Roffensian wrote:
saabreit wrote:
Roffensian wrote:
Agree absolutely, we know that this is a relatively common design of the era and no reason to believe that it is Breitling sourced vs. any of the others (or indeed from parts suppliers). Any suggestion of a Breitling connection is simply an attempt to inflate value.
I just come back to the original topic of this post, the Singer 769 looking like a clone of the Breitling Chronomat 769 .
The context looks deeply different : according to the general aspect + caseback marking ( 769 + SN 484114 ) , it looks like a very early Chronomat production.
Considering that Breitling launched the Chronomat in 1942 - maybe end 1941? - it was early in the product life to re- brand the watch .
Movements used by Breitling were not signed , at the contrar of this one which is engraved Singer.
Several questions to investigate :
- maybe due to WW2 , it was necessary to comply with exportation rules to a specific country
- or maybe due to a problem of patent in a specific country ?
- Who was this Singer ? Maybe different from the well known dial factory?
I am awaiting this Singer 769 to be able to compare it point by point with my 1943 Chronomat ! Anyway it was not an expensive risk, the final price was very low.
I see the Singer and the Tourneau separately. I am much more prepared to believe that the Singer is a 'real' Chronomat - especially if it is the dial maker's name rather than a retailer's name. I can't explain how it came about, but it looks much better than the obviously later and suspicious Tourneau.
Guys, this morning I received the Singer Chronomat 769 and examined it in details . In the ebay post, the pics were not very clear with bad reflections . Good to have it in hands , and now no doubt that this piece is the exact clone of a very early Breitling Chronomat 769.
Same case in stainless steel with the machining for bezel mounting.
Same caseback , external face is polished + stamped SN " 484114 and 769 " , internal face decorated + "acier inoxydable".
Venus 175 with bridge engraved "Singer" ... dirty but it works.
Dial is very dirty but we can see that the design is absolutely similar to Breitling version .
Next week I shall be back to work and shall be able to post detailed pics .
Very poor information about Singer on google :
1/ Montres Singer SA in Genève, founded in 1902, located in Geneva in 1954, registered as wholesaler in 1966
2/ Jean Singer SA in La Chaud de Fond, manufacturer of dials and watchcases - the company would be still alive and a subsidiary of Longines ?
Does anybody have better information about connections btw Breitling and Singer in the 40s?
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- Breitling was not engraving the chrono bridge at this period ... and the fonts are similar to those on my Chronomat .