There isn’t a sexy story behind this watch – on a random day of surfing Watchrecon.com, I noticed what appeared to be a great example of an Autavia 2446C GMT priced at what seemed to be a very fair price. After a quick inquiry, that was exactly the case! Buy first, ask questions later. I’d always wanted one but wasn’t sure how it would fit on my wrist / if I would bond with it. Fast forward 4-5 months, and it’s one of the most worn watches in my collection. The contrast of the panda dial with the red dial accents and the faded pepsi bezel is eye-catching, and I find myself staring at my wrist with this one more than just about any other watch in the collection. An absolute classic, in my opinion.
The Nitty Gritty
This isn’t a “safe queen” example, but not every watch has to be. Pro’s include the early serial, perfect first execution dial/handset with matching patina, and the sharp case that still sharply retains its original lines. The only noticeable flaws are the replacement pushers (the fluted pushers were standard on second execution Autavia GMTs) and fading to the caseback engravings (which is very common for compressor case Autavias).
