Why This Watch Matters Here is a crisp Heuer Autavia in a "Siffert" dial variant, one of the most collectible Heuers ever made. The Full Story Heuer introduced the earliest Autavia wristwatches in the early 1960s, building on a motorsport history started by the first Autavia dashboard timers made in the 1930s. The sport wrist chronograph quickly became one of Heuer's flagship products during a period of massive growth and success for the brand in the 1960s. Heuer was one of the most popular and best-selling watch brands in the world in the 1960s. Its ties to the world of motorsport was paying off as racing took off in popular culture, specifically in the United States, one of the firm's strongest markets. The turn from the 1960s to the 1970s was a difficult one for Swiss watchmaking. An entirely new landscape was forming right before their eyes as the result of the Quartz Revolution. Through the later half of the 1960s, many brands, including Heuer, threw resources at research and development to create the next big thing in Swiss mechanical watchmaking: the automatic chronograph. In 1969, that R&D paid off for Heuer, who, in a partnership with three other brands, introduced the caliber 11 automatic chronograph movement. The Autavia was built for racing, with a tachymeter scale on the bezel, designed for helping drivers determine their speed and lap time at a glance. The use of caliber 11 also meant the watch's crown was on the nine o'clock side – as on other caliber 11 watches, like the Monaco – to remind the wearer that manually winding the watch was not necessary. The Swiss race car driver Jo Siffert was sponsored by Heuer in 1969, and he wore an Autavia ref. 1163 on the track that featured a white dial, black sub-dials, and blue accents. These colors would become synonymous with Siffert and collectors now refer to this Autavia reference as being in the "Jo Siffert"-style. The Siffert Autavia is among the most collectible Autavias ever created and a favorite of Jerry Seinfeld who can be seen wearing his on bracelet during many episodes of his Netflix showl, Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee. The example we have today is in overall excellent condition with a clean creamy tone to the dial and vibrant blue tones. It features what collectors now refer to as a Mark 6 dial. Heuer would tweak the design of the Autavia ref. 1163 during its production years, and there would eventually be a total of six dial variations from 1969 to 1972; examples with a Mark 6 dial were released in, well, 1972. The characteristics of this dial include an hour totalizer with Arabic numeral markers for all twelve hours as well as polished steel hands with lume and blue inserts. To read more about these variations check out OnTheDash. Additionally, our example features a small triangle on the back of the five o'clock lug indicating the movement inside is the upgraded caliber 11-I. The watch we have here comes on a correct, Gay Frères made Heuer bracelet in a beads of rice style. The bracelet is in excellent condition, has the correct end links, is very long accommodating a large wrist if needed, and really completes the look of this Autavia. The Fine Print Maker: HeuerModel: AutaviaReference: 1163Year: Circa 1972Case No: 203547Material: Stainless steelDimensions: 42mm width x 47mm height; 15mm thicknessCrystal: PlexiglassLume: Yes, tritiumCaliber: Heuer, self-winding, caliber 11-IBracelet/Strap: Heuer, stainless steel, "Beads Of Rice" bracelet stamped "3 71" with HLF end links by Gay Frères (8.5 inches/215mm)Lug Width: 20mmBox/Papers: No What We Love And What You Should Know Things We Love: - "Siffert" style dial motif- Crisp overall condition- Gay Frères beads of rice bracelet Things To Know: - Light scratches on case and bracelet This Siffert Autavia is in overall excellent condition. The case is strong with scratches and nicks. The sunburst finish is still visible on the top part of the case. The case may have been lightly polished. There's some marking from the bracelet between both and beneath sets of lugs, but the numbers are still visible on the mid-case. The dial and hands are in great condition with light patina. The black sub-registers are clean with very light patina. The lume on the dial is in good condition with complete lume plots. The hands and hour markers have developed a light patina. The lume on the hands and on the dial are very close to matching in color. The bezel is in good condition with some scratches and light wear around the edge. The Heuer-signed Gay Frères bracelet is in good condition with some very light scratches on both sides of the clasp and is stamped "3 71." The dial, case, movement, and crown are all signed by Heuer. This watch was photographed on a 175mm/6.9inch wrist.
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