The Breitling Watch Source Forums

interesting, isn't it ?
arabics panda, AOPA and Breitling branded.

Very interesting. Assume that the flaking lume is from a poor relume job, outer sliderule is also aftermarket by the looks of it but would love to know the story behind the dial.

dial comes from a watchmaker/jeweller in Geneva - managed by the son of the previous owner. says he "had it on stock for ever", among several other Navitimer dials, all unusual in some aspects. interesting, as I think it is clearly not a redial - logos and scales are much too crisp for this, back is factory stamped AOPA.


not so sure about the lume, it is flaking quite massively, but the arabics seem perfect, do not really look like a relume ? decent replacement sliderules are becoming harder and harder to get, this is the same manufacturer that Bill Shaine uses - not good at all; need a solution for this.

It’s a brand new ”original” Breitling replacement dial, when I say original then I mean original because it’s been made by the Breitling company of today, not vintage at all.

/ Kurt B

Can you educate us more Kurt?

Made by Breitling of today in 1980, 2013, some period in between?? I know that Breitling is now servicing vintage pieces to varying degrees of accuracy, but I wasn't aware that they were producing dials.

well, I'd be suprised if it was the current Breitling, lume seems clearly very old, totally inactive.

Bezel looks strange. Shouldn't a 1963 still have the beaded bezel?

bezel is a Heist-fabbed bezel, waiting for the correct replacement, Paul

Let me quote my source, below here you will a part of a mail I received in November 2003, after I requested information about precisely that dial layout, and below you can see pictures of both the all black version with the same dial layout, and the black / white one.
/ Kurt B

The all black AOPA dial for the Venus 178 movement was no longer available and no longer being produced by Breitling Switzerland since at least the time we started with these watches, in the early 1990's. When they created the print for the anniversay edition, they also created one for the all black AOPA dial. It IS a Breitling dial. It WAS no longer available and now IS available by exchange ONLY from Breitling Switzerland. This does not make the dial in any way, shape or form illegitimate. In fact, you try to find a company that makes dials for watches that have been out of production for more than 25 years! When given the choice of exchanging a dial for black with silver zones, which was made later, or exchanging it for a factory issued all black AOPA like original, I would choose the original style any day. The Breitling "B" above or below the AOPA logo is simply a style choice made by the manufacturer. There were MANY variations of even the AOPA dial.

I hope this clarifies the situation. It's one thing for a collector to want only all original parts in the collection, it's completely another when the only choice when fully restoring a watch is to exchange parts for factory issued ones! Neither choice is illegitimate. In fact, we have worked very hard with Breitling Switzerland to assure these parts are available so these watches can be serviced for many generations to come. Please do not trivialize this effort.

thank you, Kurt; very interesting information !
still does not really correspond with the lume condition, though ? I am at our country home now with extremely spotty and slow internet service, but I will post a hires pic of the lumed arabics on Tuesday for you to evaluate, really do not look like Superluminova or similar from the early 2000s.

Whether it’s Superluminova or not I have no idea, but I’m 100% sure that it’s not Tritium from the 60’s.

/ Kurt B

Well it can't be anything but SL post 1998 because that was when Breitling capitulated to the demands of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission and stopped using Tritium entirely rather than have to deal with the licensing of it.

here that dial crop. very clearly not SL, totally "dead" lume.

Well if lume is completely dead then we are looking 1990 or earlier with tritium, but no T on the dial, very odd combination of factors for a reproduction dial.

Here is mine ...

100% original from breitling (returned with old dial following a service)

In need of some lume. A smashing replacement and addition to any navitimer collection. SOld with the original dial, it is possible to have the best of both worlds (or dials) !