Heuer Autavia Diver 100
August 2, 2009 •
One of the great aspects of the Heuer Autavia was the variety of movements, case designs and colours variations that are available. From the iconic two-register Automatic Siffert to the three-register GMT manual, there are many classic Autavia designs. Perhaps the rarest is the Diver 100 (Ref. 11063P), a model which appeared only once in the 1982 catalogue.
This model borrows much of its style from the Rolex Submariner- the bezel design, circular hour markers and Mercedes-style hands are straight out of the Rolex design book. The Diver 100 comes on either a jubilee bracelet or a tropic Diver. The jubilee bracelet was popular with Heuer divers in the 19080′s and kept on during the early TAG Heuer years. Its a nice design, but its shame that the bracelet itself feels so light and flimsy- it certainly doesn’t match the build quality of the rest of the watch.
As is the case with many Heuer models of the early 1980′s, there are several different bezel designs that were used on the watch as Heuer emptied out the parts bin. As well as the “Rolex-style” design of this Diver 100, there are also original watches with MH bezels and few came with a decompression bezel. APE talks about this special version of the Diver 100 at his website Autavia Passion. We believe that there are only 3-4 of the decompression bezel watches in existence. Alex speculates that this version may have never made it into full-time production and may be a prototype variant.
The Decompression bezel has a red triangle at 12 o’clock and a red “40″ marker at 3 o’clock. While this version is the rarest of the Diver 100, the standard model is also very rare- it is estimated that there are no more than 15-20 of these watches in existence- fortunately, most are in excellent condition.
To read more about Autavia’s in general, including some excellent guides to the variations of the case design, take a look at http://www.heuerautavia.com/index.php
Finally, several design cues from the Diver 100 were also used on other Heuer Divers, such as the 1000 professional- see below for a photo of the Diver 100 and its quartz cousin.
Photo: Diver 100 decompression: T. Wallner
Great to read about the Diver 100 especially since I have one on its way from Belgium due in tomorrow. I would love to believe that it is one of only 15 to 20 especially since the one I am getting is in near mint condition. I just cannot understand why Heuer would only produce such a small quantity. Do you or anyone else have any firm evidence of this low production number? Finally, this is another wounderful Heuer resource and I eagerly await each new entry – thanks and regards Paul
Hi Paul,
Thanks for the kind words and pleased that you've found the posts interesting. Well done on the Diver- If its the Belgian one I am thinking of, you've bought yourself a fantastic watch from a great seller.
You raise a good point on the numbers- and truth is, I guessed based on the following:
1) Alex's website talks about 4 watches are known to be in existence. I think that there are more than this- and I've seen around 6-8 change hands in the last 12 months as the prices have exploded.
2) The Diver 100 only appeared in one catalog- and that was a "Specials" catalog rather than a standard annual catalog. This supports the argument that it was an unusually short production run
3) The model number is 11063 P, but the case doesn't have this marking- it has 11063 V. Again, this tends to indicate a "last of the line" limited production run rather than the Diver 100 being a regular model line.
Take a look at APE's website here: http://www.heuerautavia.com
Scroll down towards the bottom and there are some detailed comments on the Diver 100.
Anyway, whether there are 20 or 200, you have a great watch- enjoy!
dc
Hi
Just would like to add that I also have a Heuer Diver 100 which I brought in 1987 In London and still have the receipt and warranty booklet and also have part of the bracelet i got the sales rep to reduce it as it was so big it could have fitted the HULK but no box, Never mind not the end of the world.
I was also interested about the number of Diver 100 produced and you guys have answered that Thank you.
I totally agree even if their was 200? diver 100 produced it is a great watch to have and definitely a bit of History.
Yours Faithfully
RAY
Hi Ray- nice catch with the original books and receipts….these small things really do add a lot to the value of these watches. They are a great looking watch- its one thing for a watch to be collectible, but plain…when it is a fantastic design to start with, the fact that its rare is just a nice side-benefit.
Suggest that you head over to the OTD forum: http://www.chronocentric.com/forums/heuer/ Am sure that everyone there would appreciate seeing photos of your watch along with the goodies that you've kept.
Cheers
Hi
Thanks for the invertation will do as soon as i can get a friend to do it for me.
Thank you
RAY