: Heuer Autavia 1163V, 1972, Serial Number: 272066

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: This Heuer Autavia 1163V is the first Viceroy model I have seen on
: the forum for a very long time that does actually qualify as
: being 100% original. Every single component is in at least very
: good condition and a number of the more prominent features are
: flawless (and so qualify as mint) such as the dial, registers,
: hands, lume and plexiglass.

: As with every automatic Autavia the life it has led can usually be
: best gauged from the condition of the bezel (especially where it
: meets the ratchet ring) and here it is very clean and bright
: with but a single very small graze by the 90 minute marker. The
: ratchet ring itself rotates crisply and cleanly.

: The pushers and crown are very clean as are the apertures in which
: they sit.

: The case and caseback (a deep dished Schmitz item) are beautifully
: preserved and unmolested. The case upper retains the 'eclat
: d'etoile' - starburst - factory finish in near mint condition,
: the concentric rings on the caseback are similarly undisturbed,
: and the flanks and lugs are sharp and clean with the factory
: brightwork set against the brushed aspects again being in near
: mint condition.

: The buckle is the correct sun stamped original and the strap (which
: has been swapped onto this watch for the purposes of the sale)
: is one I purchased NOS many years ago from Clerkenwell's Watch
: Service Centre that came in shallow cardboard tray wrapped in
: sellotape and accompanied by an equally NOS Heuer stock record
: with Heuer Time Ltd' and 'Argyl House, London NW1' printed on
: its face and with Autavia 9977' scribbled on the back. As Heuer
: Time Ltd are recorded as tenants at Argyl House from at least
: 1968 but are not listed beyond 1975 I am confident that the
: watch strap can be dated as having passed through Heuer's then
: London office between 1969 (the year the automatic Autavia 1163
: first came to market with 20mm lug widths and a punched rallye
: strap) and no later than 1975.

: This Autavia 1163V was last serviced by the ever excellent Nic
: Green (once of HeuerBoy, now Chronomatic) since when it has kept
: excellent time. All the complications work perfectly. I was
: particularly impressed at the time (and remain so now) at the
: smoothness of the sweep hand when the chronometer is started,
: the precision of the hands on the registers as they record
: elapsed time and the crispness with which it both starts and
: resets.

: Both the watch strap stock note and an early, original and large
: (13 1/4" x 10 1/4") mint condition Heuer Viceroy
: advert clipped from an August 1972 copy of Car and Driver are
: included in the sale.

:The watch was first listed a week ago and had been put on hold for a viewing due to take place this week which the prospective buyer can no longer make. Thank you to : everyone who showed an interest in the original listing.

: Asking price is reduced from £2,600 to £2,400.

: BACS transfer preferred but PayPal accepted with the buyer bearing
: the 3% uplift.

: Having parted with most of my collection over the past two years I
: have numerous excellent references and these can be supplied on
: request. I live in London and the watch is available for
: viewings at times to suit.

I have many other photos of the watch and these are stored in two photo hosting accounts:

http://s482.photobucket.com/user/Peveril1978/library/Heuer%20Autavia%201163V%20-%20Viceroy%20-%201972

http://s482.photobucket.com/user/Peveril1978/library/New%20Heuer%20Autavia%201163V

Thank you for looking.

As this will be my final post on here for some time I'd like to say a very big thank you to Jeff Stein for developing and maintaining this wonderful resource, and I'd also like to pay homage to the memory of Chuck Maddox: without the pair of you my early interest in the mechanical chronometer would never have developed in the extraordinary fashion that it did.