you'
😉, not to mention that TAG already tried an 'updated' Autavia in 2006 and it died a death, so they probably didn't fancy trying that again. In the 80s TAG were perfectly happy to create new watches like the S/el and Kirium, I don't quite see why now everything has to relate to something in the past when it's clearly a 21st century design.
The Autavia released in 2006 didn't appeal because of its strange "interpretation" of the original Chronomatic model, and I think appreciation of that Autavia hit its peak in about 2012. Prices for those have plateaued since then while the more classic '60s designs have skyrocketed. Perhaps there would have been some consternation over the Heuer-01 being called an Autavia, but again if you have a solid base on your heritage, you can do whatever you like. If the 2017 Autavia were introduced first, then the Heuer-01, I think we'd be in a much better place.
I agree, it's clear that Omega (for example) have been rehashing the Speedmaster since the 60s. Indeed it's clear to see that today's Speedmaster is very similar to the original, but Omega are a very conservative brand (it seems to me).
Well, the Speedmaster is still rated for EVA by various space agencies, so for them to significantly change the plexiglass crystal / solid caseback model would require recertification, and thus lose its marketing potential. It's also an iconic design that looks as modern today as it did in 1963.
Although JCB doesn't think Heuer should have been renamed TAG Heuer, I have heard him say that TAG must be avant garde, and recycling 50 year old watches is hardly that. They have their place, and we've agreed they should be branded Heuer, but TAG should be making 'new' designs and not hanging old names and expectations on them.
We've also agreed that Heuer branded heritage models can and should live alongside new designs. I'm not advocating for the discontinuation of the Heuer-01 and similar models. But an anchor line of restrained, vintage-branded Carreras and Autavias would provide a fantastic launching-off point for interesting takes on said design, the Heuer-01 included.
Exactly, which is why the Heuer 01 should have been given it's own identity.
I agree to a certain point, but with the external bezel and sporty design it
does somewhat resemble what the Autavia might have evolved into were it kept in production past 1985. Strong brand / model names have meaning to people. Why throw away decades of hard-earned brand equity?
To be fair to Jean Claude, the range is such that changing it in a brief space of time is very difficult. Not least the amount of stock that seems to be floating around in the dealerships. Naming aside, I think going forward we will see a more obvious difference in the watches that are aimed at you or me. Although I'm not sure what I think of the new 43mm Carreras. Especially the ones which are replacing the 1887 watches. Actually, you know you said the Carrera never had an external bezel, when did they start having them because those watches have had bezel for some time now...
No, I don't expect TAG to turn on a dime of course. But with vintage Autavias reaching the $100k mark and gaining a ton of attention as such, it'd probably be a bad move to ignore the sales and marketing potential of a 'halo' Autavia model.
I'm not sure I see much difference between the 43mm and 45mm Heuer-01s, except that some 43s are available without skeleton dials?
The Carrera indeed never had an external bezel, any information tracks (tachymetre, pulsometer, decimal minutes etc) were printed on the dial, or on an interior flange. The 1887 range is a good example of this (and are quite handsome watches as a result). The external bezel as far as I can tell showed up with the Calibre 16 pieces a couple of years ago.
To be honest I tend not to look at other forums too much, my Tudor owning friend does though and he gets very irate about people dissing TAG. Mind you, I've seen comments under TAG reviews on A Blog to Watch and it's pretty clear that there plenty of TAG haters out there.
A lot of watch sites and forums are full of that sort of person, but I prefer not to frequent them for that reason.
