Autavia 1163mh derek bell?

W
Posts
3
Likes
0
Hello, I apologize for my English writing through a translator.
I want to purchase my first autavia.
They offer me an autavia 1163mh, the seller says that this is mk 3 Derek Bell, please help me determine if this model is correct or not.
number 142xxx
I am confused by the caliber 12, but it is silver, with a broken number. Has such a caliber a rare collection?
Should Derek Bell have cal.11 or not?
How many such watches are now on the market?
Thank.
 
access.jpg
abrod520
Posts
11,870
Likes
38,719
W Wrangler 376
Hello, I apologize for my English writing through a translator.
I want to purchase my first autavia.
They offer me an autavia 1163mh, the seller says that this is mk 3 Derek Bell, please help me determine if this model is correct or not.
number 142xxx
I am confused by the caliber 12, but it is silver, with a broken number. Has such a caliber a rare collection?
Should Derek Bell have cal.11 or not?
How many such watches are now on the market?
Thank.

Hello - a Derek Bell should have a Cal. 11, and a Calibre 12 is a brass-colored movement. However the watch in your photo is a Cal. 11, even if it does have that strange circular stamp around the '11' on the bridge. Serial number range is maybe a bit early for these as they are usually 143xxx but I wouldn't be too concerned
 
SteveP
Posts
830
Likes
1,557
Hi, I don't see any problem with this 1163. abrod is correct that these are more often 143xxx but there are some 142xx also. (I have a 1423xx very similar to the above.)

It looks like yours is a cal 11 (which is correct) and it has been rumored that when these were serviced they were altered/upgraded with similar features to a cal.12 and at the same time the bridge was overstamped with the 12 in the circle. As such the 12 does not make it more rare (or more valuable) necessarily.

Hope that helps!

Steve
 
Yago
Posts
4,257
Likes
7,184
So is the Derek Bell Autavia the mark 5 of the 1163 model? It seems to have polished hands and these only started with the mark 5 from what I can find. If so, why is the movement Calibre 11 and not Calibre 12? I also found a few 'Derek Bells' with ridged markers online. And in what seems like the only clear photo online of Mr. Bell and the black dial Autavia, you can clearly see a Tachy bezel.
Edited:
 
SteveP
Posts
830
Likes
1,557
The actual execution worn by Derek Bell has never categorically been agreed. Some believe it to have ridged and some line markers. It is agreed to be with a tachy bezel either way. (he also wore a 'Siffert' too!) So we can't say what mark it was definitively.

Regarding the movement in the above, I think I'm right in saying the cal 12s were only original to a 1163 with the 1-12 hour marker-the 'pre-viceroy' and thereafter.
Steve
 
Sign up or log in to reply...

Similar threads

merint

FS: Autavia 1163MH

merint Marketplace
paysdoufs
paysdoufs
Posts
3
Views
568
J

What Autavia did Derek Bell 100% wear ?????????

JTCOLLETT37 Vintage Heuer Discussion
SteveP
SteveP
Posts
2
Views
970