Hi all-although I've been present here for some time now, this has been a long time coming for me- technically I have owned it for the last 6 months but it has only just come together this week.

During my search for Heuer divers, I kept getting distracted by these chronographs. After a while I had to admit to myself, 'I'd quite like one of these Autavias, if I'm really honest.' and so I began down the slippery slope.

Its really started when Bernard de Vos agreed to sell me an Autavia 11630 case that it started to become a reality. I set about asking everyone and anyone for any parts they may have laying around and luckily Stewart Morley was able to help me out a lot further with some really superb parts I needed-including the perfect vivid orange dial I was missing. All of a sudden I had most of an Autavia on my hands, but like most things it was the final 10% I needed that took 90% of the time! It was quite surprising when I realised how far each of the parts had come-

Case and (original) hands from Belgium, movement from Bulgaria-naturally!, dial, crown and crystal from England, chrono hands from Japan and all set off by the excellent replica Corfam strap from Abel in Belgium.

As a novice, I was taken aback by the fact that with each part/set of parts I bought came a snippet (gem) or two of advice. It wasn't a case of 'How much money can I get out of this chump?' but a genuine interest in what I was doing and guidance on how to best achieve it, which was incredibly humbling.

The end result then, is my very own Autavia 11630-



I'm lucky enough to have a wealth of expertise here in England-the final efforts were made by James Hyman-who was totally invaluable and every bit as good as his reputation; with not just his excellent paint and lume work but bringing it all together as a finished piece. Fortunately the movement seems to be in excellent condition but rest assured, the minute it starts to misbehave it's off to Richard Askham, who has been another guiding light on the journey. I've tried to keep it as true as possible to the original watch. The final piece of the puzzle will be back to Belgium for a spa with Abel…maybe during the next Blue moon when he can fit me in ;-)

And yes, you can find a handful of these 11630s for sale at any given time on Ebay or similar (of varying quality and authenticity to be fair). However I like to feel this one has provenance built in. I KNOW all the parts came from some of the best sources within the community; and the skills and knowledge that have contributed are pretty much second to none.

I had a lot of help/advice from all across the globe- USA to Australia, and including most of Europe too. I've thanked each individually but this is also a public thank you to you all-I am very grateful!

I think Jeff coined it earlier this year when he said 'It takes a village'. I think it could go one further and sometimes, it takes a global village….

Thanks for looking and a very Merry Christmas!

Steve