Heuer Autavia

Heuer Autavia. Say that name and you conjure images of motorsports par excellence. 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 Motorsports chronographs that the name "Autavia" is best associated. And there's no better example of the Heuer Autavia than the reference 11063, the last incarnation of the Autavia, seen by many as the embodiment of Heuer's mastery of the racing chronograph. Heuer released the Autavia in many case sizes and configurations, all made of stainless steel. The earliest models had screw case backs, unusual for racing chronographs of the period. Then, around 1969, Heuer shifted to a snap-back compressor case for improved water resistance. But in the 1970s Heuer shifted to the large, cushion-style cases that are most often associated with the model. This increase in case size was to accommodate their new Caliber 12 movement. The cal. 12 took the previous cal. 11 and gave it a higher beat, which required Heuer (in partnership with Debois-Depraz and Buren) to change the gear train, escapement, and balance wheel. They also improved upon some weaknesses with the chronograph mechanism in the cal. 11 that allowed the hammer cam jumper to slip out of place. The result was a more accurate chronograph movement that would become the creme de la creme of Heuer's automatic chronograph calibers.   This Autavia is an example of the very last generation of Autavia, the reference 112.063. It debuted in 1985, one of a group of four models that used the case of the previous reference 11063 but coated with different shades of PVD. The ref. 112.063 is distinguished by the pewter shade of the PVD coating; the others were the ref. 111.063, in olive green, 113.603 in black, and a gold-plated 114.603. In the ref. 112.063, the finishing is smoother than in the other references. Like with the PVD-coated Monza, the problem with PVD is that it often deteriorates over time, which makes finding one as superb as this one is all the more rare. Speaking of rare, all of these PVD-coated references of Autavia are exceptionally so. It's a fitting end to the Autavia's run, as stylish as it is unique--all this, along with the original bracelet (a love addition to Heuers of this age) makes it a prime example of the Autavias that we love so much here at analog/shift.