Over the weekend Carol sent me an email which I'll excerpt here and intersperse with the photo's/scans she attached:

Your saga begins. I knew Mary back in 1981 in Madison. I am attaching 2 photos and an ad for her Photography services which appeared in March 1978 in the Gazette.

[click on the photo to see a fullsized version]

You can see your watch bearly in the ad and more in the photos I took of her after we had our faces painted at the Milwaukee Lakefront Festival of the Arts in 1981

and strolled around the West Allis Farmer's Market later in the day.

I don't think she would sell the watch, so possibly the leather band broke and some lucky soul found it and Mary is still out there searching for it or is no longer with us.

Well, here is the thing with that... =)

I posted about the strap I received the watch on here:

The strap (B and D in the pictures) was worn, but it was still usable when I received it. Of course, I have no idea if this is the same strap as was on the wrist when it was with Mary (or MS. Legried), but the one it came on was still usable if not in the best of condition. Perhaps you recognize the strap... It looks like it's a lizard pattern strap.

She did write and take photos which she had given me photocopies of some of her work. She was an interesting character

For a lady, even one in the progressive environs of Madison Wisconsin in the late 1970's, to wear such a sizeable mans watch, well... I'd have to agree. Even today when LARGE watches are in style I wouldn't think many women would wear such a hefty watch.

and if there is a reward in the start of your saga,

The watch is a reward in and of itself (even considering the repair bills and all). Knowing more of the back story is a bonus!

the watch would be just fine!

The interesting thing is that the watch managed to leave the Milwaukee/Madison Wisconsin area, and show up for sale in New Zealand almost the complete opposite side of the world geographically), when I purchased it and brought it back to about 200 miles of where it started out. As I said in my initial post on this watch, it's better travelled than I am!

Hope you locate her.

Well, since you found the post via Google, I would imagine that just about everyone does a search on their own name from time to time. The first time I did it (about 10 years ago) I didn't find anything about myself, but I found a page pertaining to my Grandfather!

If Mary is still around, I hope she either emails me or stops in and posts!

Here is something I'd like to propose, and I might need some help with Jeff on this:

From now on, the White Dial Black Sub-Dial Heuer Autavia (case Reference number: 73663) will be known as the “Mary Legried Model Heuer Autavia”... I mean, we have Steve McQueen Heuer Monaco's, Paul Newman Rolex Daytona's, Ed White Omega Speedmasters, Jo Siffert Autavia's, why not a Mary Legried Autavia? Any lady from the late 1970's with the panache to wear such a watch and have pictures of her wearing it deserves the nomenclature! Of course I own the actual/original "Mary Legried" Autavia as part of my collection, but this model we'll call it by that name.

Since we have pages dedicated to Steve McQueen, Jo Siffert, and the newly minted "John Glenn Heuer" page, I'll work with Jeff to create a similar page on this story, with pictures of this watch, and we'll include Carol's memories, and the passage of the written discourse that Carol transcribed. If Mary's "moved on to the next big thing" as it were, it'd be a fitting memorial, if not, she might find it in a Google search and join us to bask in her fame.

What do you think?

Cheers Carol, and thank you for your efforts and time in sharing with us your memories!

-- Chuck
Chuck Maddox		Watch Article index http://www.xnet.com/~cmaddox/cm3articles.html, Watch Links Page http://www.xnet.com/~cmaddox/watch.html, Watch Blog http://chuckmaddoxwatch.blogspot.com/. Chronographs, like most finer things in life, only improve with time...

P.S. I include a further page which include several pictures of this watch below...

Scan Day> Competitors> Seamaster c.861 Vs. Autavia v.7736 [Jul 15, 2005 - 10:56 AM]:

Enjoy! -- Chuck