Heuer Autavia Viceroy 1972 1163V

Sold

Enquire

WhatsApp Email

Details

Description

For your consideration is this very rare Heuer Autavia “Viceroy”. This attractive sports watch is a thing of legend. The watch is a masterpiece of design and engineering, and has a somewhat amusing origin story; upon its release in the early 70’s the watch could be purchased for $200, or $88 if you were to purchase a packet of Viceroy cigarettes. Yes, you read that correctly. Hard to imagine these days, right?

<img style="max-height:600px;width:100%;object-fit:contain;" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/hailwood-watches/journal/Heuer_Autavia_Viceroy_1163V_Advertisement.webp">
<br>
<span style="font-size:80%;display:block;text-align:center;">(Image: <a target="_blank" href="http://thoughts.onthedash.com/thoughts/viceroy-advertisements-from-1972-including-the-autavia-promotion/">OnTheDash.com</a>)</span>
<br>
The collaboration was a stroke of marketing genius and helped both brands get out of the rut they were in at the time. Viceroy wanted to reach a new younger market and Heuer needed the boost that could come from a national marketing campaign backed up by a company with serious tobacco money. Leveraging Heuer’s position in the racing world, the campaign ran for seven months and was a huge success.

Amusing as it may be, there’s no denying tobacco and racing once went hand in hand. You’ll struggle to find a picture of a racecar driver in the 70’s and earlier without a cigarette in hand (and they always looked cool doing it). The sponsorship dollars the tobacco brands pumped into the sport have surely played a part in building Formula 1 and other motor racing events into the global phenomenon they are today.

The watch has a pure racing design. The most immediately obvious feature is the presence of the crown on the left-hand side of the watch, the intention of this being to stop it getting in the way when operating the chronograph pushers while out on the track. Coupled with the cushion-shaped case, this crown and pusher orientation gives the watch a certain symmetry and an extra touch of racing attitude. The 42mm diameter case could be considered large for its era, but is right in line with modern sports watch sizing. The case nests itself comfortably on the wrist and will wear well on wrists small to large.

The black, red and white colours on the dial are reminiscent of the racetrack, and provide excellent legibility. The dual chronograph register setup with helps keep the dial clean and uncluttered, while providing room for a date display at the 6 o’clock position.  

One of the interesting quirks of this watch is the fact that it has a bi-directional rotating <i>tachymetre</i> bezel. Of course, most tachymetre bezels (like those found on the Omega Speedmaster) are set in place. This feature allows one to use the bezel on this watch as a countdown timer by aligning it in advance of the desired deadline (similar to a bezel found on dive watches) <i>as well as</i> using it like a regular tachymetre bezel to time the speed of something over a fixed distance. The chronograph function can also be used to measure elapsed time or as a countdown timer, so coupled with the bezel it all makes for an extremely versatile watch.
 
Powering the watch is the legendary Heuer calibre 12, one of the earliest automatic chronograph movements ever created. Beating away 21,600bph, the movement has a 42-hour power reserve, date display and chronograph function. This movement is time-tested, reliable and forever repairable. Also worth noting is that the movement has a micro-rotor in the automatic section of the watch (as opposed to a large rotor that swings around the entire circumference of the movement), something generally found only on very high-end movements. 

The watch is fitted on a black leather strap with red stitching matching the dial.
 
The watch last had a complete mechanical service done in March 2022 by Sydney watchmaker Max Schweizer Swiss Watch Service and accordingly is in excellent working condition.

Accessories

A TAG Heuer watch travel pouch is provided with the watch.

Condition

The watch is preserved in very good condition commensurate with its age, showing signs of wear on the case, bracelet and crystal. The case retains strong bevels, sharp lines and its original radial finish.

Warranty

Hailwood Peters provides a one-year warranty on the watch.

Further Viewing