Vintage Breitling: the Expert Interviews

November 07, 2013

Breitling is a brand that we recently featured as one of our top buys for collectors in our Vintage Market Update C The Chronographs. I mentioned that theres a broad back catalog of pieces worthy of consideration due to their looks and innovative features. When I published the article, though, I stepped back and realized that while I did the brand some service by surfacing the topic, an opportunity existed to give collectors a better sense of the brand. Of course, we ve touched on the brand in a couple #TBT articles where we featured the Top Time 814 and, more recently, the 765 CP.? Still, how could Fratello Watches best cover the brand and begin to make some of the vintage Breitling lines more of a household name?Well, todays Special Feature is the culmination of that idea, but as youll see, I ve relied on others in creating what we think will be an invaluable resource for collectors. We have published this Breitling expert interview before (in 2015), but with the new ownership and new CEO (Georges Kern), we thought it would be nice to bring it to your attention again.Pult/Pupitre ref.2117 & 7101from 1972Id advise that you not try to digest this article with your smartphone while transiting to work, as theres a ton of content here, but, rather, enjoy it on a bigger screen, hopefully during your holidays.?? Grab your favorite ice-cold beverage, relax, and take in some serious knowledge sharing, as it is high time to shed some light on an underserved brand. Its vintage Breitling time.The ExpertsWhen we talk about a subject such as vintage Heuer, Jeff Steins name surfaces almost immediately as the foremost authority on the brand. Jeff would almost surely comment that hes not alone as an authority by any means, but his creation of OnTheDash has been such a great resource to collectors and fans that it has earned him the title. Today, we will introduce, on a wider scale at least, two contemporaries of Jeffs (everyone knows each other, by the way) who are really the undisputed authorities on Vintage Breitling. Unlike Jeff, they prefer to remain somewhat more enigmatic, which we respect, but we thank them immensely for their participation in this interview.Premier Civilian ref.734 from pre-1944First up is @watchfred. Fred is a well-known vintage watch aficionado who specializes in chronographs, but is especially known for his interest in Breitling. Fred moderates the Bretiling forum on Timezone, has an immensely popular Instagram feed, and can often be found on various forums. He provides invaluable help to collectors with questions about authenticity, but hes also known for his no bullsh*t style of debunking fraudulent sellers or those who knowingly sell altered pieces. Think of him as a bit of a caped crusader within the vintage watch landscape. Oh, and his vintage collection is museum quality and happens to put Breitlings own to shame.Navitimer Japan Reissue of 400 piecesNext, we have @rene_jk. Rene is known for his vintage-breitling.com website. This is probably the best resource out there today on vintage Breitling and provides some great photos and information. Rene also shares his strong knowledge about the brand within forums and strikes hard with his own style of vigilante justice against those who are out to deceive.? Again, he owns a top-notch collection of Breitlings and is a great resource for help. His Instagram account is new by comparison to Freds but is also a highly worthwhile follow.I should mention that Fred and Rene know each other quite well and are friends. Ive been privy to discussions where they utilize each others knowledge to verify a piece and its a nearly scientific process: fascinating to view. They collect some common pieces and have some similar responses in some cases, but go down slightly divergent paths within the Breitling genre, as youll soon see. Finally, I should mention that both Fred and Rene are collectors. Rene is selling a small portion of his collection online to fund something entirely non watch-related, so I wanted to make that known.? Also, the photos, by in large, have all been taken Fred and Rene…a huge thanks to them for sending and working with me to properly caption them.With the introductions over, its now time to begin our interview. Class is seriously in session now, so its time to listen up-The General MarketFW: Tell us a little about how and why you started collecting vintage watches?Fred: Well, Ive always loved vintage watches, chronographs and wrist alarms.Universal Geneve cal.291The first good watch I bought was a brand