The Breitling Watch Source Forums

My first posting and also just acquired my first Breitling, which leads to some questions concerning my wristwatch.

I know that this particular wristwatch has been talked about in a couple of watch forums (including this one if I remember it right) but I'll post some images nonetheless and some questions related to it. From what I've been able to tell, it's a genuine Breitling Maritime Chronometre, but either a very early run/testrun or a very late model since it doesn't have a serial no# on the caseback and a different dial and more decorated movement than the regular run Maritime Chronometre Automatic is supposed to have.

Question 1: Does anyone have any substantial information on the Maritime Chronometre watch (production run/numbers) and how many versions Breitling produced.

Question 2: If my Maritime Chronometre is deemed to be a frankenwatch, from which other Breitling watch does the dial and movement come from?

Question 3: Any theories about the missing serial no# on the caseback?

Question 4: Is there a way to track down what the engraved numbers found on the inside of the caseback means?

Enjoy the pictures!

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Breitling Antares B10047
Breitling Chronomat B13050
Breitling Chronomat A13050.1 - pilot bracelet
Breitling Chronomat Blackbird A13050.1 - serie spéciale
Breitling Avenger Seawolf E17370
Breitling Chronomat EVO A13356 - pilot bracelet

I think that there were a few variations on this so don't see anything particularly suspicious or special about the dial variances. No idea what the numbers are on the inside of the caseback, Brevet is a patent thing so that is undoubtedly the patent number, not sure on the long one.

7750 is the movement - Valjoux 7750.

i made some research with google and found the swiss patents data base.

the patent number CH 503305 is the patent of a case for watches with a rotating bezel.


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Breitling Antares B10047
Breitling Chronomat B13050
Breitling Chronomat A13050.1 - pilot bracelet
Breitling Chronomat Blackbird A13050.1 - serie spéciale
Breitling Avenger Seawolf E17370
Breitling Chronomat EVO A13356 - pilot bracelet

The 80900 is a close cousin of the 81950 as it has the same basic chrono layout with rotating bezel and a nearly identical if not interchangeable dial. In the 86 and 87 catalog the 80900 is shown with what appears to be the exact same dial as the 81950.

The list price was 980 DM for the 80900 and 2400 DM for the 81950 Chronomat.

The 80900 is fitted with a manual winding movement even though the watch looks like it has a rotor used as a counter weight to wind the watch, strange but true. What's strange is it looks like it has all the workings of the auto movement as used in the 81950 but the auto part is disabled.

This is the translated description from the catalog..

"Robust mechanisms chronograph with manual winding casing is made of black oxidized novel alloy"

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This is a Rochefoucauld, the thinnest water-resistant watch in the world. Singularly unique, sculptured in design,hand-crafted in Switzerland.
In Philadelphia it's worth Fifty bucks.

I don't know whether it's true, but I was told that there were concerns that the automatic wouldn't allow the watch to meet the military standards that were targeted. That doesn't make sense to me as the automatic can still be manually wound, but that's what I heard.

I wonder if it had to do with the sound that the auto wind can make.. Or for outer space with no gravity?

In all actuality it may have simply been neutered and sold as a manual wind to offer it at a lower price point for market penetration.

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This is a Rochefoucauld, the thinnest water-resistant watch in the world. Singularly unique, sculptured in design,hand-crafted in Switzerland.
In Philadelphia it's worth Fifty bucks.

The sound option would have to be some pretty strict rules, but possible, and zero gravity also makes sense. The price argument would make more sense to me if they didn't provide a movement with a rotor, but I'm guessing that we'll never know now.