Heuer Autavia 3646 Andretti - Argentinian Air Force

military issued chronograph - top condition - Gay-Frères bracelet

Heuer Autavia 3646 Andretti - Argentinian Air Force - ultra-rare military chronograph from the 1960s
ultra-rare military chronograph from the 1960s
Argentine Air Force emblem on the case back
greatly preserved two-register dial
original tritium lume showing stunning patina
puristic look on the wrist
cal. Valjoux 92
original Gay-Frères bracelet from 1966
photo shows the first owner of this watch, a pilot in the Argentine Air Force
a truly exceptional collector's item

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Description
This is a very special and rare Heuer Autavia 3646 that was delivered to Argentina and worn by an Argentine fighter pilot on missions in the late 1960s. The watch comes from the pilot's family in South America. The Fuerza Aérea Argentina logo is engraved on the case back and is still clearly visible.

This is the early Autavia, which is powered by the manually-wound caliber Valjoux 92. The attractive dial with two registers is housed in the classic round case. Regardless of its military origins, this model is an important collector's item and has the nickname "Mario Andretti", named of course after the Formula 1 world champion Mario Andretti, who wore this model during the races. A "Mario Andretti" chronograph worn by a military fighter pilot could not do better justice to the model name AUTAVIA - a combination of "AUTomobile" and "AVIAtion".

The watch is also accompanied by a photo of the fighter pilot. The back of the photo reads in Spanish: "Un recuerdo para Guillermo de su hermano ‘preferido’. Hugo. 10.10.2009. P.D tenia 40 anos menos." Translated from Spanish: "A souvenir for Guillermo from his ‘favorite brother’. Hugo. 10.10.2009. P.S. He was 40 years younger". This photo was taken in 1969.

Description of condition
Dial: clean black surface - authentic, even patina in the sub-dials - original cream-colored tritium luminous material in markers and hands - signed "T swiss".

Case: stainless steel case in very good condition - intact bevels and lines - slight signs of wear - intact numbers between the lugs - rotating 12-hour bezel with slight signs of wear - original acrylic crystal with typical hairline cracks inside the crystal.

Movement: manually-wound Valjoux 92 caliber in excellent condition - values on the timegrapher: rate: +10s/day, amplitude: 280, beat error: 0.1.

Bracelet: original Gay-Frères stainless steel bracelet - slight signs of wear - very light stretch - Heuer logo on the folding clasp - date stamp: 2/66.

Serial number: 96xxx
Military number: 0473

Int.Exe.: 23474
Features

Manufacturer: Heuer

Model: Autavia

Reference: 3646

Functions: chronograph - small running second - hour and minute - stopwatch - rotating bezel - 45 minutes counter - screwed-on caseback

Material: Stainless steel

Dial: reverse panda (black dial, white subdials)

Watch glass: acrylic crystal

Bracelet: stainless steel

Type of clasp: deployant buckle

Diameter: 39mm

Caliber name: Valjoux 92

Movement type: manual wound

Year of Manufacture: 1968

Stock No.: PTV2135

Overall condition: 9 - has rarely been worn - top condition

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