new JLC Memovox in the 1980s, which triggered my interest in this field and, of course, quickly led me to the original, the Vulcain Cricket C and then more Crickets, Lanco and several vintage Memovox. My first vintage chronograph was a Girard Perregaux EP04 that I loved to wear, but it took years until my love for watches turned me into a true collector and became more than an unfocused buying spree C my next purchases were a beautiful 18k UG cal. 291 triple date moonphase C that I still own and that still does not run properly C and more mediocre and incorrect chronographs than Id like to remember or admit ??Vulcain Triple DateBut the more I started to look at chronographs, the clearer it became that Breitling was the brand that spoke to me more than others C and the vintage community on breitlingsource.com gave me the support I needed to research, learn and weed out the many frankens and fakes C and then I became an addict, not a collector -Rare 1965-66 Transitional ref.806 Navitimer – formerly owned by ReneRene: When I bought my first Breitling in 1999 (entry level Colt automatic) I joined the Breitling forum on WUS and a whole new world opened to me; all these wonderful watches that people were showing, which they just acquired or had owned for a long time. Here and there, a vintage piece popped up and I realized that I liked the vintage pieces much better than the contemporary ones; in particular I was drawn to the 50s and 60s Navitimers (what else) and when I started looking around I found that they were relatively affordable as well compared to contemporary Navitimers. The best source of information back then was Jean-Michel s website, the now defunct navitimer.net (moved to here).But it was also a time that very little knowledge was present or shared and that is where my interest grew. Trying to determine whether or not a particular watch was completely authentic, franken, or blatantly fake, comparing with other watches from the same ref and serial number ranges, conduct my own investigations, sharing findings with other collectors and slowly building up a knowledge base . Of course, I was constantly keeping an eye out for bargains. As time passed, I found myself with some knowledge and a small collection of Breitling watches that kept expanding to where I am today.FW: And why did you choose Breilting as a brand of focus? What exactly about the brand interests you, especially when so many have focused on , and now Heuer, or other brands?Fred: How do I answer that without sounding disrespectful to my many friends who collect these brands? Ive never understood why a collector would turn to and I know Im quite lonely in this opinion. They are marketing masters and have been for decades, but somehow I cant really get excited about miniscule differences in dial designs, rails, single or double underlines or what order the , the Oyster and the Cosmograph are in C and if you are a chronograph aficionado, what makes those mass produced Valjoux movements everybody was using so unique and special the moment they are installed in a -designed case and are covered by a Singer dial? Heresy, I know.Heuer (left) Autavia Andretti ref.3646 and (right) Triple Calendar ref.2558Heuer is a different story, I have several pieces in my collection, a mid 1940s Triple Date chronograph with a beautiful black dial is among my favorite watches, I love to wear my Andretti and there are several more 1960s Heuer I would love to own C but the only relevant horological innovation before Project 99 with Breitling and Bueren were the Seafarers produced for Abercrombie & Fitch; Jeff Stein will forgive me, I hope, but a rotating tachy bezel as a key innovation, really ?Angelus ChronodatoMy collection centers around relevant vintage chronographs I can afford, so single pusher Patek Philippe from the late 1930s are sadly not on my search radar C but many other brands are; Excelsior Park & Angelus, the rare true in-house manufacturers of the 1940s – every collection should include one of the superb 1940s Angelus Chronodato. Excelsior Park manufactured movements and complete watches for Gallet, Girard Perregaux, Zenith and others; superb movements, smoother and crisper than all others for me. The Jardur Bezelmeter, highly innovative aviators chronographs from the late 1930s and early 1940s, the Benrus Sky Chiefs, the Zenith cal. 146s, the El Primero C and, of course Universal Geneve Compax, Aero-Compax and Tri-Compax.The current product line by Breitling (dont get me started here, you could not print what I think about many of the current models) might make it hard to