If you were to transpose the golden age of sports car racing to a watch you would undoubtedly get the Heuer Autavia. Heuer initially introduced the "Autavia" as a dashboard timer in 1933, with a 12-hour stopwatch designed to be mounted on the dashboard / panel of an Automobile or Airplane, thus the name Autavia which was derived from the words "AUTomobile" and "AVIAtion".
The 1st chronograph watch made it’s appearance in 1962 while it was only towards the end of the 1960’s that the 1163 Series Autavia featured one of the world's first automatic chronograph movements, changing sports timing forever.
This was the watch designed by Heuer for the real race car driver. Sleek cushion styled steel case with a rotating bezel, twin subsidiary registers, date function all powered by a hand wound chronograph movement and you have yourself a sporting timepiece for the ages.
Offered in a multitude of dial configurations, the 1163V "Viceroy" is far and away a cult favorite. Offered in a joint promotion with Viceroy Cigarettes, the 1163V could be had for only $88 and a proof of purchase of a carton of smokes!
While Viceroy Autavias are relatively plentiful on the market, finding an example like this one is like finding the Holy Grail!!! We hate to use the terminology New Old Stock but we feel that’s pretty much sums it up. Minus the red sticker tag on the case back this watch has been stored away since the day it left the factory!
The brushed case is pristine, even in between the lugs the case sparkles. The bezel is immaculate as is the dial, hands, crown and pushers.
As mentioned above the actual dial & bezel variations catalogued for this watch is dizzying and this watch is no exception offering a unique combo of features such as Heuer’s diver decompression bezel, 3-6-9-12 hour recorder instead of the Viceroy Special economy dial with 1 through 12 hour recoder and 4th execution white painted steel hands with large luminous inserts, red center lines & triangular tips.
This watch is ready to wear to your next track day!
Manufacturer: Heuer
Year: 1970s
Reference No: 1163 v
Model Name: Autavia Viceroy
Material: Stainless Steel
Calibre: Calibre 12
Bracelet/Strap: Black leather with white stiching
Case Size: 42mm
Accessories: n/a
We do our best to ensure that all our watches are exactly as described. In the event that the watch operates outside of the listed specifications, the Auction house will only accept full returns.
Due to the nature of vintage timepieces we cannot guarantee water resistance. Pre-Owned timepieces may require servicing to perform to specification unless it has been specified. We provide a 24hr/Accuracy reading for reference purposes only.