1966 Heuer Autavia Reference 2446 Mark 3 “Rindt” wins Autavia Cup

Tag Heuer Autavia Reference 2446 Mk3 "Rindt"The thousands of votes have been tallied and Tag Heuer today announced the winner of the Autavia Cup. Sixteen Heuer Autavia watches vied for the honour of being reissued by Tag Heuer in 2017 over the past month. Four watches made it to the finals and the TAG Heuer internal Products Committee led by CEO Jean-Claude Biver yesterday picked the 1966 Heuer Autavia Reference 2446 Mark 3 “Rindt” as the winner. It will now be reissued next year after being re-introduced to the world at Baselworld 2017.

First issued in 1966, the Mark 3 was worn by Austrian Formula One world champion, Jochen Rindt, thereby earning its nickname. It was among the last to feature the original case design with straight flanks and facetted lugs. Heuer would update the Autavia in 1968, introducing the snap-back or compression case with a larger bezel.

The Tag Heuer Autavia Reference 2446 Mark 3 “Rindt” features a black dial with three white sub-dials (tri-compax layout). It also sports applied steel markers with small luminous plots and polished steel matchstick hands with luminous inserts. The bezel shows a 12-hour scale. It came with a Valjoux chronograph movement.

Look for the Tag Heuer Autavia Reference 2446 Mark 3 “Rindt” reissue next year at Baselworld. Here’s hoping that Tag Heuer does not stray too far from the original for the new model.