believe, but a look into the back catalogs of Breitling will reveal four decades of fireworks of innovation – bold, gutsy designs, unique ideas.Monopusher Sprint from 1930 sBreitling has been a leading innovator in that field, have helped define how chronographs look and function until today, launched the first wrist chronograph with a pusher at 2:00 in 1915, presented the first dual pusher wrist chronograph with pushers at 2:00 and 4:00 in 1933, and applied for the patent for the first Smart Watch chronograph in 1940.Populaires: group of ref.178 from early 1940 sThe mid 1940s catalog shows 60(!) chronograph models from up/down chronographs of the Populaires line with the Breitling-co-developed Venus 170 calibers to the most complex Rattrapante models of the Duograph family.Rattrapante Duograph ref.762 from mid-1940 sBreitling continued to be an industry leader until their sad demise in 1979, but even that end had true style. Willy Breitling, who had taken over the reins of the company in 1933 at the age of 19 and had led it through more than four decades of success, did not apply for bankruptcy protection when the market tanked during the Quartz crisis. He slowly sold off machinery, parts stock and completed watches, paid off all his creditors, and only then closed the company he had so impressively led; a true Gentleman.Well talk a bit more about some of the unique models a bit later, Im sure, but any chrono aficionado cant really neglect Breitling C the original Breitling.Enicar Sherpa Graph – a non Breitling owned by ReneRene: Hmm-why not -honestly? They all kinda look the same don t they? Ok ok ok … meters first, feet last, rail dials, red print on the dial or not, but they re still the same watch and look kinda boring don t they? And omnipresent as well, look at any (vintage) watch shop window and is everywhere. Don t get me wrong here, I do not put them down or anything like that as I do own a few vintage watches as well, but every model is available. You just need X amount of money, call your local vintage watch dealer, tell him which model you want and it will be delivered to your doorstep the next day. For me, collecting is as much the thrill of the chase as the kill. Years of hunting, looking, and searching to find that 1 watch you have been looking for is the driver. I know this is not for everyone but it thrills me to finally find that watch and seeing its 100% original and then to be able to buy it. Likewise, theres even the agony of disappointment in finding that watch and seeing its been horribly mutilated.Enicar Aqua Graph – a non Breitling owned by ReneHeuer, this may seem weird but Heuer was never on my radar. They were co-developers of the Caliber 11 (with Buren, Hamilton etc.) but they never appealed to me as (and this is of course absolutely personal) they seemed to lack the model ranges to pick and choose from, whereas Breitling seemed to cover the widest range of attractive watches that covered most (all?) uses through various eras from roughly 1940s to the end of the 1970s.Referee ref.34-31 from 1973From Pilot watches such as the Navitimer and AVI ranges, Astronaut Space watches such as the 24 hr. Cosmonaute, Dive watches such as the SuperOcean, Calculator watches like the Chronomats, and even some highly specialized watches like the football Referee with slow moving chronograph with a 45 minute ‘count down bezel to keep track of played time.Top Time early case ref.810 groupFW: What is the current state of the vintage Breitling market and where do you think its heading?Fred: I do not have a clear cut answer to that question C some of the models have risen nicely with the general market (all blacks Venus 178 Navitimers of the 1950s and good examples of the reverse panda of the 1960s, the Cosmonautes, the round dial small case Top Times, some of the Top Time Square models, the Datora and Premier of the 1940s & 1950s, the early Chronomat).Navitimer Valjoux72 ref.806 from 1955Others have exploded, doubled, tripled and more C early R72 Navitimers, 1950s and 1960s SuperOcean Dive watches, the 765 AVI, Co-Pilot and Yachting, the 1765 Unitime AVI or the large case Top Time 810s with the reverse panda dials.Chrono-Matic Navitimer ref.1806 from 1972Some seem to lag the market, the big case Navitimer cal. 11 & 12, the non-WP Top Time Square, some of the very attractive smaller Chrono-Matics have remained quite stable.Chrono-matic ref.2130 s from 1972My expectation would be that some of those lagging pieces will start to catch up when collectors start to notice how affordable they still are C and Id be surprised if the high