Came across this watch, wondering how it rates on the vintage front and also originality like condition of the case, dial, hands, lugs, etc. From the detailed pics, I see that the case back seems to have some corrosion and the outer diameter of the watch face seems to have got uneven discoloration, also the dial, especially the subdials and the radium on the hands don't seem to be mint. The crown too seems to be damaged. Am I correct in my observations?

How much do they normally go for and whats the best places to look for them?
http://www.swisswatchexpo.com/WatchView ... uctID=1783

Also some history most welcome.

Came across this watch, wondering how it rates on the vintage front and also originality like condition of the case, dial, hands, lugs, etc. From the detailed pics, I see that the case back seems to have some corrosion and the outer diameter of the watch face seems to have got uneven discoloration, also the dial, especially the subdials and the radium on the hands don't seem to be mint. The crown too seems to be damaged. Am I correct in my observations?

How much do they normally go for and whats the best places to look for them? Also some history most welcome.

http://www.swisswatchexpo.com/WatchView ... uctID=1783

Nice Watch, seems all original
you are correct that the watch is not mint but it has a nice patina and seems to be all in original shape
the case seems to have a hard life

how rare they are ? , they pop up around once a month or once a Qtr on Ebay but I dont think we have exact numbers .
prices range between 4/5000 up to 10.000 usd asking prices




some info/history

http://www.lesmala.net/jean-michel/navitimer/index2.htm
http://www.watchlife.com/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=144
http://forums.watchuseek.com/f39/breitl ... 25057.html

The case has been polished, the dial is in poor condition, the hands has been painted, and who wants to look at Tritium with that colour ? ? ?

I have sold them for up to US $ 15 – 16.000,- in perfect condition.

They are extremely rare, very much sought after from collectors all over the world, and close to impossible to find in good condition.


Kurt B

Stock Number: 2048
Brand: Breitling
Model Name: Breitling Navitimer Chronograph Aopa Valjoux 72 Vintage
Model Number: Breitling navitimer 806
Year: 1954-55
Gender: Mens
Movement: Original breitling manually winding movement with chronometer function. . . .
Jewels: 17
Caliber: Valjoux 72
Case: Original breitling ss case 40. 0 mm in diameter. snapdown case back. . . .
Bezel: Original breitling rice beads bydirectional slide rule bezel
Crystal: Original breitling domed acrylic crystal. . . .
Dial: Original breitling black dial with 3 chrono registers (constant seconds, minutes to 30, hours to 12). aopa wings logo. matt silver plated pencil hands. . . .
Condition: Great vintage condition. . . .
Engravings: None
Box & Papers: Presentational box, no papers. . . .
Working Condition: Timed to precision on witschi watch expert timing machine. running strong and keeping the accurate time. . . .
Authenticity: 100% authentic
Warranty: The watch is covered by swiss watch expo one year warranty on anything but abuse
Pictures: All the photos are of the actual watch for sale

One to compare with, from my collection......


Kurt B

Looks awesome Kurt, now that's a great example. You might need to fix/bond the cracking of the tritium on the minute hand just in case it comes loose, could cause damage to your dial if it starts flaking. Was it radium or tritium used on these, guessing radium in that era since tritium came later? Are there some vintage specialists in the Breitling world that you send your watches for servicing to and any great vintage Breitling sellers?

Thanks Kurt. True, I think the seller needs to up the quality of the item description instead of calling it in "Great vintage condition". Did you have quite a few of them you sold?