The Breitling Watch Source Forums

Hi All,

I just came across this Sinn 903, if you look carefully you see it has a Breitling crown. Does anyone know the story behind how Sinn came to use Breitling crowns? Or is this watch simply put together by other parts? is that at all possible?

http://www.chrono24.com/en/search/index.htm?showid=1454668&dosearch=1&searchexplain=1&SEARCH_ADTYPE_ID=U&MODEL=sinn%20903&numresults=7

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Navitimer, Steelfish, Colt GMT, Aerospace, Chronospace, Chrono Superocean

If I recall, when Breilting went belly up back in the late 70's all the bits in the parts-bin (i.e. all the bits of unmade watches) were sold to Ollech and Wajs, which they then assembled to make a range of watches that looked just like Breitlings but were called Aviators or Aviation (can't remember which).

However the stock that was already completed at the time of liquidation was sold to Sinn and they simply rebadged the Navis as Sinn pieces - hence the Breitling crown on a "Sinn watch". So yes this piece is genuine.

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Driver8

Site Moderator

Thanks Driver8, I certainly did not know that. It makes this watch even more interesting to my taste. So it would mean this Sinn 903 is in essence a Breitling Navitimer? This is cheaper than a Navitimer....

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Navitimer, Steelfish, Colt GMT, Aerospace, Chronospace, Chrono Superocean

Yes they are essentially Breitling 903's, but they're cheaper for a reason :- they aren't really considered true 903's as a result of the Sinn logo, and hence aren't worth anywhere near as much.

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Driver8

Site Moderator

I believe Sinn also bought the rights to certain navi models which allowed them to produce the models, even to this day.

The only thing I wonder is if the old Sinns came with "B" crowns, or if it was originally supplied with the "S" crown, and later replaced with a "B" because there happened to be a spare available.

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-RJ

Good point. I'm sure one of the vintage gents will be able to answer that one for us.

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Driver8

Site Moderator

Ask and you shall receive

As Driver8 says the parts went to O&W, the watches to Sinn (and a lot went from there to Old World who still sell them now).

As part of the deal Sinn also got all of the partly assembled ones and they put a Sinn logo on dials of those and sold them pretty much as they were - if they had a crown then they kept their crown. This could well be one of those, ot it could equally have had a replacement crown at some point - they frequently get Breitling badged pieces for obvious reasons.