flyers would not continue their rise, though clearly not at the pace of the last years.SuperOcean ref.2005 from 1965Rene: From what I have seen over the last years Breitling has been keeping a steady pace increasing in value, much the same as Heuer? ?Some models are increasing enormously (Valjoux 72 Navitimers, ref 765 AVI/CP , SuperOceans, and others do well (early all black or b/w Navitimers etc.) and have been steadily following the market prices. A rising tide lifts all ships and this is certainly the case with Breitling as well. Where is it heading? Read this article and you ll have a pretty good idea where its heading (Interviewer note: thanks for the plug).ref.7104 from 1970 sWe ve seen a growing interest in Vintage watches, a steadily increasing number of people that wear vintage watches, and more and more visibility everywhere that shows interesting brands with an interesting heritage. The hardcore Military collector will seek out the ref 817 CP-1 E.I Esercito Italiano and the trendsetter may opt for a colored resin cased Sprint and I do not believe that this will come to a halt or slowdown any time soon.Unitimes: (top) ref.2610 from 1961 (left) ref.1-260 from 1954 (right) ref.1765 from 1969FW: Why should collectors take notice of Breitling and is there anything they should know that might cause them to open their eyes to this historic brand?Fred: As weve discussed above, any chronograph collector with open eyes should not be blinded by some of the current behemoths that carry the Breitling brand name. Historically, the company might have been the most important innovator in the chronograph field with patents and designs that have defined the market. Breitling influenced how a chronograph functions today and defined a lot of the looks of classic modern chronographs too.Chronomat ref.786 from 1945Ive mentioned the 1940 patent for the first Smart Watch chronograph, the Chronomat 769 and 786 with a rotating logarithmic slide rule, a tool for Mathematicians and Engineers that allowed for complex calculations with the turn of your fingers, not taps like today-Chronomat ref.769 from mid-1940 sThe Chronomat (derived from CHRONOgraph for MAThematicians) actually was the chronograph that made me fall in love with Breitling, such beautiful watches, wonderful, unique dials, and superb movements. The later Navitimer is only a variation of this design that keeps defining the brand DNA through today almost 75 years later.Datora Moonphase ref.799 from 1947We dont have the space and time to go through the many more wonderful models of the 1940s and 1950s that arent too widely known. Breitling was the launch partner for the Venus rattrapante calibers; the Duograph were among the most complicated watches in production during that period. It had the Venus 187 chronograph caliber with moonphase, and a date and hour totalizer that was exclusive to Breitling. Another model, the Datora ref. 799, from the late 1940s is amongst the most elegant chronographs Ive ever seen.(left) Huit ref.734 from early 1940 s (right) ref.765 from late 1930 s-early 1940 sIn 1939 Willy Breitling established a Military Aviation division, producing aircraft instruments for the Allied Forces (personally breaking the embargo to keep up supplies, the story goes) and some exceptional wrist chronographs. The Premier 734 & 765 are examples and, again, are among my favorites.AVI first gen ref.765 from 1953Im sure Rene will talk about his 765 AVI of the early 1950s and tell you how they preceded the Breguet XX C but that digital minute counter piece, isnt that a sensational beauty and totally unique?Unitime Worldtimer ref.1-260 from 1954The list of innovations goes on: superbly elegant Unitime Worldtimers in the early 1950s, the transOcean Dive Watches launched in 1957, with the ref. 807 Dive Chronograph apparently the first panda chronograph dial ever produced by any manufacturer.SuperOcean ref.2005 from 1965Willy Breitling led the industry panel that tried very successfully to revive the lagging chronograph market in the early 1960s, with industry wide sales more than tripling between 1964 and 1967. Breitling introduced dozens of new models again: the unique in-house modifications for the Venus 188 in the Slow Motion Dive Chronographs SuperOcean ref. 2005 with a huge Chrono seconds hand that was counting dive minutes, not seconds, and also with an activity indicator window at 6 that would make sure the diver doesnt accidentally pause the watch.Square-cased 1960 s Top TimesThis was also the era of the Top Times, round & square, beautiful classic chronographs.Sprint ref.2010 from