Heuer Autavia Manual-Wind (Ref. 73363) "Jo Siffert Colors", 1971

Dealer description — Craft & Tailored

The Heuer Autavia came into production in 1933 as a dashboard timer for automotive racing and flying, where the Autavia name is derived, Auto and Aviation. The Autavia was then later introduced in 1962 (The same year Jo Siffert entered Formula One) as the wristwatch we know today, and soon became the flagship for the entire Brand. Jo Siffert wore an Autavia 1163, which featured an automatic movement with a date function, a white dial with black registers, and blue accents. Approximately 1 year after Jo's tragic accident during the World Championship Victory Race of 1971, Heuer introduced a new line of manually wound chronographs, including the ref. 73363. These manually wound chronos continued in the steps of their older siblings with the cushion style case that was initially introduced to house the Cal. 11 movement, but were redesigned for the Valjoux 7733 movement and to also feature the crown on the same side as the chronograph pushers. Although the ref. 73363 isn't technically the "Jo Siffert" Autavia; it shares the same color scheme and is considerably rare. During its era of production, Heuer produced only a very small number of manually wound chronographs, this is partially in part to them offering these watches as a "more affordable" timepiece compared to their world-renowned automatic chronographs, but also to meet the specifications for military application, as an even smaller number of these watches were military issued. With the gorgeous dial presentation of a "Jo Siffert" Autavia, the slimmer profile as a result of the manual-wind movement, and being one of the lowest production timepieces offered by Heuer, the ref. 73363 is one of the most wearable and sought-after chronographs produced by Heuer. SPECS Stock # HURAUT73363 Brand Heuer Style Autavia 'Manual Wind' Model 73363 Serial 21XXXX Size Men's Material Stainless Steel Dial White W/ Blue Accents "Jo Siffert Colors" Millimeters 41 Strap Vintage Black Rally Strap W/ Heuer Tang Buckle CASE & BRACELET The impressively strong case features extremely crisp finishing with sharp bevels throughout, while displaying only nominal signs of previous use. The original bidirectional ratcheting bezel is in mint condition, exhibiting no wear and no fading. The case retains its original fluted pump-pushers and Heuer signed crown. The case back remains clean, showing no wear or damage. The watch comes supplied on a vintage black rally strap with the original Heuer tang buckle. DIAL & HANDS The original satin white dial with blue accents and black sub-dials is in near-perfect vintage condition, exhibiting no damage and no notable elements of age. The tritium lume plots have taken on a lovely creamy yellow patina, and all remain intact, with only the 9 o'clock plot exhibiting minor degradation when inspected under UV light. The original tritium hands with black enamel inlay also remain in exceptional condition and match the dial almost perfectly with a slightly brighter patina. Under UV light inspection, the hour hand displays superficial surface cracking and remains stable, while the minute hand remains flawless. The blue center chronograph hand finishes the watch with a corresponding pop of blue to match the dial accents. ACCESSORIES