BY ERIK SLAVEN
TAG Heuer and dive watches are practically synonymous, and chronographs are a staple of the brand as well. The Autavia Chronometer Flyback sport chronograph has been given a modern touch with a black PVD coating on the case, bezel, pushers and crown. Coupled with an updated black dial, the watch has an entirely new personality. Dive with it, wear it to the office or time some laps at the track. This is truly one watch that’ll do it all (save for a very formal event) above and below the water.
The 316L stainless steel case is both modern and classy with the black PVD treatment, coming in at a contemporary 42mm in diameter with a thickness of 15.68mm. The bidirectional rotating bezel has a black ceramic insert and 60-minute scale, and is legible yet understated. Like the silver model, the case has brushed and polished surfaces, although everything is a bit more muted with the dark coat. The pushers at 2 and 4 o’clock have a knurled base that keeps a consistency with the knurled, screw-down crown. As a flyback chronograph, the timer doesn’t have to be stopped, reset and restarted – a single press of the 4 o’clock pusher resets and restarts the timing functions. A sapphire crystal protects the dial, while a sapphire exhibition case back displays the in-house automatic. Water resistance is rated at 100 meters. A 21mm black alligator strap with a red underside is equipped with a nifty quick-release button and black steel pin buckle.
The dial is unchanged from the silver model, just blacked out to match the case. There’s a 30-minute counter at 3 o’clock, 12-hour counter at 9 o’clock and small seconds at 6 o’clock. A color matching date window discreetly sits at the bottom of the 6 o’clock sub-dial. It really blends in well. Applied Arabic numerals are filled with a light green Super-LumiNova, as are the hour and minute hands. Applied indices at 3, 6 and 9 o’clock (to accommodate the sub-dials) are also filled with lume.
Powering the watch is TAG Heuer’s Caliber Heuer 02 COSC Flyback automatic chronograph. It has a vertical clutch and column wheel, the latter at the top with striking red columns. An open-worked black rotor and Côtes de Genève make it very aesthetically pleasing. It beats at 4Hz (28,800vph) with a sizeable 80-hour power reserve.
The chronograph (ref. CBE511C.FC8280) comes with a complimentary TAG Heuer travel pouch and retails for EUR 6,600 or USD 6,950. That’s a bit more than the standard model (ref. CBE511B.FC8279) at EUR 5,950 or USD 6,300, but the color change makes all the difference. As Bruce Wayne once asked, “Does it come in black?” Yes, Batman. It does indeed.
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