Last year I got chided for not wearing a nice enough watch at a trade show by a manager - good naturedly. I was wearing a simple Seiko Kinetic in steel. Anyway, that trade show is comming up again and I was wondering if I should make a change there. Then I went through my watches (I'm not a collector) and found the watch you see in the picture. I was given that used watch by my stepdad 20 years ago, but haven't worn it so far. Based on the execllent article on this site, I found out that it is probably from the 70s and a model 73663. I wound the watch carefully and it works and keeps time correctly. The stopwatch function also works fine. However, the glass has many small scatches. It appears to be plastic, which I understand might be normal. My expectation is that this is a genuine watch, which had it's band replaced and it's glass messed up. I'm wondering if I should replace the band and if possible the scratche acrylic with a sapphire glass. What would you guys advise?
Very nice watch you've got there!! Change the bracelet, which isn't original, for a nice leather strap. The crystal can be polished if it's only scratches. If it's chipped, then best to replace with an acryclic crystal, not sapphire. I'd also suggest a service, even though it keeps good time. You want to try and keep the watch as original as possible - replacing lots of parts will only harm the value, so find a good watchmaker who knows what they're doing.
Woha, that is a very quick response! Thank you Would a Jeweller listed as TAG Heuer sales and service do, or would you look for someone more specialised?
With a watch this age, I wouldn't send it into TAG. They'll replace loads of original parts and may not return the old pieces. Best look for an experienced and trusted independent who will do a service sympathetically. You want a watchmaker, not a jeweller.
I'd have expected the shop to do minor stuff, like cleaning, replacing batteries, capacitors and the like. I hear what you are saying about relying on the manufacturers support for OOP models. A bit long in the tooth this one. Thank you for the tip! =] As it happens, there is a master watchmaker not far from me who - if anything might be overqualified. Six watchmakers over three generations and appointed court watchmaker for the Belgian king, even though the business is in Germany. A long list of brands serviced (Heuer not on the list) and explicit focus on service for mechanical watches. On the plus side, they offer estimates free of charge. While I have no intention of selling the watch, I have no clue what it is worth as is or might be worth once it's serviced and has its crystal polished. Can you give me a rough idea on what the watch is worth?
Roughly speaking, value before service + cost of service = value after service. But that's only if the service is done sympathetically and retains the originality of the watch. As to value, and whether your watch is all original, I would defer to others as I'm not familiar with this reference. All I know is that most cushion case Autavias are 2-register, not 3-register like yours, which makes yours more special. The only other watch I could easily find online with a quick search for price comparison is this one... http://www.chrono24.com/heuer/mens-...inless-steel-73663-chronograph--id4696831.htm I have no idea if that's over-priced or not, though. At the end of the day, it's worth what someone is willing to pay and originality and condition are everything when it comes to vintage watches. I get the impression yours is probably all original, the bezel is in better condition than most, and the watch will come up quite well after crystal refurbishment, clean and service.
Consider me shocked at that price band. Clearly, my watch is in much worse condition, but hey - interesting! I'll take it to the watchmaker and report back when I know more. Thank you for your help =]
Very nice watch Stephanius, As the others have said, service the movement, polish the crystal, and replace the bracelet, but do nothing else! Originally, your watch would have come with either a Heuer signed "beads of rice" bracelet, or a black Corfam strap. Finding the correct bracelet for less than US$1500 is a difficult task these days. Old Corfam staps aren't cheap either, however there's a solution. Heuertime sell an excellent new Corfam replica for a fraction of the price of a real one. Also, TAG Heuer sell a Heuer branded pin buckle that looks similar to what your watch would have originally had. You will need a 20mm strap and a 16mm buckle.
Update - I got the watch back from the watchmaker today. The watchmaker serviced the watch, polished the crystal and replaced a no longer functioning spring. I got the original part handed back to me with the watch and replaced the strap with a leather strap. Now it works well and looks clean:
Very nice watch you have there, you did good taking it to that particular watchmaker and it looks fantastic Based on the serial number, it dates to the early 1970s. One thing to note - the "star-burst" finish on the case, and those wide bevels between the front and sides of the case, are the original finish , very very rare to find on one of these, so I would advise taking extra care not to ever let it be polished during a service!