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PostPosted: Fri Jan 24, 2020 10:19 am 
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Hey guys,

My mom and I recently discovered what appears to be a vintage Breitling Chronomat movement when cleaning out some old possessions we had inherited from her uncle. Knowing him, it had been stored in a bank vault for at least 40 years, but probably much longer. Both the main dial and the 60 second timer appear to be running, but I couldn't find a case or other parts for it in that safe deposit box. From some Google searching, it looks most like a 1940's era Chronomat, possibly a 769 or similar.

I have a few questions:
- I want to learn what watch model and year this movement could have belonged to, and what you guys think about it's condition.
- I also wanted to get some advice from you guys on how best to approach getting it restored into a case to be worn.
I'm not wealthy, but I could afford to spend a little on this if the result was something worthwhile that I could pass down to my grandkids. Breitling USA referred me to Horological Services in PA, whom I'm now waiting to hear back from, but from my reading of Breitling forum comments so far, people seem to have opinions on the validity of "restoring" old timepieces. I'm not interested in how much I can sell the restored watch for, but whether the finished project would feel faithful enough to the original.

In addition to these photos, I've uploaded a brief video to YouTube to show more detail of the movement running, which you can find here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGHYxVpl854

Cheers!
nklein

P.S. I too am intrigued how he came into possession of just the movement alone, because I know my great-uncle was a bit of a hoarder (We also found a 10+ lb bag of pocket and stopwatches, including Heuer, Elgin and Waltham from what I could see without diving too deep at the time).

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Last edited by nklein on Fri Jan 24, 2020 8:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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PostPosted: Fri Jan 24, 2020 10:22 am 
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Its not uncommon to see these because sadly many gold cases were sold off and melted down. Seems to be a lovely condition mid-40s Chronomat. You will liekly have a challenge finding a gold case, but this dial and hand combination would be fine in a stainless steel (or even chrome) case if you can find one. best is to hold it and begin the long search for a case and pushers.....



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PostPosted: Fri Jan 24, 2020 12:43 pm 
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Location: Vienna, Austria
case, pusher and.... slide rule insert.



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PostPosted: Fri Jan 24, 2020 1:28 pm 
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Thanks guys! Theresa from Horological Services got back to me, they don’t have replacement “cases, bezels or case backs” available for the 769 and she told me to try online. Sounds like I’m settling down now for the long wait to see when they pop up for sale.

A few questions:



- Outside of eBay and the For Sale forums here and on Watchuseek, what other sites would you recommend I keep bookmarked to monitor for parts?



- I found this slide rule insert (appears to be newly-manufactured on order) on eBay, is this sort of thing ok or should I shy away from parts manufactured like these? https://www.ebay.com/itm/Bezel-Chronoma ... 2364101481

- What do the pushers look like for this model? I’m trying to find a photo of them alone so I know how to recognize them.

- This movement doesn’t really fit the plastic protective movement case I found it in. Usually my google-fu is pretty good, but I’m struggling to find a replacement protective plastic movement container online, as I want to keep the movement safe while it’s stored. What would you guys recommend for movement storage?

- Theresa also said: “The chronograph seconds hand may not be original but looks as old as the minute recording hand” which surprised me, do you guys think the second hand looks like a replacement? I had noticed that the second hand seems to slightly catch on the minute hand when they overlap, but figured that was from being stored in a misfitting container for decades.

Sorry for all the questions, and thanks for your help!
nklein



P.S. WatchFred thanks so much for the wealth of knowledge you share online. I’ve encountered a lot of your helpful posts here and on Watchuseek while trying to learn about this movement.


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PostPosted: Fri Jan 24, 2020 2:57 pm 
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Some quick responses -

1. you're looking in the right places, but really be in for a very very long search
2. Don't waste your money on the wrong insert. focus on finding the case first :) That isn't even a reprint of the right one anyway
3. pushers are flat rectangular pushers, i can measure some if you need exact measurements but you'll see lots of examples online. look at some on my instagram feed, davedcwatches, or Fred's of course
4. store the thing in any sealed little box you can, it will be just fine if you don't bang it around
5. hands are perfectly fine, not a worry

This may be an exercise in futility, so be prepared for a very long search....

david



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PostPosted: Mon Jan 27, 2020 6:54 am 
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Thanks Dave, I really appreciate the advice! Followed you on IG and am hunkering down to wait for a viable stainless steel case. I'd assume I'd want to try and buy the case, case back, bezel, and pushers together if possible to ensure they match.

I'm seeing what appears to be one on eBay now for $500, but the photos aren't clear & it seems in rough shape (and mismatched materials for case and back?): https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Watch- ... 3988600749
Weirdly enough eBay isn't letting me contact the seller for details since they "receive a high volume of messages"
I saw a case with bezel and crystal in better condition had sold on eBay for $625 in the past: https://watchcharts.com/listing/709828

$500 seems steep given the condition, but to be honest I have no idea what valuation to expect for these cases. I had assumed stainless steel was my best bet given that it would be more cost-effective than the other case materials (chrome seems to be rarer from what I've read)


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PostPosted: Mon Jan 27, 2020 1:58 pm 
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The $500 dollar one is a gold plated case but i would strongly suggest you avoid that one.



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PostPosted: Mon Jan 27, 2020 2:32 pm 
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Thanks Dave! Do you mean avoid gold-plated 769 cases in general or just that one?


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PostPosted: Mon Jan 27, 2020 2:43 pm 
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Would recommend you avoid GP entirely if possible. Unless you love it :)


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PostPosted: Mon Jan 27, 2020 2:48 pm 
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I definitely don't, but good to know either way.


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