EDITOR’S PICK: Looking back at the TAG Heuer Autavia – one of the most exciting chronographs of 2017
Editor’s note: The Autavia is one of the most storied chronographs in history, and its return to form at Baselworld 2017 was highly anticipated. Thankfully for fans, the reissue did not disappoint — the new model not only looked the part but also delivered a serious movement upgrade. We can’t wait to find out what Autavia-shaped surprises this year’s Basel fair holds … The new Autavia is finally here. Twelve months after TAG Heuer announced the Autavia Cup — an innovative, open design process that allowed fans to have their say on the look of the final product — the new Autavia has arrived, and it’s quite the looker. The Autavia, a portmanteau combination of automobile and aviation, was first released by Jack Heuer in 1962 and was the first chronograph wristwatch with a rotating bezel, a feature that added even more functionality to the already utilitarian watch. And, as is the case with all of Heuer’s chronographs, the identity of the Autavia is inseparable from the world of racing – it was a model worn by legendary racers such as Jo Siffert, Mario Andretti and Jochen Rindt. The combination of classic chiselled-jaw manliness and heady nostalgia for the golden age of racing…
The post EDITOR’S PICK: Looking back at the TAG Heuer Autavia – one of the most exciting chronographs of 2017 appeared first on Time and Tide Watches.
They’re always problematic, best-of lists. Best? On what grounds? When it comes to these personal Top 10s, they’re purely based on the things that we, as individuals, like about watches. Best, says who? For this video, it’s best, says me. And, to that end, what I like most about watches is the way they make me feel — it’s all the intangibles, like how it rests on the wrist, what part it could play in my life, what unspoken, metal to skin story it tells about the people that made it. And then, when worn on my wrist, what it might say about me to the world. As for the magic of television and whether or not we collaborated on our personal Top 10s, I have my hand on my heart: Felix and I actually succeeded in keeping our favourite watches of 2017 away from each other right up until the date this was filmed. And that’s no easy task in an office like ours. So, be assured, this video definitely contains traces of real incredulity. Really? That one? No! Not that one! Etc etc. As for my list, it chopped, it changed, it was pulled from a shortlist that was actually very…
I’m writing this, alone in the office on the last day of the year, with a whiskey and a mango on my desk (don’t ask), and it seems like the perfect time to look back on the year that was — savouring a brief, indulgent moment of reflection about 2017, before jumping, feet first into 2018. And while there are a few routes I could follow down memory lane, for me it can all be neatly summed up in three numbers … 565: We’ve published 565 stories in the last year, which is (from where I’m sitting at least) quite a lot. Luckily, Andrew and I have had more help than ever this year. Andy Green has spent the year spotting things and telling us who to follow on Instagram. Sandra Lane and Melissa Pearce have joined the team, adding some pretty serious skillsets (and style). And finally, Cameron Wong has added his fresh perspective to the mix. And behind the bylines there’s an elite team who keep the wheels of Time+Tide smoothly rolling. 183: And while we published significantly more stories this year than any other, the real exponential leap has been in videos. We got onto YouTube in a big…
Yesterday we published the first part of our most-read reviews of 2017, covering off Bulgari, Grand Seiko, Rolex, Longines and some more Rolex (for good measure). Today we go through the top five watch reviews of 2017, with some expected and some more surprising results … 5: IN-DEPTH: Tudor’s Black Bay Chrono – greater than the sum of its parts? Baselworld always delivers a surprise or two, and this year it was courtesy of Tudor, and their first in-house, integrated chronograph. The biggest surprise wasn’t that the Black Bay DNA could handle a chrono, but rather that much of the movement architecture was provided by Breitling … 4: IN-DEPTH: The Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra Master Chronometer The Omega Aqua Terra — with its robust build and subtle flash — has always been a solid choice for daily duties, but this year’s upgrade to Master Chronometer status made it that much more compelling. 3: HANDS-ON: Return of an icon – the TAG Heuer Autavia TAG Heuer’s Autavia reissue was highly anticipated, and it did not fail to deliver. The good looks and good size rounded off by the welcome return of the CH80 movement (albeit under the name of the Heuer-02).…
Reviewing watches isn’t everything we do, but it’s certainly the heart of it. And this year we’ve photographed, videoed and generally dissected some of the best. So, in the tradition of end-of-year wrap-ups we thought it an excellent idea to run through our top 10 watch reviews of 2017, according to the cold hard stats of our analytics engine. Today we’re going through numbers 10 to five, kicking off with Bulgari’s slender superstar … 10: HANDS-ON: Barely there brilliance – the Bulgari Octo Finissimo Automatic Some watches have a serious honeymoon period, starting with that first blush of excitement at Basel and gradually softening as the year goes on. For Bulgari though the honeymoon isn’t over as the Octo Finissimo is as fresh today as it was on the first day we saw it. 9: HANDS-ON: Grand Seiko has just released their first professional diver, the Hi-Beat 36000 Professional 600m (refs. SBGH255, SBGH257) and we find it intimidating Grand Seiko’s first professional dive watch is this mighty (and massive) monster, a 46.9mm chunk of titanium that still looks every inch a Seiko diver … 8: HANDS-ON: A classic, redefined – The Rolex Oyster Perpetual Datejust 41 in steel The Datejust…