As part of their new “Heuer Parade” auction on November 11, Phillips is giving the very latest example of a new Autavia innovated to celebrate Jack Heuer’s 85th birthday. The yet-to-be-released Tag Heuer Autavia Jack Heuer Special Edition is the next iteration of the 2017 Autavia that was shown before this year after a final design was decided via the TAGs Autavia Cup online community selection process. 
Identical to the fake TAG Heuer Heritage Calibre Heuer 02 in both dimension and functionality, the Jack Heuer edition differentiates itself with a handful of aesthetic tweaks. For those a bit foggy on the details, the 2017 Autavia’s 42mm steel case houses the Heuer Calibre 02 automatic chronograph movement alongside an aluminum bezel, 100m water resistance, and a love-or-hate application of faux tanned lume.
This new Autavia variant makes the most of a few changes, selecting for a lovely panda dial with a silver sunray finish and a trio of black sub-dials. Gone is the “fauxtina” lume, replaced by a simple and welcome application of white SuperLuminova. Eventually, the Jack Heuer Edition swaps out the Rindt-inspired 12-hour bezel for a minutes/hours (MH) bezel with both 12-hour markings and an elapsed time scale. The outcome is very amazing, and while I rather loved the appearance of the 2017 Autavia, I love the changes TAG has made for the Jack Heuer Special Edition.
The added functionality of the MH bezel is a great expression of what made the Autavia such a nice design when it was first shown back in 1962. As the Autavia was the first replica watches launched during Jack Heuer’s tenure as CEO, this new model seems a fitting salute to both his legacy and the roots of the Autavia. Those wanting to read deeper into the popular story of the Autavia should look no further than the incredible Calibre 11 piece Ultimate Guide to the Vintage Heuer Autavia. 
The replica TAG Heuer Autavia Jack Heuer Edition will be limited to 1932 units (Jack’s birth year) and Phillips will provide 1/1932 as the only modern watch in its upcoming Heuer-themed auction. Besides, proceeds of the sale of the Autavia Jack Heuer Special Edition will be donated to the Save the Children charity, which specializes in supporting children’s rights in over 120 countries all over the world.
While it could be argued that the market for panda dial chronographs has never been hotter, the remaining 1931 examples will be a little later to the market and pricing is currently TBD, though the current 2017 Autavia retails at nice price on the same steel bracelet.