THE ESSENTIALS

MAKE: HEUER AUTAVIA
MODEL: 2446c
YEAR: 1970
BOX/PAPERS: NO/NO
CASE DIAMETER: 40mm
CASE MATERIAL: STAINLESS STEEL
BRACELET MATERIAL: CORFAM
MOVEMENT: MANUAL WIND

Heuer first applied the name Autavia (a portmanteau of Automotive and Aviation) back in the 1930s, when it was used for dash clocks made for racing cars and aircraft — a clear nod to its intended use in both worlds. This golden era of motorsport and aviation remains the period most closely associated with the Autavia name.

The Heuer Autavia GMT combines Heuer’s racing chronograph heritage with a GMT function. The result is the reference 2446C, a watch that offered not only cutting-edge functionality for its time, but arguably one of Heuer’s most beautiful designs. The 2nd-execution 2446C GMT offered here is perhaps the finest we’ve come across: the dial is clean, all tritium lume plots are intact and beautifully aged, and the Pepsi bezel has transformed into a vivid aquamarine blue and pink-red, an absolutely stunning fade.

The pushers are the fluted type, which succeeded the earlier rounded style, and the caseback is the compressor-style snap back. The case remains sharp with excellent definition, and the overall presence is superb.

The Valjoux 72 movement was recently serviced and is running at a very respectable +4 s/d, 277 amplitude, with a 0.5 ms beat error. For us, the 2446C GMT represents one of Heuer’s finest achievements — rarely seen in the wild, fully deserving of a place in any serious collection, and more than capable of holding its own against far more expensive chronographs.