August 24, 2016 — 2026
Neil's relationship with vintage Heuer started with a loss. At 18, after his grandfather passed away, he inherited a busted vintage Monaco and went looking for someone who could fix it. That search led him to Abel Court, the watchmaker and restorer who'd go on to become one of the most respected names in vintage Heuer circles.
Fourteen years and a growing collection later (a ref. 1153 Carrera for his 30th birthday, a ref. 2446C Autavia GMT still being restored today), Neil and Court teamed up again, this time to see what would happen if they took five Viceroy Autavias, rebuilt them down to the movement with new-old-stock parts, and coated the cases in a thin layer of black DLC.
The result, the Discautavia, took a year and a half to complete and sold to a group of vetted Heuer enthusiasts. Now, ten years on, it reads less like a product launch and more like a continuation of that first restoration: the same instinct to take something inherited, worn, and half-broken, and hand it to the right person to bring back to life.
