I sent this same message to the On The Dash email address. Sorry about that - i hadn't realized that there was a forum.

I recently bought an Autavia 73463MH. It looks comparable to the ones in the photos that I found on the internet. I was assured it was authentic, but wanted to check with an expert. I have attached a series of photos of the watch and one of the movement.

The model number 73463 is stamped between the lugs on one end and the serial number (264441) between the lugs of the other. I haven’t been able to track down any information based on the serial number.

The watch is in fantastic shape (better than my lousy photos can show) and the orange hands and markers just pop. The case is in fantastic shape with no dings or scratches. The bezel has one ding at 57 and a scuff at 5 and is missing the luminous dot in the triangle. Other than that, this watch could pass for new. The winder is stamped heuer and the pushers have small indents around the outside. It does not have the original strap or buckle; it came with an aftermarket hirsch strap.

I have only had it a few days, but it seems to be keeping good time and winds easily without issue. The timer also works as it should and snaps back to the top with no issues whatsoever.

In the photo the movement looks correct. I got the photo from the jeweler where I bought it, but I trust the them and believe this is the movement. According to what I have found out (mostly from On The Dash), the 73643 should have a Valjoux 7734 movement; the last “4” of the movement stamp is evident in the photo (the watch was running when the photo was taken).

It all seems good. My only concern is that this watch has a polished case. The photos that I have seen on the interment all show polished sides, but matt on the front. Can anyone shed some light on this? I am assuming it was polished at some point, but I see no striations on the case to suggest this.

I paid $900 for the watch. At the time this seemed low for a watch in this condition, but not being familiar with the Heuer line it was a long shot. It was a spur of the moment decision – one I hope I won’t regret. I usually do lots of research before buying a watch, so this was all new to me.

If anyone has any comments or suggestions, i would be happy to hear them. If the watch is fake I will take it back since I was assured it was authentic.

Thanks for your help.

Cheers,
Phil