Restoring a 2446C?

Hey man, glad to help - and extra, extra glad that you got your money back! And congratulations on the Autavia.

Sometimes watches do come in a bit rough from estate sales, but then that's sort of part of the charm I suppose - plus, the chances that it was "prepared" by a dealer are slimmer. And you can have your watchmaker take care of it which will give you greater peace of mind.

The good news is the parts on this one look original to me (bracelet obviously isn't, but that's not as important). And it looks to be in pretty good condition, can't quite tell what's happened to the crystal or subdial hands in these photos, but the hands at least look like they could be re-fit rather than requiring new replacements.

This watch is a 2446C (Compressor case), which was the second generation of Autavia after the original 2446. Production of these began around late 1968 or 1969. This is an early one, a Mark I, with the more classic black/white dial (later ones had red accents) and round pushers (the later ones had fluted pushers). You can find out more about the 2446C at OnTheDash here, or check out other examples by searching around for 2446Cs.

Fortunately, the movement is the Valjoux 72, which was a very tough and commonly used movement (Rolex Daytonas of the era used it) and even if it requires parts, they'll be easy enough to come by.

Stick around and show us photos when it comes back! 👍