Why No Autavia? Please read....

[Spiccato]

Okay.
I get the whole "crown at 9" thing.

Maybe all of you already have great Autavia reps and since I'm a newbie
I just missed the boat. Maybe you've all given up on waiting for one.
Maybe none of you like, or understand the desire for an Autavia rep.
Maybe you all already have real Siffert Autavias.

But I don't. And since I do see fairly credible Chrono-Matic reps with crowns at 9, and since there were
Autavias made with crowns at 3 like normal watches...I don't get why there aren't
a few of these floating around somewhere.
If you were raised at the time I was, and remember the great days of F1 and Can-Am, you'll get the interest.

Everyone please enlighten me why there seems to be a huge hole in the replica watch firmament regarding these watches.

Thank you...I'll stop whining now.

 

[Spiccato]

OKAY!
Well, that inspired lots of responses.

Guess I'm the only Autavia person here.

Cheers, all...

 

[smithy37]

Do you mean like this genuine one?

 

[seanf]

The original Autavia is a beautiful, amazing watch. But it's not likely to be repped anytime soon. Or, you know, ever. There is a very, very limited market for vintage rep watches. I only know of a handfull--- a few Rolexes, some crappy Omegas, a bunch of PAMs, and the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms. Just FYI, the asking price for a good Autavia seems to be around $1500 to $2000 these days, so if you find one less than that, you're probably getting a good deal.

If you're really interested in the look of the Autavia, but you don't want to spend the money, then run some of these searches on eBay:


http://desc.shop.ebay.com/items/_W0QQLH ... Q_udhiZ500

http://desc.shop.ebay.com/items/_W0QQLH ... Q_udhiZ500

http://desc.shop.ebay.com/items/_W0QQLH ... Q_udhiZ400

http://desc.shop.ebay.com/items/_W0QQLH ... Q_udhiZ500

The Autavia was so popular in the late 60s and early 70s that lots and lots of watch makers basically copied the design completely. So you can find really good deals (less than $200) on a bunch of watches that look pretty much identical to the Autavia. Some of them even have the Valjoux movement.

If you're interested in spending a bit more (like up to $1000), then I'd recommend checking out Chronodeco:

http://www.chronodeco.com/index.htm (there's a write up on them in the GUG section here)

Chronodeco basically took some old Autavia cases, designed some really cool new dials, and put some Valjoux movements inside. Very, very cool watches.

 

[nielsen]

Hey, Seanf, those Chronodeco watches are very cool. Thanks for the providing the link. I'd never heard of them but am a huge deco fan, so I'm impresssed. It makes me wonder how many other sites exist out there that I know nothing of!

 

[seanf]

IW (International Watch) had a write up on Chronodeco a few months ago, which is how I heard about them. It's also how I got interested in vintage Autavias and Cameros. Here's the write-up I did on them in the GUG section:

viewtopic.php?f=193&t=43502

Very, very cool watches. They have a few new models since I did that write-up, and they look even better. Little pricey, but good value. And cheaper than an original Autavia (although you can get very good deals on vintage Cameros).

 

[Spiccato]

Thanks, all.
Those Chronodecos look great.

 

[Spiccato]

And Smithy.....YES!
Exactly.

That's a great rep there, bud....... 8)

 

[JARTHEAD]

Man, it is great to see this post. I have a black Autavia that I love. I have a cheap old leather band on it now. Would like to but a SS bracelet on it. Anyone have a suggestion on what to get and where to get it?

 

[Spiccato]

Some of the rep sites have old style Heuer racing bands, the kind with the holes
in them. They come on the 7750 Carreras at WatchEden and can be purchased
separately..
Personally...if I were buying a cool SS bracelet for a gen Autavia, I'd buy a whole
rep watch with the preferred band, then sell the watch/ keep the band.
It would almost cost you the same price in total.

OKAY...some pics of your Autavia, please?

 

[seanf]

Man, it is great to see this post. I have a black Autavia that I love. I have a cheap old leather band on it now. Would like to but a SS bracelet on it. Anyone have a suggestion on what to get and where to get it?

I'm not sure what kind of SS band would work with the Autavia. Personally, I'd go with leather racing straps, which is accurate to the Autavia. I'd go with something like this Rally style:

http://www.watchstyle.com/pd709744693.h ... Steel_AND_{EOL}&categoryId=7

or this perforated style:

http://cgi.ebay.com/20mm-Racing-Black-P ... 7C294%3A50

If you REALLY want a SS band (which I really wouldn't do with an Autavia, but to each his own), you may want to look at some of these:

http://www.watchstyle.com/pi1089739550. ... goryId=109

 

[JARTHEAD]

Thanks Seanf. The rally style looks pretty nice. Now that I look at the SS, i see what you mean. It just doesn't seem right.

 

[JARTHEAD]

Finally got the pics uploaded. I still have not idea how to get them to post on here, so a link for your viewing pleasure.
http://s596.photobucket.com/albums/tt50 ... d/Autavia/

 

[Spiccato]

That's a cool watch.
How many packs of Viceroys did you have to smoke
to get it?

 

[JARTHEAD]

Thanks. Yeah, I was wondering if it was the Viceroy model, but it was my grandpa's and he wasn't a smoker. I can't tell the difference between the 11630 and the 1163V. Do you know the difference?

 

[Spiccato]

You probably already have read this, but here's the link.....

http://www.onthedash.com/Guide/_Chronog ... nce_1163V/

 

[JARTHEAD]

I had been there before, but never saw the side by side comparo of the 2 versions. very interesting. looking at those pics and my pics is making me realize i need to clean that bad boy up a bit!

 

[Spiccato]

That's still a nice piece, there.
Maybe it's time to ask who around the boards does
restoration/refurbishing.

 

[anthon]

I know this is a dead threat but whilst searching for an autavia, I came across a watch which fits the Bill perfectly, in case anyone was in search of one or something similar.

http://www.pageandcooper.com/autodromo-prototipo-chronograph-black-dial/

For me it's about the case and the dial. It looks great...