From the Sea to the Sky, Here Are the Best TAG Heuer Drops From LVMH Watch Week 2022
January can be a bit of a drag, which is one reason why LVMH’s annual product showcase is something to look forward to. The other reason, of course, are the watches themselves. Swiss luxury watchmaker TAG Heuer was among a handful of top-tier brands (siblings in the LVMH corporate family) to drop a slew of new releases earlier this year, each of which speaks to a different aspect of the brand’s history and identity. From a new, sleeker version of the Aquaracer dive watch, to anniversary editions of the vintage-inspired Autavia, there’s a lot to appreciate here, so let’s dive in.
TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 200
Last spring, TAG Heuer made waves (if you will) by totally overhauling its Aquaracer dive watch. A relatively new addition to the TAG Heuer line-up, the Aquaracer officially debuted in 2004 but has its roots in a Jack Heuer-designed all-purpose sports watch, the Heuer Reference 844, from 1978. The results of the redesign were everything fans of serious professional dive watches could hope for, including a bold redesign of the case and 12-faceted bezel, and several 300m editions made to stand up to extreme conditions. This year’s new crop of Aquaracers carry the same stunning design, but are slimmer, smaller and designed to fit under a suit jacket cuff or over a wetsuit with equal finesse.
Aquaracer Professional 200 Date
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The halo models of the Aquaracer 200 collection are this pair, whose dimensions have been slimmed down ever so slightly for easier wearability. Where the Aquaracer 300 is 43mm across the case, this new version clocks in at a much subtler 40mm, in addition to being slightly thinner. While these editions sacrifice the 300’s ceramic bezel insert in place of a steel one, they carry plenty of finesse in their dials which are decorated with repeating horizontal lines with a subtle fumé effect — which looks particularly good in the sea-blue version. Powering these two pieces is TAG Heuer’s workhorse Calibre 5 Automatic, with 38 hours of power reserve and a date function. ($3,450)
Aquaracer Professional 200 40mm Quartz
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TAG Heuer has always been a great brand for value at the entry-level, and the Aquaracer Professional 200 delivers here too with a pair of handsome quartz versions. Aside from the battery-powered movement, this duo comes with the same horizontally-striped sunray dial with a choice of black or navy blue, a 60-minute unidirectional turning bezel, and white Super-LumiNova on the indexes and hands. ($2,550)
TAG Heuer Autavia
When Jack Heuer took the helm of his family’s watch brand in the early 1960s, he brought a modern sensibility and a new vision for sports watch design. In 1962 he launched the Autavia collection and simultaneously established a whole new design language that has guided the brand for the last 60 years. Before 1962, Autavia had been the name of a line of Heuer dashboard timers used in both cars and airplanes in the 1930s (hence the name, a portmanteau of “automotive” and “aviation”). To mark the 60th anniversary of Jack Heuer’s first Autavia collection, TAG Heuer is paying tribute to the watch’s influential design while pushing it forward into the 21st century with several key upgrades and two new complications, a chronograph and a three-hand GMT.
Autavia 60th Anniversary Flyback Chronograph
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While a thoroughly modern watch on the inside, this edition of the Autavia borrows its bidirectional bezel from the 1960s original, and its chronograph pushers and extra-large crown from the 1930s Autavia dashboard timers. In another nod to the Autavia’s past — specifically its use by the German air force in the 1960s — this new model features a flyback chronograph powered by the new Calibre Heuer 02 COSC Flyback manufacture movement. Unlike traditional chronographs, which require pushing separate buttons to reset the counter, the flyback chronograph stops, resets and starts again with a single pusher — all the better for precision timing on the fly. The new Autavia chronograph is available in two versions, a silver “panda” dial with serious 1960s vibes, and a black DLC version inspired by TAG Heuer’s military history. ($7,850 / $8,650)
Autavia 60th Anniversary COSC GMT
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In another tribute to the Autavia’s high-flying legacy, this model combines the watch’s midcentury looks with the functionality of a GMT complication that displays a second timezone via a dedicated orange hand. Fitted with the Calibre 7 COSC GMT movement — which, like the flyback chronograph is chronometer-certified for exceptional accuracy — the first GMT model in the collection stands out with a bright blue sunray-brushed dial, a blue and black ceramic bezel. Unlike the two chronographs which come with an alligator leather strap, the GMT model is available with an optional steel bracelet, and all of the strap and bracelet options are easily interchangeable thanks to TAG Heuer’s pushbutton quick release system. ($5,250)
