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Hi. I hate for this to be my 1st post...but I am looking at making a bit for this watch. I love the way it looks and looks to be in pretty good shape. But I dont know much about vintage watches.




Here is the description from the auction:

MEASUREMENTS: 32.2 mm diameter approx. (without the crown) 38.8 mm (lug to lug), teardrop lugs
DIAL: Silver colored UP DOWN dial with black painted Arabic numbers, signed Breitling. Blue painted function numbers at outer edge. Minor scratch on dial from 60 up to almost 2 O"Clock. 3 minor scratches on lower sub-diall. Dial has recently been re-finished. Condition is very good-. Please see pictures they are accurate.
CRYSTAL: good condition.
MOVEMENT: MANUAL WIND signed Breitling Unadjusted Swiss Made 17 Jewels # LOD Caliber Venus 270 Movement In working condition
Crown: unmarked, in good condition. Rectangular pushers.
CASE: Stainless steel snap-on back cover, frame chrome plated in good condition. Minor surface scratches from normal wear. Please see pictures they are accurate.
HALLMARKS: Outside back cover: Breitling
TRIPLE SIGNED BREITLING WATCH; DIAL, CASE AND MOVEMENT

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Welcome to BreitlingSource!

Unfortunately, that watch isn't a Breitling. The dial is a refinished dial with the Breitling logo and the bridge and caseback have been engraved - in the case of the caseback it's not even an attempt at a real Breitling caseback engraving.

The movement is from a Latham - you can tell by the LOD on the balance cock - it's a strange movement to use as a donor in creating a frankenwatch as the LOD code is a dead give away that it's not a real Breitling.

It's also a Venus 170, not a 270 as the ad claims.

Thank you! I almost made a $500+ mistake. I guess I need to do more research before I take the plunge at buying a vintage breitling.

No problem - happy to help.

Post anything you find on here and there will always be someone who can give you some guidance before you commit.

Wow you really amaze me sometimes Roff!! I gotta say though even though its not a Breitling the dial is kinda sharp looking

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SA-Baton White Dial/ProII
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One more....








Seller guarantees authenticity. Price is within my range (looking to spend $500-$1000). Thanks!

to dshin:

I'm telling you... if you're looking for anything Breitling, this is THE place to ask and research before you commit.

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"I don't got the bright watch I got the right watch" -Jay Z

That's because it's brand new!

Authentic what - watch? Yeah, I'll give him that.

Authentic Breitling, not so much.

Another frankenwatch. The movement (or at least the rotor) might be OK, I'm no expert on these non chrono autos, but I don't like the caseback - serial isn't right, the B doesn't look right, the dial and the hands all look wrong.

I am definately glad I found this place. I have a lot of learning to do.

At a recent NAWCC regional mart I attended, it appeared that 30 - 40 % of the vintage Breitlings were fake. Most of the people selling them had no idea they were wrong. All the south american watches are definitely having an impact on the resale marketplace.

Couldn't agree more - it's very sad.

That said, NAWCC members should know better.

You would think so, but I guess they are to Breitling, the way I view pocket watches. Kinda neat but I don't care enough to spend a lot of time researching them.

I also think many of the people that sell at regional NAWCC marts are either dealers who see alot of watches and can't possibly learn the nuances or people that have been around long enough to predate the faked vintage trend. They expect a fake Rolex, but who would want to fake a vintage Breitling.

Pocket watches are easy - especially the American ones - there's just so much documentation to rely on. I guess this is one reason why I've never started dealing in watches - I can't fathom the concept of buying a piece if I can't determine how correct it is. Unfortunately others don't share those standards, whether consciously or through ignorance.

I agree. I am a watch collector, not a watch seller. I ruined one hobby by turning it into a business. A mistake I hope to avoid. Actually I like your reply on another thread about the difficulty in determining what is a real vintage Breitling. Since I have only collecting Breitlings for 8 years, I have much to learn. The lack of reference material hurts the process.