Pairs of Aces- Heuer Autavia 11630 & 11063
11063P
The Heuer Autavia 11063P Diver 100 is one of the most enigmatic Autavia models, and one that was probably never produced as a production model. A mock-up of a “11630 Diver 100″ is shown in a 1982 Heuer Catalogue, but that watch is different to the final version you see here, which uses the 11063 case.
I suspect that Heuer planned to release this model, but given the traumatic events of 1982 (when the Swiss Banks forced Jack Heuer to “sell” Heuer to Piaget/ Lemania), it’s likely that the watch was never pushed out to dealers. We know that as part of their settlement with Heuer, several senior ex-Heuer employees were given parts and watches instead of their cash entitlements, and I suspect that this is where the Autavia 100 comes from.
What makes the Autavia Diver 100 so special is that it has a number of parts that appear on no other Autavia- the dial, hands and bezel- all very “Rolex-like”- are unique to this model. Putting aside the Chronomatic logo Autavias, the Diver 100 is the rarest Autavia model and one of the best-looking.
The Diver 100 came on the “Jubilee” bracelet shared with the TAG Heuer 1000 and the option of a Tropic rubber strap.
Autavia 11630P & Autavia 11063P Diver 100 Compared
Dial
Considering that both watches are aimed at Divers, it’s surprising how different the design concepts are. The Diver 100 is a study in Monochrome, with circular lume dots and a large Triangle marker at 12 o’clock.
The 11630P uses strips of lume (with a double-strip at 12 o’clock) to mark the hours, and features orange highlights on both the main dial and sub-dial.
Hands
This contrast in style extends to the hands, with the Autavia Diver 100 being the only Autavia model to feature the silver “Mercedes” style hands that would appear on all Heuer/ TAG Heuer watches through the 1980s and 1990s.
The 11630P uses the more traditional Autavia hands, this time painted in bright 1970s Orange.
Case and Pushers
While the two watches may appear similar, the 11630 and 11063 cases are quite different. The most obvious of these differences are the pushers- note the 11630 (above) has its pushers integrated into the case, while the case of the 11063 features a cut-away section to accommodate the pushers.
Also notice that more prominent teeth on the bezel of the Diver 100.
Heuer Autavia GMT
The second Autavia pair are two examples of Autavia’s that could measure a second time-zone- known as a “GMT” function. On the left is the 1630 GMT (left) from 1976 and on the right is the “11063″ GMT from 1983- those inverted commas will be explained shortly.
