Someone sent me the photos, shown below, of an Autavia, Reference 3646. This is the first execution screw-back case, with the second execution dial, and the correct steel-edged dauphine hands. So far, so good.

So my question relates to the bezel. On every Heuer Autavia that has a rotating bezel, from the first in 1962 to the last in the 1980s, we have a knurled edge to the bezel (commonly described as “teeth”). Yet the bezel on the eBay Autavia has a smooth edge – no teeth.

Have we ever seen this before on an Autavia? Are there other watches from which this bezel might have been borrowed? Could an owner have wanted it smooth / had the teeth ground down? Is there some other explanation?

It seems to be a beautiful Autavia, but this bezel is a mystery. Mystery number 317, perhaps, in the world of collecting the old Heuers!!

Jeff