Why This Watch Matters "Siffert Colors" for those who want to wind their watch in the morning. 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 wrist chronograph quickly became one of Heuer's flagship products during a period of massive growth and success for the brand. 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 were paying off as racing took off in popular culture, specifically in the United States, one of the firm's strongest markets. The example we have here is the ref. 73663 with a tonneau-shaped stainless steel case and manually wound chronograph movement that sits in a transition phase for the model. Heuer debuted the legendary Caliber 11 automatic chronograph movement in 1969 and offered automatic and manual versions of the Autavia at the same time. What you get here is the iconic automatic-style Autavia case, without the sometimes finicky caliber. After all, an automatic chronograph was very new tech at the time. Another iconic attribute that you may recognize are the distinct colors here. The Swiss race car driver Jo Siffert was sponsored by Heuer in 1969, and he wore the Cal. 11 powered brother of our watch, the ref. 1163, on the track. Of course, his watch 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 show, Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee. This watch is all of what the standard "Siffert" offers but with an extra sub-register and a manually-wound Valjoux 7736. The "Siffert" for the collector who doesn't want to be like all those other "Sifferts". Oh, and by the way, the condition here is insanely good. We paired this Autavia with our Reid watch strap in blue because, well, it matches the touches of blue in Mr. Siffert's colors. The Fine Print Maker: HeuerModel: AutaviaReference: 73663Year: Early 1970sCase No: 200561Material: Stainless steelDimensions: 42mm width x 47mm height; 15.8mm thicknessCrystal: PlexiglassLume: Yes, tritiumCaliber: Heuer signed Valjoux, manually-wound, caliber 7366Bracelet/Strap: HODINKEE The Reid Watch Strap In Royal BlueLug Width: 20mmBox/Papers: No What We Love And What You Should Know Things We Love: - "Siffert" style dial motif- Classic Autavia case shape- Extremely crisp condition Things To Know: - Light scratches on case This Autavia is in overall phenomenal condition. The case is strong with scratches and nicks. The sunburst finish is still visible on the top part of the case. The case is unpolished in our view. The case and reference numbers are still very crips between both sets of lugs. The caseback has a few faint scratches and remains finished with its correct brushing. The dial and hands are in excellent condition with a light patina. The dial has a very small mark above the "Autavia" printing, this is hard to notice. The black sub-registers are clean. The lume on the dial is in good condition with patina. The lume plots are remarkably intact, showing very little degradation. The hands and hour markers have developed a light patina. The lume on the hands and on the dial are close to matching in color. The bezel is in good condition with some scratches and some light wear around the edge. 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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