When you get into vintage Heuer, it’s often the draw of the more flashy “icons” like the Monaco or the Carrera that brings you in. After extensive forum reading you’ll realize that the Heuer Autavia 1163 is actually the most sought-after and precious of the golden age Heuer chronographs. The rarest and most expensive are the first Autavias from the early 60’s, but the early 70’s versions have a personality and charm that hasn’t been repeated since.

Perhaps the two most visible are the “Viceroy” which is a black dialed version with red accents, and was produced in the highest numbers Heuer could muster at the time. More rare, more valuable, and more desired is the “Siffert” Heuer Autavia 1163, notable for its panda dial and blue accents. The watch is remarkable in that it manages to capture so many facets of the era in one watch.

The Heuer Autavia 1163 named after legendary Swiss Formula One driver Jo Siffert, who had some kind of business arrangement with Heuer in the early 70s (before his untimely death in a race accident) that had him selling watches to fellow drivers, pit crew members, and mechanics. He wore this color combo and you can find pictures of him with the watch on. A cool connection to a great driver and to motorsport in general, on which Heuer built its name and reputation.

The Heuer Autavia 1163 is an automatic chronograph, the first of its kind (depending who you ask), so it has some legit historic watchmaking DNA thanks to the Caliber 11 that beats under the non-display caseback. As a result of combining an automatic module with a chronograph, the crown is on the left side of the case, while the chronograph pushers remain on the right. It’s a quirky twist that lets you know what’s under the hood. The case and color scheme scream late 60’s/early 70’s Formula One. For Heuer, this was definitely its golden era, producing some of the sweetest racing chronographs of the time and cementing itself as the most prominent motorsports watch brand.

So what’s it like to live with a Siffert Heuer Autavia 1163 day to day? Well first, I want to dispel with the notion that vintage watches somehow need to be babied. It defies logic to think that a watch that has survived for over 50 years would suddenly become a fragile piece of gear on the verge of falling apart at the mere brushing of a door jamb. Yes, sometimes these watches need a service from a watchmaker and yes I don’t go swimming in them like I might a brand new watch, but beyond that they are resilient and wearable on a day-to-day basis with no issue. Acrylic crystals for life.

The Heuer Autavia 1163 looks awesome on the wrist, and is sized perfectly for a sports watch. I measured the case at just under 42mm side to side with the bezel being 40.5mm in diameter. It wears with a reasonable heft but it’s not too tall on the wrist despite being the first iteration of a movement that is both a chronograph and also an automatic. That said it is over 15mm tall so if you were hoping to slip it under a shirt cuff, you’re likely out of luck (though I have done this before).

One other downside to the slightly cushioned case of the Heuer Autavia 1163 is that the bottom of the lugs come to a bit of a sharpened plane on the bottom, and if you don’t have a good strap on the watch it can dig into your skin a bit. I prefer a black racing style strap for this watch as it matches what it came on originally.

Overall, the Heuer Autavia 1163 is a real charmer. It looks nearly black and white in real life, but a closer inspection reveals the blue accents that help give this watch the charm it has. I love wearing this watch as true race fans will recognize it as a vintage Heuer, but most people don’t notice it at all. And I’m good with that. It’s such a pleasure just to own a small piece of motorsports history.