The Breitling Watch Source Forums

It's my watch, not gonna buy or sell it, just got curious.
The serial number on its back is out of any range I've found around, maybe it's replaced?
I'd love to get to know anything about the movement, the model, and the carvings inside the back, too.
Any help would... well... help

Late 30's I guess. Scratchings appear to be service dates.

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"A man with one watch knows what time it is; a man with two watches is never quite sure."

and a refinished dial plus an incorrect bridge engraving .....

Reluming on dial is horrible.

and a very tough audience

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"I spent most of my money on Booze, Breitling and Boats. The rest I wasted" - mostly Elmore Leonard

+1.

I understand that this piece does not stand up to the quality of the watches on the site (nor even to my other watches, btw).
But I got it from my father, and would like to know a bit more about it. I didn't make it up, and not trying to sell it to anyone. Please, be kind to me.
"Horrible" and "incorrect" (besides you're right) is not really the depth of detail I'd love to learn.
Movement type (Venus 170 or 150?), a description on why the bridge engraving is incorrect (is it a Breitling, but part of a later piece, or a fake piece?),
somethnig about the strange serial number (at least strange for me), or any other details would help.
Please.

Thanks,
Matyi

excuse me if "incorrect" was unkind, it wasn't meant to be.

capitals "Breitling" only appeared in the late 1940s, until the mid 1940s onwards movements were unmarked, then "script" Breitling accompanying the script logo on the dials.

there are no lists to exactly date serial numbers before 1944 - "mid 1930s" is an interpretation, the watch (if authentic) must have been produced after 1935 when the first dual pusher movements became available; there is a strange gap, as we see quite a lot of mid 3xx.xxx pieces we think are correct, almost no 4xx.xxx and then a jump to 51x.xxx that should be 1940/41/42 with documented appearance of the newly patented Chronomat 769 (though there are some discussions if that was 1941 or 1942).

we need a lot more research, but have very little documented evidence.

movement is a Venus 150 or 175, I still have a hard time distinguishing between the two, but if you tell me the diameter of the movement that would tell which of the two it is.

welcome to the forum - and the relume really isn't too nice

It wasn't (I've met with the term several times on the forum, so got it)
(in fact, even "horrible" was correct, I've already noticed that it's a rough handpaint, but that hurt a bit. The only part of the watch I'm not looking for more details about )

In fact, the serial, the bridge and dial confused me, seen the bridge on a 704,k SN ref. 769 (late 40's?) in tomvox1's post, the serial dates pretty early (mid-30s?), while the dial got 3 minutes marks (long-distance call timer, which dates around-after WWII?).
I'm also confused by the location of the small dials, on most early two-button models I've seen them at 6 and 12'o clock.

Thanks!

Well apologies for commenting on something you didn't want to know about!

Subdial location is no issue, I have problems with the dial being original (or at least original to this piece), specifically because of the 3 minute markers on a piece that is apparently so early. The bridge at least is a replacement, but may be Breitling original. The movement would have to be a 150 to be correct, it's too early for the 14 ligne 175 which didn't show up until around 1940.

thanks reminding me of the 178 appearing later than the 150, Roff, must have been 1939 as we see advertisements for the 734 in that year.

OP, if u give us the movement diameter (or maybe Craig chimes in as he can tell them apart w/o that info) we would have some more clarity.
the 9/6 dials you see use a different movement, the Venus 170

I was surprised it took a while until someone said the "redial" word - probably distracted by the lume BUT I have to say that the dial printing is really beautiful - extra special if it is original to the watch. You would get a watch much more sensitive to its age if the lume was not so road-markings white.

I have never used him and I hear he can be a bit of a nightmare in terms of communication, but on various forums I have seen the re-lume work of everestwatchworks.com and his work is truly special. Might consider getting it redone in a softer antiqued tone if the watch is special or important to you. Others might have other suggestions but I think good resuming is hard to come by.

DB

I've measured it to 30.7mm (just removed the back cover, so might be 0.1-0.2mm off). (that would be around 13.9 "lines"?)

Roffensian: no offense, you're right (and I knew it). I just love this watch (based on emotions), and working hard to keep it that way
If I might seem unfair, unpolite or even thankless, it's not me. It's my inability to express myself in english. (guess you already noticed, I even mispelled the topic title... )

Measurement is problematic. I would expect the correct movement (based on age) to be 29.3mm, the larger 14 ligne would be 31.6mm.

Thanks for the suggestion, I'd definitely want to. If it'd be possible to restore to its original form, I'd be really happy. But I'm not sure if the movement, case, dial, hands(?) and the crown(!) are Breitling and original (or at least if could be restored to original).