Vintage Autavia - help please!!

[mwalt1988]

Hi everyone! So unfortunately about a year or so ago my Uncle passed away. My Aunt was cleaning out some of his things, clothes and such, and stumbled across a few of his watches. Knowing that i was a watch geek she asked if i would like to have them , "There's a swiss army watch and something else, they're both all beat up and neither run, they're probably junk" she says......I told her i would love to have them, regardless of condition or age. I was extremely pleased when she brought them over one night.....the "other" beat up non-functioning watch was a 1969 Heuer Autavia It really wasn't in that bad of shape....heavily used, yes, but "old beat up junk," NO!! A few winds of the crown and the Heuer engine started ticking away. Chrono pushers work great, hand snaps to zero perfectly, and the watch is running about 3 seconds fast a day, unbelievable. Here are a few pics....i was hoping somebody more knowledgeable about these watches could tell me a little about it. I'm sure this watch is certainly worth some money (although it will never be sold) and i would definitely be interested in restoring it to its beauty (member recommendations would be awesome!). Any help is greatly appreciated....I figured my awesome RepGeek family would be happy to help me out .....enjoy!<br />
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[LHOOQ]

Sorry for your loss, but thank your uncle for leaving you a great watch. It's a first-generation Autavia with a Valjoux 7730 movement. And other than the wear on the bezel insert, it looks to be in good shape.

I suggest you start your research at onthedash.com, and look for reference number 7763C. Lots of good stuff there.

 

[rooster133]

Yep, a gorgeous autavia 30, 7763c. 44mm including crown, which is really nice for a vintage piece. The c stands for compressor case. Available both with tacky and MH bezel. The hands look non original (chrono hand should be white, subdial hands should be thinner and hours hands are also slightly different). But I'm not hugely familiar with different versions that might have existed of this model (particularly the later ones), so don't take my word for it. It might be worth doing some research on that combination of hands available. No need to discuss how much it's worth of course, because it obviously has huge sentimental value to you, and that should suffice! It's a thing of beauty!!

 

[mwalt1988]

Thanks guys, I really appreciate it! You have me curious about the hands, I'm going to start doing some digging, I'll be sure to keep you posted!

well after a tiny bit of searching, I came across this hand/dial combo, although it was the "date" model. Off to on the dash to see what I can find, can't fight the urge to restore this beauty!

 

[LHOOQ]

Note that the 1163 Autavia is a completely different model to the one you've got. 1163 is the second-generation Autavia with a an automatic movement (Cal 11 or 12), a bigger and reshaped case, and that conspicuous crown on the left.

Based on what it says on onthedash, the hands on yours are correct for a late model, 1st-gen Autavia. 1969 was when the Chronomatic movements were introduced, so that's about as late as you can get for the older hand-wind Autavias.

I'm not really sure what there is to restore on your piece. Maybe a crystal polish, relume of the hands, and a better strap. If it doesn't already have one, grab a 16mm Heuer buckle, while you're at it.

 

[maxlawbr]

Sorry for your uncle, but luckly you have this fantastic piece.

I don't know a lot about autavia watches, but know a little about restoration.

Don't!!!!! change the dial, it will took of the vintage look, Don't polish the case, it can change the shape of it, if you wanna polish the case, do it with a very good watchsmith.

What I would do. I would change the bezel insert, and made a revision in the movement. Look for a good strap and a gen buckle and that's all.

Wear it with pride, it is a fantastic piece and I should buy one, one day.

 

[woof*]

Beautiful watch, your very lucky.

 

[Boneventura]

Regarding the strap. I actually have a vintage Heuer-style rally strap here. I got it from an ebay seller Squinky. I really like the quality. I paid around $ 50. But I discovered he buys them from a guy called I.W. Suisse. And he sells them for only $10! Accept, shipping to EU is very expensive. But if you're in the US, shipping is cheap. He has a website, google it. The strap is called Tropic Buffalo. It doesn't look much in the pics, but believe me, they are ok!

 

[mwalt1988]

Awesome advice on the strap! I'll look into that, thanks for all of the Info everyone!!

 

[Boneventura]

I contacted the strap guy. Turns out he is a wholesaler. But he has a reseller on the bay. His name is Nilsens Watch Straps. He sells them for $18.

 

[Boneventura]

THis is the strap. I usually have this on a gen black rally strap, but I like this vintage look too.