I have come to the view that, on these Autavias, there were model / bezel combinations that were not shown in the catalogs. Heuer was trying to sell watches; if a customer wanted one with a Minute / Hour bezel (instead of the usual Tachy), or vice versa, I have heard that Heuer was eager to please. I am not certain whether it happened at the factory / at the distributor / with the dealer, but I believe that it happened a fair amount.

most comon example of this switching might be the Reference 1163 Viceroy (brushed steel hands, 12 numbers on the hour recorder, etc.) with the MH bezel. there's one of those sitting in the TAG-Heuer archives, but it ain't in a catalog and it hasn't been in the OTD reference tables.

seems that they were trying to sell these watches, more than being slaves to their catalogs, reference numbers, etc. so over time, I have refrained from calling it a "fake" based solely on the substitution of one Autavia bezel for another Autavia bezel.

Jeff

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

: I am not sure about catalogs being the only
: proof.

: I agree if a watch combination appears in the
: catalog it is 100% sure it was produced
: (anyone know of any exceptions?).

: But if a watch/bezel combination is not
: pictured, I don't think that we have proof
: that this watch was not produced. It seems
: to me Heuer produced alot of combinations of
: dial/bezel/hands/pushers so not always
: possible to have definitive answer.

: Then I think you are stuck with "does it
: feel right?" To me the combination of
: for this model of blck/blck dial and tachy
: bezel does not seem so weird, possible that
: Heuer made it...