mid-1960 sYou also saw the rotating bezel Sprints.Chrono-matic ref.2110 from 1971Then came the Project 99 watches C whether first, second or third automatic chronograph calibers depends on your point of view, but look at those designs!Chronomat ref.0818 from 19681967, when watches had slowly started to grow a bit C and then Breitling launches a line of bold, gutsy andunique designs with a diameter of 47mm!SuperOcean ref.2105 from 1969Among these were the first 20ATM Automatic Dive Chrono SuperOcean refs 2105 presented in 1969.Top Time ref.814 from late 1960 sRene: If you look at a Vintage Breitling the first thing you will notice is the dial. And although the dial might be a bit busy for some, as in the Navitimer, the dial quality is just breathtaking. No sloppy lume jobs, no misprints, down to the smallest detail it is absolutely perfect. Combined with a Stainless Steel case and a manual wound Valjoux 72 or Venus (175, 178, 188 etc.) column wheel movement that has a very high degree of finishing and you have a very attractive watch that will stand the test of time.CP ref.765 from 1965In many cases Breitling modified the movement to their spec. The Venus 178 used in the 765 AVI/CP lines has a 15-minute counter instead of the ‘normal 30 minutes and had, in some cases, an ‘aperture window with minute disk instead of the normal sub dial with a hand. Rumor has it the 15-minute counter was done because Aircrews had 15 minutes to get an aircraft ready for takeoff and this allowed them to keep track of those 15 minutes easier than with a 30-minute counter.SuperOcean ref.2005 from 1965The Venus 188 used in the SuperOceans was modified to a ‘slow moving chronograph where the center chrono hand moved around the dial once per hour instead of once per minute like the usual chronographs do.FW: On that note, why do you think that the Breitling vintage market has been relatively quiet compared to other legendary chronograph brands?Fred: If I only knew- Maybe the fact that so many fake and Franken pieces are on the market, mass produced in South America, Turkey, Spain, Italy, China (though they thankfully specialize in three-handed pieces only)? It is sometimes said that 90% of the vintage Breitling are fake or incorrect, and that probably isnt too far from the truth, and most collectors just do not know how easy it is to verify pieces and find competent help.A modern Breitling that seems to know and care little to nothing about their heritage besides some PR blurbs, often blatantly incorrect, allowing online museums to carry that name and display watches they cut and paste from eBay listings with a clear majority of them being absurd fakes?The fact some current Breitling models arent too attractive cant really be the reason, looking at modern (TAG) Heuer, can it?Jeff Stein made Heuer collecting relatively easy (as long as you are ready and able to pay the current prices) with his superb site, documenting models and executions. We have a long way to go here and a huge task ahead. We have 200+ chronograph model references to document (some with a dozen executions over their life spans of three decades or more), but weve done a lot of that work already-Cosmonaute ref.809 from 1962Rene: Good question, I think one of the main reasons is availability of the watches. Even though they have a rock solid provenance in Space watches as Cmd. Scott Carpenter had the Cosmonaute built to his specs as he wanted a 24 hour watch when he flew with the Aurora 7 mission in 1962. Thus, it made the Cosmonaute the first documented Chronograph in space. Aviation watches through the 806 Navitimer and 765 AVI, Military with the ref 817 for the Italian and one-pusher chronographs for the CND (Canadian) Military, etc. The availability of all of these seems to be a major issue. For instance, of the 817 only 24 pieces have surfaced so far that I could find. That is not a whole lot of watches and for that reason it has stayed under the radar for a lot of collectors. Returning to the 1962 Cosmonaute, I have seen less than a dozen of these and as long as people do not see and notice these watches or realize the significance of them, they will remain below the radar.AVI first gen ref.765 from 1953I also believe most people do not realize the influence that Breitling has had on the watch industry. For example, we can discuss the 1953 ref 765 AVI. Whenever I show this watch to fellow collectors who are not familiar with Breitling, the first reaction I get is Oh nice and It looks just like the Breguet type XX / XXI. What they do not immediately realize is that the Breguet type XX, as