Up for sale is my vintage Heuer Autavia reference 1563. This is the caliber 15 version of the famous Autavia reference 1163 introduced in 1969.
Heuer introduced the Calibre 15 movement in 1972. The Autavia 1563 case is the same as the 1163, but the simplified dial featured a running second hand at "10" and a 30 minute counter at "3", which was different from all the other 1163’s which had 2 registers, side by side. Only three dial combinations were produced including black/black, silver/black and the extremely rare Exotic dial (see Heuer Master Reference Guide http://www.onthedash.com/Guide/Master_Reference.php4). This one is the silver/black dial and was only produced in 1972, and only in a very small production count. The Heuer 1563 cases were stamped 1163 V cases. I’ve searched on the net and haven’t seen one that is stamped 1563. They all seem to be stamped 1163 on the cases.
The case is stamped “1163” with a “V” under the “1163”. This can be seen in the pictures below. It is clearly visible on the case between the lugs. Also the serial# is clearly shown as 277866. (Its crazy how small the production cycles were for Heuer when you compare them to Rolex and Omega).
The case has a "Heuer" signed crown, and the caseback has a small stamping of “7127”, on the outside back of the case. You can see it in a photo below. I have no clue what that "7127" means.
I posted a picture of the watch on the Heuer forum with questions about the authenticity of the watch – and got many replies saying that everything looks good except that the hands belong to those of the Heuer 1163 “Orange Boy” model. So the hands on my 1563 are not correct for the watch in its original form. These are the hands for the 1163 “Orange Boy”. But apparently these “Orange Boy” hands are very rare if not scarce. I’ve had about 20 emails of people saying that they have my correct hands and would like to swap them for my Orange Boy hands. And have had several requests to buy my hands (one guy stated a number up front, $800 USD). I also sourced the correct hands from one dealer for $400 USD but I decided not to buy them (these hands are shown in the last pic below). I decided to keep the Orange Boy hands on my watch as they look much nicer, and I was advised to do so by some Heuer forum members. (The analogy I would use is that its akin to having a Rolex 16610 sub with an OEM kermit bezel insert. Would you swap out the kermit insert? Probably not, because it worth alot more). I do have one offer from a dealer on the Heuer forum (even though I never listed it for sale), and have factored that into my asking price here on CWC.
Also, the leather band and clasp are generic and not Heuer. The watch is telling accurate time and the crown and both pushers work perfectly. The crystal is acrylic and gives it that cool vintage look. The 1563 model was sold with the choice of the Heuer leather or the Heuer beads of rice bracelet. The generic leather band is very similar to the look and thickness of the original Heuer band.
It’s a big watch, measuring 42.3 millimeters across the front and 47.5 millimeters, from lug to lug, with a thickness 15.6 millimeters (back of the case-back to top of the crystal). The watch is in fantastic condition for its age - as the pictures show. And the case is unpolished.
If you’re interested in the watch take the time to read up on the history of Autavias, to understand how interesting this time period of Heuer watchmaking was. I learned a ton about the fascinating brand in the time I’ve owned the watch.
Why am I selling it? I purchased the Heuer along with a Rolex Pepsi 16710 from the same gentleman, and lately I’ve only been wearing the Pepsi. This Autavia is quite large for my wrist.
You can look at what the watch is asking on Chrono24, to get a sense of how rare it is. Please message me with questions, more pics or videos of the watch.
$5500 OBO
Heuer introduced the Calibre 15 movement in 1972. The Autavia 1563 case is the same as the 1163, but the simplified dial featured a running second hand at "10" and a 30 minute counter at "3", which was different from all the other 1163’s which had 2 registers, side by side. Only three dial combinations were produced including black/black, silver/black and the extremely rare Exotic dial (see Heuer Master Reference Guide http://www.onthedash.com/Guide/Master_Reference.php4). This one is the silver/black dial and was only produced in 1972, and only in a very small production count. The Heuer 1563 cases were stamped 1163 V cases. I’ve searched on the net and haven’t seen one that is stamped 1563. They all seem to be stamped 1163 on the cases.
The case is stamped “1163” with a “V” under the “1163”. This can be seen in the pictures below. It is clearly visible on the case between the lugs. Also the serial# is clearly shown as 277866. (Its crazy how small the production cycles were for Heuer when you compare them to Rolex and Omega).
The case has a "Heuer" signed crown, and the caseback has a small stamping of “7127”, on the outside back of the case. You can see it in a photo below. I have no clue what that "7127" means.
I posted a picture of the watch on the Heuer forum with questions about the authenticity of the watch – and got many replies saying that everything looks good except that the hands belong to those of the Heuer 1163 “Orange Boy” model. So the hands on my 1563 are not correct for the watch in its original form. These are the hands for the 1163 “Orange Boy”. But apparently these “Orange Boy” hands are very rare if not scarce. I’ve had about 20 emails of people saying that they have my correct hands and would like to swap them for my Orange Boy hands. And have had several requests to buy my hands (one guy stated a number up front, $800 USD). I also sourced the correct hands from one dealer for $400 USD but I decided not to buy them (these hands are shown in the last pic below). I decided to keep the Orange Boy hands on my watch as they look much nicer, and I was advised to do so by some Heuer forum members. (The analogy I would use is that its akin to having a Rolex 16610 sub with an OEM kermit bezel insert. Would you swap out the kermit insert? Probably not, because it worth alot more). I do have one offer from a dealer on the Heuer forum (even though I never listed it for sale), and have factored that into my asking price here on CWC.
Also, the leather band and clasp are generic and not Heuer. The watch is telling accurate time and the crown and both pushers work perfectly. The crystal is acrylic and gives it that cool vintage look. The 1563 model was sold with the choice of the Heuer leather or the Heuer beads of rice bracelet. The generic leather band is very similar to the look and thickness of the original Heuer band.
It’s a big watch, measuring 42.3 millimeters across the front and 47.5 millimeters, from lug to lug, with a thickness 15.6 millimeters (back of the case-back to top of the crystal). The watch is in fantastic condition for its age - as the pictures show. And the case is unpolished.
If you’re interested in the watch take the time to read up on the history of Autavias, to understand how interesting this time period of Heuer watchmaking was. I learned a ton about the fascinating brand in the time I’ve owned the watch.
Why am I selling it? I purchased the Heuer along with a Rolex Pepsi 16710 from the same gentleman, and lately I’ve only been wearing the Pepsi. This Autavia is quite large for my wrist.
You can look at what the watch is asking on Chrono24, to get a sense of how rare it is. Please message me with questions, more pics or videos of the watch.
$5500 OBO