Here are my first impressions of the new Autavia, based on a total of 10 minutes with the chronograph (in three Milan jewelry stores).

Overall, I think that TAG-Heuer did a great job on the watch. Best points are:

-- TAG-Heuer remained true to the look and spirit of the original Automatics. The color schemes (both white dial / blue trim and black dial / orange trim) are perfect, and these choices of colors really are the best of the original Autavias

-- The other styling cues from the original automatics are great -- case design; hands; markers; etc.

-- The build quality appears to be excellent

-- Putting the crown on the left was fun, and captures a "signature" feature of the Automatic Autavias

-- Bracelet looks really nice and also evokes the original Autavia

My only criticisms / suggestions:

-- A rotating Minute / Hour bezel would have been a better choice. While the tachy bezel does evoke some of the original Autavias (the Siffert, to be specific), a rotating Minute / Hour bezel can actually be used to time things (parking meters; brownies in the oven; reminders; etc.) I rarely find myself timing a "measured mile" to determine my speed.

-- an hour register also makes for a more useful chronograph

ALL IN ALL -- I give the new Autavia excellent marks. The old Autavias are a personal favorite, and I think that TAG-Heuer did a great job with this one.

Jeff