far as I know, was released in 1954 and the Breitling in 1953. So, which watch manufacturer copied which? But again, availability of these very early ref 765 AVI s is almost non-existent, so it stays under the radar as well.To expand a little more on these particular watches, the all black dialed 765 AVIs of 1952/1953, per the rumors, were developed during intense negotiations w/ the French Air force. The AVI was developed based on the ref. 765, from the Breitling ‘Huit 8 aviation department, adapting the 30-minute counter to 15 minutes and adding the 12h bezel. Prototypes, or a small series, were delivered and then the political connections of Breguet/Vixa changed the tender specs to add flyback functions and Breitling lost the contract. Unsubstantiated, unproven and probably not provable today, as most corporate documents were not passed on to the new trademark owner, Mr. Schneider. These documents are probably still lying somewhere in a safe waiting to be made public or just destroyed as ‘no longer relevant paperwork .Some of the 765 AVI watches I have seen also have an extra number engraved on the back below the AVI stamp. The original watch owner told one new owner that this was a serial number from the French Air force. If this is correct, and I have no reason to doubt it, there are all black AVIs out there that were also purchased by the French air force and I assume these were handed to their pilots and/or navigators as tools of the trade and returned after service. The French air force pieces are again a combination of Aperture window and analog watches where the extra number does not seem to follow any serial number range.CP ref.765 from 1965FW: Most people think of aviation when they picture Breitling, which is perhaps due to their current advertising. However, Ive learned that theres a lot more to the brand. As an example, Rene, you broke the story on the Jean Claude Killy 765 CP. Who else wore Breitlings and what was their claim to fame?Fred: Well, Jean Claude Killy is clearly Renes find and a great one, isnt it?The real Mr. wearing a beautiful Breitling during the most relevant races of his life?Top Time Thunderball ref.2002 from 1964Im not too motivated by the celebrity factor and some of the current brand ambassadors make me cringe, but the James Bond Top Time Sean Connery wears in Thunderball is a nice twist, the Geiger counter movie prop watch auctioned by Christies is by far the most expensive vintage Breitling ever sold, some $200,000 after fees.Angleus Chronodato & Gallet Multichron 12Ive always been a fan of Jim Clark – isnt it funny I first bought a black Gallet Multichron 12 touted to be a Jim Clark, though thousands of pictures never show a Gallet on Jims wrist? Theres only a letter claimed to be by one of his mechanics saying hes worn one?Navitimer Jim Clark ref.806 from 1966But Jim clearly wore an Enicar Sherpa Graph in the mid 60s and then, in 1967, switched to a Breitling Navitimer 806 twin plane reverse panda!Navitimer Jim Clark ref.806 from 1966Weve found dozens of pictures documenting this, Jim Clark (& Graham Hill too, btw) sitting in or on the F1 cars, Monte Carlo, Le Mans, Brands Hatch, in discussion with Colin Chapman, Keith Duckworth (and Graham standing next to the real Nina with his Navitimer 806 on the wrist).Navitimer Miles Davis? ref.806 from 1966And then there is the Mr. Cool of Jazz, I love seeing that Navitimer 806 on Miles Davis wrist; some great pictures too, btw.CP ref.765 from 1965Rene: The Jean-Claude Killy story is funny actually. We all know the Jean Claude Killy Dato-Compax and as I had very recently acquired a mint Breitling Datora ref 785, which has more than just a passing similarity to the Dato-Compax, I started searching for pictures that actually show JCK wearing the watch during the Olympics. I found it strange that an athlete would actually wear such a delicate watch during his performance, so when I stumbled across a pic with the caption JCK wearing his , I fully expected to see a on his arm. Upon further inspection, though, it wasnt a Dato-Compax, and not even a . It turned out to be a Breitling ref 765 CP from 1965-1967 and the rest, as they say, is history.Some other celebrities that wore Breitling during their heydays are:AVI all black ref.765 from 1962Carel Godin de Beaufort1957 C 1964 Formula 1 racecar driver, Breitling ref 765 AVI with all black dialCP ref.765 from 1965Jean Claude Killy Olympic Champion and racecar driver (Monza, LE Mans etc.), ref 765 CP, ambassador and board memberAVI Raquel Welch ref.765 from 1964Raquel Welch Actress ref 765 AVI black/white dial movie