Heuer Autavia 1163V Viceroy - NOS

This 1970s Viceroy Autavia is preserved in nearly unworn condition and is accompanied by an original Viceroy box.

Motorsports of the 1970s and the Heuer brand are inextricably linked. Back then, Heuer was the market leader in the field of timekeeping on the race track. Heuer stopwatches were part of the most important equipment of every racing team and the racers had their own wrist chronographs, which they actually used on the race track.

Despite all this, Heuer sold far fewer wristwatches than stopwatches in the early 1970s. Out of this difficult time came a partnership with cigarette manufacturer Viceroy. Together with the famous Parnelli Jones racing team, both the cigarettes and a Heuer chronograph were promoted. The Heuer Autavia, made especially for this promotion, was powered by the automatic caliber 12 and had a black dial with white sub-registers and red accents in the indexes and hands. It was even given its own reference 1163V, with the letter V standing for Viceroy. As seen in the advertisement (see pictures), the watch could be purchased for $88 by sending in the carton end flap of a Viceroy cigarette pack. The promotion was a great success for Heuer and laid the foundation for a successful rise of the brand.

The unique feature of the present example is clearly its pristine NOS condition. The still existing red Heuer sticker on the caseback testifies to an almost unworn condition. Moreover, the watch is accompanied by original Heuer box labeled with "Viceroy".

Condition report
Dial: absolutely immaculate condition with no scratches, marks or other spots - clean white sub-registers - original tritium lume in indexes and hands - signed "Autavia HEUER" at 12 o'clock and "Automatic Chronograph Swiss" at 6 o'clock.

Case: virtually unworn - Heuer sticker is still attached to the caseback - no wear marks, no scratches - lugs with sharp lines and intact bevels - perfect sunburst finish on the lugs - correct reference number 1163V between lugs - original Heuer winding crown - rotatable MH bezel with a flawless black inlay and original tritium dot at 12.

Movement: automatic caliber Heuer caliber 12 - timegrapher: rate: -11s/day, amplitude: 207, beat error: 0.4.

Bracelet: stainless steel bracelet with folded links - no stretch - no wear marks - clasp unsigned on the outside (common for Viceroy Autavias) - signed inside with "made in Hong Kong", "100% stainless steel" - correct HLF endlinks - wonderful vintage look on the wrist.

Summing-Up
If only best condition is good enough for you, then this is the right vintage watch to buy. Moreover, this Autavia captivates with its interesting history and the existing original box.

Serial number: 276xxx

Int.Exe.: 60310