The Breitling Watch Source Forums

Hi,

Am trying to figure out what type of Breitling I have.

Looks very similar to the Hanhart (exept has the Chrono dials at 12 & 6 instead of 9 & 3) which was supplied to the German Luftwaffe in WW2.

Only problem is I do not know how to add an image which is not hosted and thus has a URL... annoying..!

To describe it:

Black Face. Old style Breitling signature just above the centre hands
Tachymeter surrounding main face - Starts at 1000 (Hanhart does not have this)
Hands - Just like the Hanhart.
Stainless Steel Case.
Chronos at 12 (Minutes - 0-30) and 6 respectively (Seconds - 0-60).
Venus 170 movement (unsigned)
Back (Unsigned)
"Bezel" - Just like the Hanhart.

http://www.yorktime.com/search?cid=46:sku=245

Quite simply a Bretling version of the Hanhart or Hanhart copied this watch.

OK, so let me start off by saying that there are many perfectly legitimate Breitling models that I have never come across, so I'm not prepared to say that a watch isn't right simply because I haven't seen it before.

However......

As you say, it looks suspiciously like a Hanhart and not much like a Breitling.

I have never seen those hands on a Breitling, and I have never seen that Bezel on a Breitling, but here (to my mind) is the biggest problem - and this alone makes me extremely suspicious - the signature is like nothing I have ever seen.

Looking specifically at the B - the back loop doesn't look smooth enough, and neither does the loop at the centre of the B (although there are subtle variations of that). The biggest thing though is that I have never seen a logo with a loop at the bottom of the B - that's not to say it doesn't exist, but I can't find it.

Hi Roffensian,

I am glad there are some really clued up people out there.

I agree with you about the signature. It is slightly different and the loop at the bottom of the B makes one initially suspicious. My main thought on this, however, would be that IF someone wanted to forge the signature then they would make it as exact as possible and not add a previously unseen loop. A bit like someone forging a bank note and doing their own version of a $ sign.

I must admit I can not find another Breitling that looks anything like it, with the Hanhart being the only contender.

I see it as a couple of options:

1: A VERY limited issue watch produced by Breitling before/during WW2 - Maybe at someones specific request, using a Hanhart as a design template. (this I guess is unlikely ever to be confirmed unless someone else digs one out)

2: Is a Hanhart case and hands, with a random Venus 170 and some dodgy Breitling face. (Although when looking at original Hanharts, the cases are slightly different) Am also not convinced a Venus 170 movement fits properly into a Hanhart case since the diameter of the hanhart movement is quite a bit bigger... This case has a thick wall and the Hanharts were pretty thin..

See original Hanhart:



I supose either way, it is still a super funky watch.

Well like I said, all I'm saying is I have never seen anything like it.

I don't have your confidence in forgers' abilities - I have seen watches with Breitling spelled incorrectly, let alone the signature being wrong.

The likelihood of this being any kind of WWII era watch is extremely slim, Breitling produced very few watches at that time because virtually all effort was into producing flight instruments for the allied war effort.

If there is a serial number then I can match a year to the serial, but of course that doesn't make the watch right.

Do you guys reckon this is real??

Same hands as the one I have.

But has cap letter logo, not signature.

I'll check the books - the case looks better, but same concerns otherwise - logo doesn't look like anything I've ever seen. Again, model or serial number would be a big help.

45 minute chrono at 12 o'clock is unusual as well.

I can't find anything with this logo either - all printed logos that I can find are all capitalised.

There are obviously styling similarities between the pieces, so it's possible they are part of a collection produced for a specific purpose / market / event, but there are also differences that suggest that they aren't from the same era - the different logos is the obvious one - and the fact that we now have two logos that are completely different from anything I have seen makes me even more suspicious.

Unless you have any more background on serials / models / history I don't think I can add anything - I just can't find any evidence that they are right. Paul stops by every few weeks and he has far more knowledge than me, so maybe he will recognise something.