FathomTop Time Thunderball ref.2002 from 1964James Bond (Sean Connery)Top Time Geiger counterNavitimer Jim Clark ref.806 from 1966Jim Clark Formula 1 racecar driver, Breitling ref 806 Navitimer with black & white dialGraham Hill Formula 1 racecar driver, Breitling ref 806 Navitimer with black & white dialMiles Davis Musician, Breitling ref 806 Navitimer with black & white dialCommander Scott CarpenterAstronaut Aurora 7 Mission, Cosmonaute ref 809 with all black dialI am sure many other celebrities wore them; its just a matter of scanning pics and waiting for them to become available.Specific Models (this is a great time for a break-an intermission of sorts)FW: What are the key Breitling vintage families? Here again, I think most of our readers could name the key Heuer lines, but lets familiarize them with the Breitlings.Fred:Premiers: (left) 1954 geneve ref.765 from 1954 (top) civilian ref.765 from 1946 (bottom) AOPA ref. 765 from 1965 (right) Huit Military Aviation ref.765 from 1947Premier: launched in the late 1930s, both civilian and Breitling Huit Military aviation models, classic chronographs, some 75 years old or more that have defined the chronograph looks; crown wheel calibers 150, 152, 175 & 178 by Venus SA; built until 1965, steel and some sublimely elegant 18k cases.Datora ref.785 from mid-1940 sDatora: launched in the mid 1940s, triple date and moonphase chronographs, steel and 18k cases, produced until the late 1950s, some superbly elegant watches; Valjoux VZ/VZH/23C/72C/88 and the Breitling-exclusive Venus calibers 186 and 191. Branding was re-launched in the late 1960s with a number of nice designs based on the Valjoux R7734.Rattrapante Duograph ref.762 from mid-1940 sDuograph: grail of grails, the Rattrapantes; Venus-based, produced from the mid 40s to the mid 50s only. Steel & 18k.Rattrapante Duograph ref.762 MovementSuperb, rare, almost impossible to find C and these are getting almost impossible to afford too.Chronomat ref.769, execution 2b from mid-1950 sChronomat: the chronographs for mathematicians discussed above. Patent application from 1940, the patient zero of the Breitling design DNA – yes, even some of the current Breitling Montbrillant are slightly larger modifications of the 1940s Chronomat.Unitime AVI ref.1765 from 1969Unitime: World Timers launched in the early 1950s, modified in the early 1960s, in the mid 1960s a 24h Co-Pilot 765CP was created, bore the ref. 1765, named Unitime AVI. Nice watches ??Digital AVI ref.765 from mid-1950 sAVI, Co-Pilot & Yachting: introduced in 1953, discussed above. Rotating 12h & Yachting bezel, huge for the period; modified and heavily modified Venus 178s, the grail Digital AVI 765 has become very hard to find.765 GroupA friend has cornered the market (or so it seems) for the all blacks produced until the early 1960s, then reverse panda Raquel Welch 765AVI until 1965, JCK 765CP until 1969, ref. 7650&7656 until the end. Superb, rare, very hard to find in good and truly correct condition.Navitimer Valjoux72 ref.806 from 1955Navitimer: you know that one, dont you? Launched in 1954 (yes. 1954, ample proof for this, the 1952 myth is pure b.s.); all blacks with rice bead bezels that Rene has taught us to date by bead counting; lots of executions and logo variations, very rare and early Valjoux R72 s.Navitimer Venus178 ref.806 from early 1955Most early pieces, however, are Venus 178s.Navitimer Jim Clark ref.806 from 1966In 1964 we see a switch to the reverse panda dial 806s with new bezels and hands, a ton of different executions again; then the switch to the Cal. 11/12s and the launch of the huge 816/1806 big case.Transocean MovementtransOcean: introduced in 1957, these were waterproof three hands, the first to bear the twinplane logo that 7 years later appeared on the Navitimers, two chronographs of the late 1960s and early 1970s carry that name too; weve never really understood why.SuperOcean ref.807 from 1960SuperOcean: Diving watches, three hands and a chronograph, launched in 1957; beautiful watches, but not the best divers, so just a handful survive. Relaunched in 1965 as the SlowMo Dive Chrono ref. 2005, the 1969 Auto Dive Chrono ref. 2105.Cosmonaute ref.809 from 1966Cosmonaute: the first Swiss wrist watch in space and a very unique model line; launched in 1963 after Scott Carpenter too his prototype aboard Mercury 7; modified Venus cal. 178; the early wide bezel versions are uber rare and very hard to find, later models can be found, but not too many are correct and have aged nicely.Top Time ref.810 pair from 1964Top Time (and Sprint): small and large cases, round & sq