In 1961, Jack Heuer and his production team decided to create the Autavia - a combination of the words “Automobile” and “Aviation” – as their first named chronograph. Prior to then, Heuer hadn’t designed a chronograph wristwatch with a rotating bezel, and the Autavia would have this new feature with a choice of calibrations. Two bezel types were offered, one with 60 separate one-minute divisions that allowed the wearer to set a marker for a defined interval of time, while the second bezel had 12-hour divisions that would allow for another time zone to be displayed. There are subtle design differences between the chronograph wristwatches within the Autavia reference 2446 collection that aren't always immediately obvious. This can be explained by the fact that Heuer's designs were intuitive and dependent on each particular task the watch was expected to perform.
The second execution models saw several notable design changes, specifically to the dial, such as smaller baton hour markers with outer lume dots applied directly to the dial and smaller sub registers. This configuration is what most collectors believe to be the best looking iteration of the Autavia. The case remained unchanged from the first execution and was still offered with the rare bezel with luminous arrow, as found on this example.

The present Autavia is distinguished by its remarkable state of preservation. Most notably, the dial presents intact graphics and has aged with a charming ivory patina to the subsidiary dials. The luminous material is now of a light brown hue and the bezel has faded to an off-black tonality. All these elements work together amplifying the vintage appeal of the watch and are a testament to its superior condition.