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TAG Heuer Autavia Flyback Chronometer 42mm Mens Watch
Ref. CBE511A.FC8279
The Autavia name stretches back to 1933, when it began life as a dashboard timer for cars and aircraft — a portmanteau of those two worlds that still shapes everything about how the watch is laid out. The collection proper arrived in 1962, and this reference keeps faith with that cockpit inheritance: a black dial built for legibility at a glance, with white Super-LumiNova on every index and hand so the read is equally clean under strip lighting or no lighting at all. The movement is where the effort shows. The Heuer 02 carries COSC certification and a flyback function — meaning the chronograph resets and restarts in a single push rather than three — and it runs for 80 hours unwound. That is a movement TAG Heuer builds to a standard above the everyday Carrera or Aquaracer, and the flyback complication in particular has a utility beyond the specification: it is genuinely faster to use when time intervals overlap.
- Reference
- CBE511A.FC8279
- Brand
- TAG Heuer
- Case size
- 42mm
- Case material
- Stainless steel
- Case shape
- Round
- Dial
- Black
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Movement
- Automatic
- Calibre
- Heuer 02
- Functions
- Chronograph, Date, Small seconds
- Water resistance
- 100m
- Bracelet / strap
- Leather strap
- Strap colour
- Black
- Clasp
- Buckle
- Lume
- Super-LumiNova
- Retailer
- Mappin & Webb
Learn more about TAG Heuer
Edouard Heuer founded his workshop in Saint-Imier in 1860 at the age of twenty, and the company he built became the definitive maker of things that measure short intervals.
The patents came early and mattered. The oscillating pinion of 1887 remains in use in mechanical chronographs today — an elegantly simple way of engaging the chronograph train that most manufacturers still prefer to the column wheel alternative. The Mikrograph of 1916 measured to a hundredth of a second, decades ahead of anything comparable.
Heuer's association with motorsport ran deeper than sponsorship. It supplied dashboard timers to rally and racing teams for decades, and the wrist chronographs of the 1960s were named accordingly: Carrera, for the Carrera Panamericana; Monaco, for the Grand Prix; Autavia, from automobile and aviation. The Monaco of 1969 — square, water-resistant, and worn by Steve McQueen in Le Mans — housed the Calibre 11, one of the first automatic chronograph movements.
The quartz crisis hit hard. TAG, the Techniques d'Avant Garde group, bought the company in 1985, giving the current name. LVMH acquired it in 1999.
The modern house has pursued high-frequency timing seriously, producing concept movements measuring to a thousandth and a five-thousandth of a second, alongside the volume Carrera, Aquaracer, and Formula 1 lines.
- 1860
- Edouard Heuer founds the company in Saint-Imier.
- 1887
- The oscillating pinion is patented, still used today.
- 1963
- The Carrera launches, named for the Carrera Panamericana.
- 1969
- The square Monaco debuts with an automatic chronograph calibre.
- 1985
- The TAG group acquires Heuer.
- 1999
- LVMH acquires TAG Heuer.
Also in 4 collections
This watch appears in Stainless Steel Watches (3,197), Automatic Watches (1,736), Chronograph Watches (1,234) and Leather Strap Watches (1,049).
What the specifications mean
A mechanical watch for everyday wear.
Strengths
- 100m water resistance covers swimming and watersports
- Sapphire crystal, which resists scratching
- Luminous hands and markers for low light
Worth knowing
- Leather does not suit regular contact with water
TAG Heuer Autavia Flyback Chronometer alternatives
Watches from other brands at a similar price, style and size, so you can see what else your budget can buy.
| Specification |  CBE511A.FC8279 | 130982 | 103740 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £7,000 | £7,200 | £6,800 |
| Case size | 42mm | 42mm | 41mm |
| Water resistance | 100m | 100m | 100m |
| Movement | Automatic | Automatic | Automatic |
| Strap | Leather strap | Titanium bracelet | Stainless steel bracelet |
| Power reserve | — | 42 hours | 42 hours |
| This watch | Closely matched | Closely matched |
Your new watch
Frequently asked questions, and things you should know about this watch
Can I swim with it?
Yes. At 100m it is rated for swimming and snorkelling, though not for diving.
Water resistance explainedWill the glass scratch?
Unlikely. Sapphire is second only to diamond in hardness and shrugs off everyday marking.
Sapphire, mineral and acrylic comparedDoes it need a battery?
No. It is automatic — the motion of your wrist winds it, and there is no cell to replace.
Quartz, automatic and solar comparedIs it a men's or women's watch?
Listed as men's.
Cheapest place to buy
Mappin & Webb at £4,495, against £7,000 at Mappin & Webb. Two UK retailers stock this reference.
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