Number 5 - 3646 Autavia 1st Execution All Lume Hands

The two sub register version of the 1st execution Autavia is a stunning watch and there is no doubt the 3646 has a look all of its own. My nickname for this version is "The Owl" as the dial gives the impression it is "staring you out"! The extra space the dial gains from not having a third sub register allows for the lume filled number "6" to match the "12" and many collectors appreciate this design detail. These early dials and hands should be Radium, and the small batch with Mk1 hands (circa 150 units) would appear in a case with small pushers and an unsigned domed crown. This "first batch" of 3646 was given the lowest Autavia serial numbers, with the one pictured above currently being the lowest known example. It is hard to believe that the very first named Heuer chronographs will celebrate their 60th anniversary in 2022, but in my opinion they look as relevant today as they did then, and such classic well proportioned design, will never grow old.

Number 4 - 2446 Autavia 2nd Execution

The 2nd execution Autavia is somewhat forgotten. It was neither the first, nor worn by a motor racing great like the 3rd execution "Jochen Rindt". However, the dial design is beautiful and, combined with the perfectly proportioned dauphine hands (which were narrower than the 1st executions), it makes for a stunning watch. The sub registers are smaller than the "Big Subs" before it, although still large per se by sub register standards from this period. The markers become metal, instead of the lume applied 1st executions, and are shorter with dial lume plots applied in parallel which, when combined with the alternate hash marks of the minute ring, make for a harmonious design. The serial allocation for this execution is fewer than 1000 units, so the 2nd Execution is around three times rarer than the later 3rd Execution Rindt and produced in similar numbers to the steel dauphine hand 1st execution.

Number 3 - 3646 Autavia Indianapolis Motor Speedway 

Such a spectacular watch. It is the only silver dial "Autavia" to appear in the special 1960s screw back case...and what a dial it is! Not only is the dial a nice break from the black and white theme of the Autavia in this period, but it also features the metallic gold "Wings & Wheel" logo for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. As a rule, I prefer the three register Autavia, but I can make an exception for this watch. Besides, if there was an extra sub register where would the stunning oversized logo go?! The Valjoux 92 driven Autavias sit ever so slightly lower on the wrist (the movement is thinner and therefore so is the case) than the Valjoux 72 versions and so they wear (if it were possible) even better, another reason why this one gets so much wrist-time during the year.

Number 2 - 2446 Autavia 1st Execution All Lume Hands

Choosing between the next two watches is so difficult that they effectively are equal first. But, by the tightest of margins, my number two watch is the "Big Subs" 2446 Autavia with Mk1 hands. Whilst most dials from this period share some design details, these earliest of Autavias have some details that separate them from the rest. The large sub registers, large lume hour markers and "12" plus the all lume sword hands really make the "Origin of the Species" stand out from the crowd. It is very hard to resist this watch in this guise; it has something of the DNA of the Autavia/Super Autavia dash timers about it and it is easy to see how it was aimed at the air and road pilots of their day. My research suggests that only circa 150 were produced, so they remain a much rarer sight (five to six times) than the Mk2 steel hand 1st execution version that quickly followed. These hands (so long as they are in the correct small pusher case and serial range) make a massive difference to desirability in much the same way as the Broad Arrow hands do on the Omega Speedmaster.

Number 1 - 2446 Seafarer for Abercrombie & Fitch

The dictionary definition of rare should have details of this watch next to it! A tiny span of serials contain the 2446SF that Heuer made for Abercrombie & Fitch in 1963 and only five have been discovered over the past two decades. These five examples are all within 17 serials of each other, and it would appear the batch size was less than 35 units, making it unbelievably rare. It utilises the same case as the early Autavias, 38mm with a 39mm bezel, with the addition of the tide disc button at 9 o'clock and is powered by the A&F signed Valjoux 721, a modified V72. The silver Seafarer dial (also utilised in the 2444 run), when combined with this case and bezel design, adds up to a watch that is even better to look at and wear when compared to the rest of the Seafarer series. With so many bespoke details it's also not a watch that can just have a dial swap to "upgrade" it like so many rare chronographs and, with so few made it will always remain a special piece of Heuer's horological history. My number one...

To read more about the most special vintage Heuer grail chronographs from the 1960s click on the link below to preview the Heuer Superstars book, filled with beautiful photographs and important collector info on the best of the best.

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