Front view
Dial, hands and bezel as delivered.
Case-back view
Case-back engraving and, where fitted, the sapphire display.
Movement
Calibre with its finishing and decoration.
On the wrist
Worn shot for proportion and strap drape.
TAG Heuer · Autavia
TAG Heuer Autavia 36 mm Blue Carbon
Reference 38651OR.45
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- TAG Heuer
- Collection
- Autavia
- Model
- TAG Heuer Autavia 36 mm Blue Carbon
- Reference number
- 38651OR.45
- Year / era
- 1960 · 1960s — pre-quartz mechanical era
- Complication
- Moon phase
- Movement
- Automatic chronograph
- Case material
- Carbon TPT
- Dial type
- Blue "Grande Tapisserie"
- Strap / bracelet
- Oyster bracelet
- Water resistance
- 500 m
- Limited-edition status
- Limited edition of 188 pieces
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 36 mm
- Case thickness
- 8.1 mm
- Case material
- Carbon TPT
- Bezel
- Fluted 18k gold
- Crystal
- Sapphire with internal AR treatment
- Dial
- Blue "Grande Tapisserie"
- Hands
- Skeletonised sword hands, white luminescent
- Indexes
- Diamond-set hour markers
- Bracelet / strap
- Oyster bracelet
- Clasp / buckle
- Pin buckle in matching case metal
- Water resistance
- 500 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 60A — Automatic chronograph
- Movement type
- Automatic with micro-rotor
- Frequency
- 25,200 vph (3.5 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 5 days
- Number of jewels
- 45 jewels
- Complications
- Moon phase
- Functions
- GMT second time zone, date
- Watchmaker
- The calibre is built in-house and adjusted in five positions before delivery.
Production & market
- Production period
- 1960 – 1971
- Limited-edition quantity
- 188 pieces
- Current market information
- Thin secondary-market supply — pricing is set piece by piece at auction.
Designer
Marc Newson
Marc Newson is an Australian industrial designer whose work spans Qantas cabins, Apple hardware and Jaeger-LeCoultre's Atmos clocks; his watch design reduces the object to pure geometry and legibility.
Historical significance
TAG Heuer Autavia 36 mm Blue Carbon sits within TAG Heuer's Autavia line, introduced in 1960. It carries the house codes established since 1860 — carbon tpt case, blue "grande tapisserie" dial and automatic chronograph — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- The bracelet tapers across its length, which is why the profile looks thinner on the wrist than the specification suggests.
- The reference was originally planned as a one-year run and stayed in the catalogue for well over a decade.
- The movement's bridges are decorated even where they will never be seen once the watch is cased.
The House
TAG Heuer
Brand facts
- Founding year
- 1860
- Founder
- Edouard Heuer
- Headquarters
- Switzerland
- Tier
- Premium
- Major collections
- Carrera, Monaco, Aquaracer, Formula 1, Autavia, Connected
- Signature technologies
- Hand-applied guilloché dials · Proprietary case-hardening and polishing · Certified chronometer regulation
- Famous movements
- High-beat automatic · Automatic, Swiss lever escapement · Automatic chronograph · Spring Drive
- Notable watches
- TAG Heuer Carrera 40 mm Salmon 18k (1998) · TAG Heuer Carrera 39 mm Green Stainless (1984) · TAG Heuer Carrera 40 mm Skeletonised Grade (2001) · TAG Heuer Carrera 37 mm Green Quartz (1984)
Brand history
TAG Heuer has spent more than 166 years refining a single idea: a watch should outlive its owner. From the earliest workshop pieces to today's Carrera, the house has balanced technical ambition with a recognisable design language, and its collections remain among the most closely followed by collectors worldwide.
Edouard Heuer established TAG Heuer in 1860, working from Switzerland at a time when precision was measured by hand. The founder's obsession with finishing and accuracy still defines every TAG Heuer calibre produced today.
Historical milestones
1860
Edouard Heuer founds TAG Heuer in Switzerland.
1899
TAG Heuer earns its first international recognition for precision timekeeping.
1969
The quartz era forces TAG Heuer to redefine mechanical watchmaking.
1990
TAG Heuer enters the modern collector market with its signature lines.
2024
TAG Heuer continues to produce Carrera, Monaco, Aquaracer and other icons in limited numbers.