Jack Heuer witnessed first hand the allure of modem flight travel at the start of the 1960s. The jet age was in full swing in 1970 and modern jets like the Boeing 707s, Convair 880s and VC10s were crisscrossing the sky's replacing the earlier and out dated piston engines of the DC7s and Stratocruisers. What better watch could capture the mood and demands of the time than the new Autavia GMT?

The first Autavia reference 1163GMT housed the calibre 11 modified for the 24 hour GMT indication. Very early examples have the 1 to 24 rotating bezel and brushed steel hands with red insert such as on this present example. The first execution quickly morphed into the second and third execution GMT variants, but it is the first that remains the rarest of the automatic reference 1163 GMTs.

On this particular watch the dial has faded to a rare dark tropical brown and is fitted with its original stainless steel bracelet, date coded for the 2nd quarter of 1970. A true zeitgeist and rare example with only around 20 known to collectors worldwide, this watch certainly pays homage to international travellers and those who flew.