Heuer Autavia (Ref. 1163) "Jo Siffert Mk. VI", 1972

Dealer description — Craft & Tailored

Jo Siffert was a Swiss racing driver who, previous to joining Formula One In 1962, made a name for himself racing motorcycles. The majority of Siffert's success was as a Porsche factory driver throughout the 60s, claiming Porsches first major outright wins and in 1966, winning the 24 hours of Le Mans. Jo was the first brand ambassador appointed by Jack Heuer and a quintessential part of Heuer’s success in Formula One. It's commonly said that Jo would taunt his peers on the racing grid to purchase a Heuer. By the early 1970s, most of the other racers had a Heuer on their wrists, including Steve McQueen. Siffert died in late 1971 during the World Championship Victory Race at Brands Hatch in England. This accident led to a rapid overhaul of safety, both in-car and on circuit. 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 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. This particular example features a Mk. 6 dial variation of the "Jo Siffert" dial iteration for the Autavia Ref. 1163. The Mk. 6 dial is the only 1163T dial variation to feature 1-through-12 on hour recorder, opposed to the more common 3-6-9-12. The steel markers are polished with black inserts and the hands are brushed steel with blue inserts and tips. Stock # HURJSAUT Brand Heuer Style Chronograph Model Autavia Serial 22XXXX Size Mens Material Stainless Dial White "Mk. 6" Millimeters 42mm Strap Gay Freres Beads of Rice Bracelet W/ HLF End Pieces CASE & BRACELET The unpolished case retains sharp factory finishing showing light, honest wear. The original rotating tachymeter bezel shows little wear and has taken on a wonderful grey fade. The Heuer signed crown and pushers are original to the watch. The original Gay Freres beads of rice bracelet with HLF end pieces remains unpolished showing normal stretch for its age. DIAL & HANDS The original Mk. 6 Jo Siffert white and blue dial remains in stunning condition, there is light staining on the 2 of the left subdial and the 30 in the right subdial. Under U.V. light inspection, the 3, 6, and 9 o'clock lume plots are missing, the 10, 11, and 1 o'clock lume plots are intact but exhibit some lume degradation. The rest of the lume plots remain fully intact. The original tritium hands remain fully intact showing no lume loss or degradation. ACCESSORIES None. The watch is running at spec, previous service history is unknown.