It was hardly a surprise when TAG Heuer announced the re-launch of the Autavia, last year.

As the second of the “big three”, along with the Carrera and the Monaco, it was instrumental in implementing Heuer’s status as one of the most important watchmakers in racing history. The decision came about from a conversation between Jeff Stein, founder of the all-things-Heuer website OnTheDash, and Jean-Claude Biver, CEO of TAG Heuer, during a meeting about the different models. “I met [Biver] last year, and he was familiar with the recent increase in interest in the 1960s Autavias” explains Stein, “he wanted a round case from the 1960s, rather than a cushion or a C-shape case – I mustered some courage and told him that TAG Heuer needs to re-issue the Autavia”. Biver agreed and so began the ‘Autavia Cup’, in which sixteen models were narrowed down to just four from a public vote, and the winner decided upon by a committee lead by Biver himself. Less than a month later and it was announced: The relaunched model would be the Mark 3 “Rindt” Autavia, named after Formula One World Champion Jochen Rindt, plunging racing and watch enthusiasts into a depth of history, and reminding the fans of the beginning of a time where sport and style went hand in hand.

“It’s not enough to have tradition because tradition connects you to yesterday, and only the dead are connected to yesterday”Th

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19621968 1969

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The Autavia is launched and Heuer becomes the first watchmaker in space. Worn by the astronaut and US Senator John Glenn, the stopwatch was the backup timer for the Friendship 7 mission.

The Autavia dial increases from 39 to 40.5 inches and the iconic ‘Panda’ dial is introduced.

Formula One racing driver, and winner of the 1968 British Grand Prix, Jo Siffert, becomes the brand ambassador of Heuer.

Jochen Rindt dies during a practice race for the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, leaving a legacy that would resonate in racing history for years to come.

Heuer becomes the official sponsor and timekeeper for Ferrari. In the same year, Steve McQueen is seen wearing an Heuer Monaco in the film Le Mans and is named a brand ambassador for Heuer shortly after.

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GQS partnership

Jochen Rindt: The Uncrowned King

Aviator shades, a cigarette hanging casually between the oil smeared fingers of the hand of a man whose grip is more comfortably felt against the worn leather of a Lotus steering wheel, Jochen Rindt was a picture of fierce determination with a bad boy charm. Married to Finnish fashion model, Nina Lincoln, and famous for his abrasive behaviour both on and off the track, the German born racing driver carried the speed and ferocity of driving in his very being. Like his hero, Count Wolfgang von Trips, whose death at Monza in 1961 seemed only to increase Rindt’s enthusiasm for the sport, Rindt was a man of disregard, racing simply for the thrill of the ride and enjoying the lifestyle that went with it. When asked how often he drove beyond his limits, his answer was simple enough: “Do I ever drive within them?”. Heuer, whose watches were a celebration of speed, unmatchable accuracy, and the thrill of doing things for the sheer excitement, was a fitting match for a man as rambunctious as Rindt. The Autavia was labelled the ‘racer’s chronograph’ for a reason, and after his tragic death in 1970, on the very same track that had claimed von Trips’ life nine years earlier, the Mark 3 Autavia remained synonymous with Rindt’s name, making it one of the most valuable vintage Heuer pieces to date.

MARK 3 "RINDT" AUTAVIA

REFERENCE 2446

AGE 52

REISSUE 2017

1969The first automatic chronograph movement is launched and fitted into the Autavia.