There it is. 1806 No. 1254387
From the research I've done on it today, the serial number puts it right in the later part of the 1968 run.
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| Author: | Maldev [ Fri Jun 24, 2011 8:12 am ] |
| Post subject: | newbie Vintage Breitling Owner |
My first post here so please be kind. I am a complete newbie owning vintage Breitlings and my wife has started out my collection this year for our 15th wedding anniversary. At auction, she picked up a certified 1968 Navitimer Automatic. I have always lusted after the Navitmer and she chose that year specifially for my birth year. Basically, this watch holds a more sentimental appeal for me than it does monetary. That said, I do want to make sure the watch is complete, overhauled properly and in full working condition before I wear it anywhere. The piece has all original parts except for the watch band. It has very light wear on the crystal and back but does show signs of use and care. The movement has been certified by the auction house but that means nothing to me other than they probably wound it and checked to see if it was running 10 seconds later. So...my questions are... Can anyone suggest a good repair store that works on thenvinatge Breitlings in or around the Los Angeles area? Being an automatic, first year by what I have read, I know I need to keep the watch in motion. Does it prefer to be in motion in a certain direction when in a watch case? I noticed the stop watch buttons are on the right side with the winder on the left...and the auction house referred to this as a left-handed watch. However, most pictures of the pieces from that year seems to be made this way. I assume the auction house is either incorrect or Breitling only made watches for left-handed people in 1968? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. Robert |
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| Author: | Roffensian [ Fri Jun 24, 2011 8:19 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: newbie Vintage Breitling Owner |
If it's a 1968 Chrono-matic then it's actually a pre-series, they weren't officially launched until 1969. The crown is on the left because the movement had to be redesigned to accommodate the micro rotor that makes it an automatic. Manual wind watches would still have had the crown on the right. In terms of a watch winder - please, please, please do not use a watch winder for this watch. The micro rotor is a little delicate and very hard to repair these days due to lack of parts so either wind and set the watch to wear, or if it is to be worn regularly then wind it by hand each day. In terms of service / restoration, we have a member here chronodeco who is US based (but not CA) and who comes very highly recommended, a quick look through hte search function will show his work. |
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| Author: | Maldev [ Fri Jun 24, 2011 8:44 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: newbie Vintage Breitling Owner |
Thanks for the heads up on the watch winder. Moved saved there. Is there a way to determine that this is a pre-series as you put it since the auction house obviously had it wrong about the left-handed listing? I will check out the member you mentioned for the service. How does this piece wind...and why would i need to wind it daily when it is a Chronomatic? |
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| Author: | Roffensian [ Fri Jun 24, 2011 9:07 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: newbie Vintage Breitling Owner |
Maldev wrote: Thanks for the heads up on the watch winder. Moved saved there. Is there a way to determine that this is a pre-series as you put it since the auction house obviously had it wrong about the left-handed listing? I will check out the member you mentioned for the service. How does this piece wind...and why would i need to wind it daily when it is a Chronomatic? You only need to wind daily if you aren't going to wear it every day - I assumed that was the case as you were asking about a winder. Best thing to do is post some pictures and we'll be able to confirm. .jpg files up to 250k can be attached directly to your posts (scroll down in the main message posting window) and instructions for larger files are here - viewtopic.php?f=5&t=453 |
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| Author: | Maldev [ Fri Jun 24, 2011 9:31 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: newbie Vintage Breitling Owner |
You got it. I'll post them tonight when i get home. Appreciate the help! |
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| Author: | Stefan Tapp [ Fri Jun 24, 2011 10:19 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: newbie Vintage Breitling Owner |
Interestingly Breitling UK's vintage specialist watch maker told me it was absolutely fine to keep my 1969 Chrono-Matic on a winder............................ Stef |
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| Author: | Roffensian [ Fri Jun 24, 2011 10:22 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: newbie Vintage Breitling Owner |
