1972 Heuer Autavia (Ref. 1163) "Jo Siffert Mk. VI"

Jo Siffert was a Swiss racing driver who, previous to joining Formula One In 1962, made a name for himself racing motorcycles. The majority of Siffert's success was as a Porsche factory driver throughout the 60s, claiming Porsches first major outright wins and in 1966, winning the 24 hours of Le Mans. Jo was the first brand ambassador appointed by Jack Heuer and a quintessential part of Heuer’s success in Formula One. It's commonly said that Jo would taunt his peers on the racing grid to purchase a Heuer. By the early 1970s, most of the other racers had a Heuer on their wrists, including Steve McQueen. Siffert died in late 1971 during the World Championship Victory Race at Brands Hatch in England. This accident led to a rapid overhaul of safety, both in-car and on circuit.

The Heuer Autavia came into production in 1933 as a dashboard timer for automotive racing and flying, where the Autavia name is derived, Auto and Aviation. The Autavia then later introduced in 1962 (The same year Jo Siffert entered Formula One) as the wristwatch we know today, and soon became the flagship for the entire Brand.

This particular example features a Mk. 6 dial variation of the "Jo Siffert" dial iteration for the Autavia Ref. 1163. The Mk. 6 dial is the only 1163T dial variation to feature 1-through-12 on hour recorder, opposed to the more common 3-6-9-12. The steel markers are polished with black inserts and the hands are brushed steel with blue inserts and tips.