The Breitling Watch Source Forums

I have a bit of an oddity for you. I have tried to date, find the model and establish a value on this watch for 10 years or so. I have put 3 batteries in it since I got it so going on the fact that the batteries last about 3 years that would make it roughly 12 years or so since I got it. I got it used from another gentleman in a bit of a horse trade. He had it for possibly 10 or 15 years but is uncertain. Pictures of him from an African safari 10 years prior to me owning it clearly show him wearing it. I am enclosing 2 JPGs with this email. They are not the best. On the back cover on the outer ring it reads: BREITLING * WATERRESISTANT * REF 80180 * SWISS MADE. On the inner ring it reads: FIRE AMMUNITION MAP FOOD WATER (1) DOCTOR (2) MED SUPPLIES. On the very bottom it reads A50035. Inside the rings it reads M50035 and the number 10259 which is I take a serial number. Also in the middle top left there are two bars. On the top right are two chevrons nestled together. One large, one small. Bottom right is one square within another. Bottom left is a capital letter F. On the face it reads BREITLING 1884 QUARTZ 300M 1000FT SWISS MADE. When I got it, it had an original rubber diving band and an original leather dress band. I never wore the leather band for medical reasons and the rubber diving band finally broke. I took it to Swedish Jewelers here in Edmonton and asked them to get me a metal band for it. After 3 months they finally told me that Breitling had told them that they had never made a metal band for that model and neither had any of the clone manufactures. I asked them if one could be made and they flatly replied, NO! They said the factory rubber strap was all that was available and I was not about to pay $400.00 for a chunk of inner tube. Being a tight wad professional gunsmith of 25 years I went out and found a metal band that was close and bought it. I drove out the pins, tore it apart and one by one put the parts in the milling machine and cut them to fit. After about 8 hours I had a band that looked for all intent and purpose like a factory original. Without the Breitling name of course. About two years ago the stem broke and I could no longer set the time and date. Swedish Jewelers quoted me $400.00 to put in a new stem, replace all the seals and give it a complete overhaul and cleaning. I told them to go ahead. They also asked me where I had found the metal band for it. I told them I had a Jeweler make it for me. I guess I was still a bit mad at them. It took 5 months to get it back but it has run like a top since and I imagine it will keep going for as long as I care to keep it, put batteries in it and maintain it. I have asked every Jeweler from Edmonton Alberta to Miami Florida what model it is and what it is worth. I have been told it is a Breitling Quartz, Colt, Colt Ocean, Cold Ocean Military, Colt military, Military and a few variants that I just took as less than even trying to guess. Myself and Jewelers that looked at the back cover were a bit mystified by it. I have seen two military Breitlings and several diving and sport models and none had any of that survivalist Gobleygook written on the back. I asked the previous owner about it and he told me that all he had wanted when he bought it was a good reliable watch. The best thing the store carried was Breitling and he bought the first one the salesman showed him. He replaced the one he sold to me with a Breitling Chronomat that tells time at home, on the moon, walks his dog and gets him a beer when he asks for it. I guess what ever you can tell me will be appreciated.
I remain
Rod Henrickson

PS
I can email JPGs to interested parties that will allow the photos to be enlarged and the markings read.
Rod Henrickson

Welcome aboard.
It's an old military Colt Quartz.

Thanks bnewbie. I find these sites invaluable for tracking down old items. They are often frequented by collectors and people that used to work in the respective industries. A jeweler in Calgary Alberta and one in Lakewood Colorado told me the same thing as you and judging from the writing on the back I am inclined to agree. But 10 or so other jewelers have told me things that were completely different so I keep snooping around and asking questions. Trust me this isn’t the hardest item I have ever tried to track down. My radio is an old DeForrest Crosly from 1936 which still works just fine by the way. It stands 5 feet tall, weighs 200 pounds, probably has dust bunnys the size of rats under it and it’s the devils own to find tubes for but it plays. If only in AM. I also collect old tea sets. Some dating back into the 1800s and it took me years to date and find the origin of some of those but I’m patient, persistent and I like old well made stuff and its kinda fun. I don’t think I would ever sell this Breitling. The initial expense was paid 10 or 12 years ago and to keep it running has only been $40.00 a year plus batteries and I would have to put batteries in any time piece so it really is a pretty cheap watch to own in the long haul. I might some day retire it as I have to reset the date every month but, what ever. Value I suppose is rather irrelevant as it is insured for replacement so if it was ever lost, stolen or burned they would replace it with a new equivalent Breitling model. I am though still curious about the manufacture date. I have searched every Breitling site I can find trying to find an identical model that is for sale that has all the documentation but to no avail. What ever it truly is it must have been a rather unpopular, short lived model. I placed it some time in the seventy’s but who knows. Is there a way to tell from the serial number? Or, as with many other things is there really no documentation on that? Curiosity is a horrible nemesis. Thanks …..Rod

The original Breitling company went bankrupt in 1978, and after that date it's impossible to date the watch based on serial number. This one is post 1978.

With modern Brietlings an authorised dealer can cvontact Breitling with the serial number and Breitling can say where and when it was first sold. Not sure that data goesd back to the mid 80s, but it might be worth a try. There are a list of delaers on www.breitling.com.

Ah, TY Roffensian what you have just said answers a couple other questions I had. When I had the stem replaced it took a half a year to get back. They told me that parts were not available and that it had to be sent out for repair. I was unaware that the company was dissolved and restarted in 1978. They never told me where they sent it to but because of the delay and the $400.00 bill (I still have the receipt for the new stem) I now suspect that they sent it back to the land of peace loving, yodeling, cheese eating, yak gelding coo coo clock makers. This also puts the date of manufacture close to the one I estimated. I guess I will have to keep looking at the 4 sale lists until I find the exact same model that has all of the documentation with it. Some of the UK sites have literally 100s of used Breitlings for sale and Europeans are a fussy lot. They tend to keep every box, receipt and instruction manual that they get with the items they buy. I never could understand that mentality but it certainly comes in handy in times like these. I put up a better photo of the back plate that can more or less be read. Thanks again Roffensian. ) … Rod

I believe it's mid to late 80 'ies.

Yeah, I have 86 in my head, but not 100%.

Most common place that I have seen these come up is Chrono24.