The Breitling Watch Source Forums

Hi

I have been adviced to ask in this forum (i think some of you know Venus 178) because i have problems to determine the age of my Zodiac Chronograph with at Venus 178 Movement.

I know it was used in Breitling Navitimer 806 and the movement have been used in the fifties and sixties (from 1955 in the 806)

Anyone who can help? any information will help.

Best
Thomas

Roff - I suggested Thomas post this on the Vintage Breitling board, would it be possible for you to move it across.
cheers.

No reliable way that I know of to date the watch based solely on the movement. Your best bet is to try and find a serial number reference for Zodiac.

Thanks Roff.

What struck me about this watch was the bridge signature is exactly the same as the Breitling signature from the Sixties.
Also if you look at the regulator, it's different to the Fifties version, again leading me to think this is a Sixties movement, not a Fifties one.
However the flat pushers would suggest that the watch was more Fifties than Sixties.

There was a discussion a while ago about Clebar and a connection to Breitling, I wondered if anyone else had some thoughts about it?

This is my 57 Navitimer movement.

This is a later Sixties Venus 178.

Also the style of the dial, with the dished subdials, is so close to a TopTime dial from the Sixties and the lack of an import mark would lead one to think the movement and dial was Sixties, but the case might be earlier?

I don't know enough about Zodiac designs to say with confidence. The balance cock does look like a later one, but off the top of my head I don't know when the design change happened - will have to check the books.

. . . if the absence of the import code is helping us date the watch. Check my reasoning.

Clebar is a NY-based importer that would need to have an import stamp on a chronograph movement.

The requirement for an important mark stopped about 1967 - but I don't know how I know that or if that is the right year.

And, Venus merged into ESA about that time, so if the movement is marked as a Venus, would have to be around that time (I'm not sure about markings)

- 1967 or so.

Can't fault that logic

Thanks to all of you.

I think i will use 1967, because it is my birth year and also the year my Speedy cal. 321 is born

Best
Thomas