I'm considering buying this Autavia 3646 and I was wondering if someone more educated than I am on Heuer might notice anything I haven't regarding the condition. The dial is in so-so shape and the second hand appears to be missing its tip. The crown is unsigned but I'm not sure if that's a problem. As far as I can tell the case seems to be in okay condition but I'm happy to be corrected.

 

This one's in pretty rough shape, and that dial damage isn't going to be something you can fix. The chrono needle is definitely clipped, and it looks like the pushers are mismatched.

Get a movement shot and verify that it's a proper, period-correct Valjoux 92 in good condition. This should be a cheap one so don't pay high money for it.

 

They want 6200 USD for it, so it's relatively cheap relative to examples on chrono24 but maybe not cheap enough given all the problems. It looks like I might be able to source a somewhat used nicer dial, a chronograph pusher, and a needle for about 1000 USD.

They got back to me with a movement shot. Would you say this looks okay?

 

Looks like it's OK, I'd want to look closer at the dark spots (could be corrosion) on some of the hardware near the column wheel.
I'm also a bit spooked by that really loose and poorly-fitting caseback seal, makes me somewhat nervous about the state of the movement.

6200 isn't a bad price if you already have a line on the parts you mentioned, but I'd look to pay less for it in any case.

 

update for those interested: I did end up making a deal for this, for about 20% less than the original price after discounts, and I'm glad I was local to it, because when I arrived to pick it I got to see the face of the seller when he discovered his watch wouldn't wind. He's going to have it serviced and I'll go take another look at it once he does, supposedly in the next few days (assuming his watchmaker can actually fix it).

This guy appears to have a decent enough reputation and I can't imagine he expected to fob me off with a non-working watch in a face-to-face meeting, especially when I didn't pay cash and can reverse the transaction. On the one hand were I to go through with the transaction the watch would now be freshly serviced while on the other, it's always possible there's something funny going on with the movement.

As far as I could tell looking at it in person, the pushers appear to be identical, but I must agree that in the photos they don't look that way. Whether this is a matter of the perspective I'm unsure.