Heuer Autavia 'MK 1'

Many of the best drivers of the golden age of motorsports --the 1960s and 1970s-- strapped a Heuer timepiece to their wrists. And of all of them, it is perhaps the Autavia that is the most iconic of them all. Heuer first applied the name "Autavia" (a portmanteau of "automotive" and "aviation," signifying its intended use in both automobiles and aircraft) to dashboard clocks in cars and airplanes. But it's with the wrist-worn chronographs intended for use in motorsports that the name "Autavia" is best associated. The earliest Autavias wrist chronographs were introduced in the mid-1960s and housed manually-wound chronograph movements. These early models had screw-down case backs, unusual for racing chronographs of the period. These were followed up by snap-back compressor cases for improved water resistance. In 1969, Heuer shifted to the larger, cushion-style cases that are most often associated with the model, primarily to accommodate the new Calibre 11 automatic movements. This Autavia 2446 is fitted with a rotating bezel. The 40mm case is thin for its size, and the downwardly-angled lugs hug the wrist, making it great to to wear, and arguably the most comfortable of the three primary case styles. Its triple-register inverse panda dial is probably the most popular color way and configuration in the chronograph market, and this particular example is supremely clean, with crisp printing, beautifully faded lume, and crisp white subsidiary registers. Internally, the 2446C is powered by a manually winding chronograph movement. And best of all, it's paired to a beautiful, Gay Freres, beads of rice bracelet with a Heuer signed locking clasp. This watch is in beautiful shape for its age, and deserves a place in a collection of a lover of all things 60s.