Stefan Tapp wrote: Interestingly Breitling UK's vintage specialist watch maker told me it was absolutely fine to keep my 1969 Chrono-Matic on a winder............................ Stef In theory it is, it will wind the watch. The problem is that the more the automatic movement is used the more likely it is to break and that's when the problems start. When you wear the watch the rotor will obviously be working, but off the wrist you may as well minimise the risk of damage, or at least use the crown stem that is far easier to repair / replace than the rotor assembly. |
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| Author: | Maldev [ Fri Jun 24, 2011 8:54 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: newbie Vintage Breitling Owner |
There it is. 1806 No. 1254387 From the research I've done on it today, the serial number puts it right in the later part of the 1968 run. |
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| Author: | Roffensian [ Sat Jun 25, 2011 3:56 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: newbie Vintage Breitling Owner |
More used to seeing these with pre-series, but looks good - serial number is perfect for a pre-series from 68, they weren't released until 1968 so all serials should be late in the 1968 run. |
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| Author: | Maldev [ Sat Jun 25, 2011 7:03 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: newbie Vintage Breitling Owner |
Do you mean that some actually had "pre-series" somewhere on the watch? There were several 1968 and 1969 Navitimer Chrono-matics at the auctions but I did not see any that had "pre-series" on them. Where would it have been marked as such? And any hint as to where i might find a pdf or something of the main owners' manual would be appreciated. I have a pdf on the slide rule usage but not on the standard stuff such as winding and care. |
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| Author: | Roffensian [ Sat Jun 25, 2011 7:23 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: newbie Vintage Breitling Owner |
Maldev wrote: Do you mean that some actually had "pre-series" somewhere on the watch? There were several 1968 and 1969 Navitimer Chrono-matics at the auctions but I did not see any that had "pre-series" on them. Where would it have been marked as such? And any hint as to where i might find a pdf or something of the main owners' manual would be appreciated. I have a pdf on the slide rule usage but not on the standard stuff such as winding and care. They weren't marked. No ideas on a manual, sorry - others may know. |
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| Author: | Maldev [ Sat Jun 25, 2011 8:40 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: newbie Vintage Breitling Owner |
Gotcha. Thanks for the help! |
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| Author: | jlee5050 [ Sat Jun 25, 2011 10:47 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: newbie Vintage Breitling Owner |
it's a superb piece to start off a vintage collection... you have a wonderful wife too! yes to further re-enforce Roff's comments the lack of these caliber 11 parts require us owners to take extra care... I always wind mine by the crown to ease the stress on the auto rotor... enjoy and welcome to the source 
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| Author: | Maldev [ Sat Jun 25, 2011 1:29 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: newbie Vintage Breitling Owner |
Thanks for the welcome and I couldn't agree with you more when it comes to my wife. I usually introduce her to people by letting them know that she's Irish, has red hair, green eyes and bites. That seems to sum things up quickly but then she pulls moments like these out of thin air as well.  She totally took me by surpise with this one.I should also mention that my other Breitling is a black SuperOcean thatbi have owned for about the last 10 years or so. It's a very rugged watch that has handled over 150,000 miles on my wrist while on my motorcycles. Needless to say, the Navitimer will be spared such abuse. As with the SuperOcean, i'll hand wind the Navitimer. |
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| Author: | Roffensian [ Sat Jun 25, 2011 2:37 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: newbie Vintage Breitling Owner |
Maldev wrote: Thanks for the welcome and I couldn't agree with you more when it comes to my wife. I usually introduce her to people by letting them know that she's Irish, has red hair, green eyes and bites. That seems to sum things up quickly but then she pulls moments like these out of thin air as well. She totally took me by surpise with this one.I should also mention that my other Breitling is a black SuperOcean thatbi have owned for about the last 10 years or so. It's a very rugged watch that has handled over 150,000 miles on my wrist while on my motorcycles. Needless to say, the Navitimer will be spared such abuse. As with the SuperOcean, i'll hand wind the Navitimer. Oh no, she wasn't in nursing college in Cork in 1992 was she  
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