HEUER | 'MARIO ANDRETTI' AUTAVIA, REF 3646 STAINLESS STEEL CHRONOGRAPH WRISTWATCH MADE FOR THE ARGENTINIAN AIR FORCE CIRCA 1965

Sourced directly from a veteran of the Argentinian Air Force, this special Heuer Autavia is a rare piece to come across. According to the information from the consignor, this reference 3646 was delivered to Argentina and worn during operations by an Argentinian fighter pilot in the late 60s, with the logo of the Fuerza Aérea Argentina engraved on the back and still nicely visible. Even without the military provenance, the model is collectible and nicknamed 'Mario Andretti', named after the Italian-American race car driver that won two watches of this reference for being fastest in qualifying for the Indianapolis 500 in 1966 and 1967. Subsequently, he has been seen wearing them on many occasions and thus the name 'Mario Andretti' stuck. Being an early Autavia example, it has a round case instead of the later tonneau-shaped one and an attractive two-register dial layout. The present lot is fitted with the original bezel calibrated for 12 hours and is further accompanied by a new service bezel calibrated to 60 units which is perfect if the watch were to be worn on a more formal occasion. The name Autavia itself is derived from the intended use in both automotive sports and aviation. What better way to stay true to this than having a 'Mario Andretti' chronograph worn by military fighter pilots.