Greetings from the West Coast of Canada! As a long-standing owner of an 1163 GMT Mk3 (which I purchased new in the early 70's in Toronto, Canada) I have joined this forum with the hope to get some advise with respect to getting it restored to its original luster, such that it might once again resemble the item displayed in my avatar. Right now it is kind of banged up, with a faded 24hr rotating bezel, a badly scratched crystal, with one none-original start/stop button push, and in need of a retainer for the original stainless steel bracelet because the tangs are so worn it can no longer be trusted to hold the watch securely to my wrist.

It was serviced just once somewhere in Switzerland about 20 years ago when a friend went there on a business trip. Other than having to wind it up a bit to assist the automatic function, it still keeps perfectly good time although stopwatch reset function is unable to bring the minute counter back to zero and will always shows 5 minutes left in elapsed time.

This watch means a lot to me, hence I am willing to spend some money to get it restored. What are my options?

Thanks,

Robert

 

Book it in with Abel over at HeuerTime

He's abcoro on here and you can have a taste of his wonderful and unrivalled work on this thread http://forums.calibre11.com/threads/heuer-autavia-restoration-project.19419/

It will need to go on holiday to Belgium but it will return looking beautiful!

 

Thank you all for posting back to me here! And I will post some photos shortly once I have dusted off my Nikon D3000. I seem to have neglected it lately since starting to use a remarkably good cell-phone camera, but of course, there is no comparison with a true SLR.

Regarding Abel's work, I didn't know I was able to drool as much as I did over some of the shots of his restorative work involving historic time-pieces. That level of attention to detail is a rare skill and I can only admire it to the utmost. I will try to get in touch with him here and see what can be arranged; I imagine there will be a waiting list? I will in fact be in Europe later next year, and right next door to Belgium in the Netherlands where I still have family.

 

Thanks Bootsy - looking at you avatar it seems you and I share an interest in other fine mechanical artistry, such as older Porsches. I was tempted to use a small Porsche pic for my avatar, but opted for the GMT instead. But here is a photo of my air-cooled pride and joy, a 1995 993, and I'm posting this with the assumption that to post a picture of it here is not at all incongruous with what this forum is all about, namely a dedication to preserve historically significant examples of fine and intricate mechanical marvels as art, to be appreciated and coveted for all times!

 

Hi Robert. Indeed we do share a passion

My 1972 Hot Rod



And my very early 993 - one of the first few thousand built in 1993

 

As much as I like the 997 - it is a very handsome Porsche - finding a well maintained 993 might be a better proposition, as they are likely continue to go up in value. The added bonus is that their virtually bullet-proof nature allows them to be used as daily drivers, and modern enough with key-less entry, electric seats, etc.,as well as being the first air-cooled Porsche that actually has a heating and ventilation system that no longer reminds me of my 1953 VW Beetle; with a successful a/c component that can hold its own in very high ambient temperatures. Lastly, they have the next generation multi-link rear suspension which - having owned a 1976 911S and 1984 Carrera previously - I find a definite improvement in the high-speed twisty-road department!

 

You are a very lucky guy! I like the custom treatment of the front indicator lights on the 72 - have not seen that before. Is that Midnight Blue on the 993? My 76 S was in that colour. My last hot rod was a tweaked Guards Red 85 Carrera, big wing, lowered, chipped, cat-bypass - but I am a much more sedate driver these days. I have owned the 95 993 since 2007, and for a while I also owned an 1998 Arena Red 993 C2, but let that one go earlier this year in favour of the 1995, as it is quieter, and my neighbours like me better when I leave for the pool every morning at 6:00am. Also, I like the 95's engine characteristics better without the VarioRam. Less torque at mid range, but seems happier at high-revs.

 

OK - now for the sad story about my precious Heuer Autavia 1163, as here are some shots I took just now - and yikes! - the Nikon does not lie! So here is the naked truth, and we're speaking about a 40+ year old time-piece that has been on my wrist more or less 24/7, and still keeps perfectly good time!


As for the bracelet, what I need immediately is the piece in the red box, as the bottom two tangs are broken, and clearly the bracelet is no longer safe to retain the watch. The piece in the yellow box is extra - never used - and I would be willing to trade that for the broken retainer should anyone be interested in such an arrangement.

 

Yes a challenge. Abel will advise

And yes 964 values are going skyward and fast!

 

Thanks D.C. - I must admit that I was somewhat taken aback at what the camera showed me - as to the naked eye it really doesn't look all that bad to me. And as I look at it now on my wrist (I'm using another non-original ss bracelet) , I don't see half the dirt on the dial or around the registers, and the badly scratched lens is only really obvious at certain angles, depending on how the light hits it. Of course, we're dealing with less perfect eyesight on my behalf, and of which some say that - at my age - is a gift of nature, in particular when resting one's eye on one's similarly aging partner, and essential to maintaining a lasting marital bliss ;-) Lastly, I would like to think, too, that the original Heuer bracelet is salvageable and that I may be able to manufacture a replacement for the small broken retainer and am looking forward to getting some suggestions in that direction.

 

Thanks Bootsy - I was hoping Abel has had an opportunity to form at least an initial opinion regarding the sad state of my GMT, and am really looking forward to hearing from him!

And regarding your and D.C. comments regarding the rising 964 values, I can only concur. The 964 is a fine 911, and some say the ultimate development of the original 911 concept, as being more true to its unique shape and technical underpinnings, which the 993 started to depart by its 959 inspired flared headlights and multi-link rear axle, and which, in former Porsche's R&D Chef Ulrich Bez's words, " began people to prepare for the next generation of Porsches". Bez was in charge of the development of the 993 and had fight hard to have some of these transitional changes incorporated. And here I am thinking of similar fights in corporate boardrooms of companies such as TAG Heuer when it is time to set a new direction for their most successful product line in order to stay current as well as competitive in the marketplace.

 

I will do that - Thanks!

 

Hello Robert,

Nice 1163GMT and awesome Porsches in this thread ;-)

I will reply later this week...this time of the year is typically most busy for me.

abel.

 

Thanks Abel - I'm looking forward to it!

Robert