The Breitling Watch Source Forums

Hello all:
Can anyone identify this watch? I have searched online catalogs and forums and have found several that are similar but none that are just like it. Most of the chronographs I find have the sub dials in the horizontal position. I am unable to find any numbers on the movement either except a "170.) I believe that it is supposed to be from the 1940's. Then again, I hear there are many fakes out there.
Thanks

That'll be a '' VENUS 170'' movement, dial's been refinished though.

Ok. Thanks. I did finally manage to find some photos of similar pieces on the web. Seeing as how I am new to Breitling and to the hobby of selling watches, what is the best source for finding out the authenticity of this thing?

Post decent photos of the dial, inside and outside of caseback and movement here and we'll soon tell you.

Since when is selling a "hobby"? It's better to be a collector first.

I hope we're not here to provide advertising copy, though sometimes I wonder.

Mr. Breitling Fanatic:
Hobby as defined by Mirriam Webster "a pursuit outside one's regular occupation engaged in especially for relaxation or personal enjoyment." As I do not make my living by trading or selling anything, it stands to reason that any action in this direction on my part can accurately be considered a "hobby." I am not here to sell you or anyone else anything. I am simply trying to do my own due diligence. That is, after all, what all good members of society do. Please forgive me if there was any misunderstanding.
Thank you. Now that we have that cleared up.

If this is not the forum for finding out this kind of information, please let me know and I will not intrude any further.

Mr. Contributing Moderator:
Thank you for your willingness to see the pictures that I do have. I will post them right away. Unfortunately, I had a third party take the pictures and they are not the greatest quality. I will post them and if you need further pictures I will provide them.
Just so we are both on the same page: I know that the authenticity of a watch cannot be proved absolutely with just pictures so I am not looking for that. I am mainly trying to find out what experts in this field think might be the next best course of action. I have located an authorized Breitling service center that has agreed to prove or disprove the provenance of the piece. I wanted to get some advice from your forum before I pay for that service.

Thank you

There's a couple of clues this might not be an original Breitling. The dial does appear to have some age to it in certain areas like the sub registers. The center and main numbers though look to have been redone at some point. Now that the dial has made one curious, you can look at the back of the watch and see no Breitling reference number, or at least a serial number, which would help authenticate the piece. Lastly, looking at the Venus 170 movements fit into the case it would look like the case is larger than your normally small 30mm - 35mm cases typical of Breitling during the 1930's and 40's. It was rare to see a Breitling case larger than 35mm during this period and I've only seen a few. How wide is the case not counting the crown? We've seen a lot of watches, especially gold Chronographe Suisse, which have been modified to give the appearance of being Breitlings. This might be another.

Yeah I agree.

The caseback also appears to say 18k on the outside but 'metal' on the inside

I think Roff, that maybe the metal cover is the dust cover found on the Chronographe Suisse models,and not the inside of the 18k case back in picture No 4.

In which case we know that it's definitely wrong because Breitling never used double casebacks.

redial of a Chronographe Suisse, no doubt. to quote Roff from many other threads: no part of this started life in a Breitling workshop.

regarding sending this to Breitling to authenticate: a complete waste of money, they might even say it is authentic, but would - again - be wrong.

Wow! You guys are amazing. I noticed in my travels that the numbers looked better than I though they should and I have not been able to find an exact match for the dial, some very close but nothing perfect. It would appear that my purchase was spurious at best.

I am truly indebted to you all for your help. It is nice to get support without a lot of the snobbery that surrounds prestige watches and those who know the most about them. It is truly appreciated.

I will post pictures of the watch in it's soon-to-be melted down form. I loved it at first. Now I hate it and cannot stand the thought of it circulating out there.

Many thanks

Mark

Mark, most of us made similar mistakes on our way to becoming a collector.
Yours is a perefectly nice Chronograph Suisse with a wonderful movement, at least, so instead of melting it down you might just look for an authentic vintage CS dial ?
Bear in mind that the CS 18k watches had paper thin gold cases, so little of value to melt.

meet a close relative of your watch, listed from Spain, for "only" US$ 1,400:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 9655wt_922
and many more around, an authentic Venus 170 Breitling is a nice and rare surprise.

WatchFred:
The introspetive part of me knows that you are absolutely right. At this point my struggle is more philosophical. This watch is not what it is advertised to be and that offends me somehow. Never mind that I got duped buying it. Never mind that it is not worth what I had hoped it would be. The notion of a fake is just not right to me.
I will, however, take your advice at least in part and give the matter some more thought. I really appreciate your time.

Mark

Roff wrote:

As an aside to the core discussion, are you absolutely sure they didn't?