The Breitling Watch Source Forums

Gentlemen,

I received an email from a friend of mine letting me know that his father had passed from a bout with cancer. My friend received his father's watches and they included the one pictured. On the case back is "2000-03", and I informed him the serial number is inside the case back, and he does not want to open right now. For those of you in the US, he thinks it was purchased at Service Merchandise in the '70's, some may remember Service Merchandise. He is aware I have a 810 Top Time and asked if I would post the image and see if I could get more information for him.

Any information would be appreciated.

could you ask your friend to doublecheck, it probably says 2000-33.

a very, very nice Gen. 2 Top Time ref. 2000, manufactured after 1967 - or 1969 if it has the Valjoux 7733, which seems quite likely.

here is a catalog page:

Thanks Fred...

He is watching the thread and is going to look at the watch tonight.

If there is any other information that may be pertinent please let us know. He is sure it was purchased in the late '70's because they moved to the US then and he bought the watch after they arrived.

I have not seen Top Time 2000s manufactured after the earliest 1970s, but it may well have been lying unsold until the late 1970s. Not a lot more to tell about it, I'm afraid ?

I heard back from my friend, and in fact the watch is a 2000-33. He also said it had the numbers 1119643 stamped on the case back.

Does this help at all, or does the case back need to be opened to get the rest of the story?

Thanks...

1119643 is the serial number indicating 1967.

Actually that would be very late 1966, which is odd with a -33 suffix - I thought that Valjoux didn't begin the 7733 until later in 67

Hmmmm.

I have one of those new calculators but I still can't get still story to add up.

May be that the movement was earlier than previously thought, may be that the case was late in being used - it's just odd, not necessarily suspicious.

not suspicious at all, I think. The cases (most of those I have seen) were remarked w/ -33 by Breitling in a different font, apparently they had ample stock of cases produced in 1967 and finished those watches in 1969 or later; we see similar cases of 1946 production 769 cases w/ post 1953 dial - cases were apparently produced in multi-year quantities, in some years the projections were a bit overoptimistic.

Long time to sit around and to buy at a Service Merchandise!?! Remember them well, big in Florida. Seiko, Jules, Movado, Hamilton and the ok but never saw Breitling ever. Discount retailer.