VINTAGE BREITLING
"B"
BUCKLE
"B"
BUCKLE
16mm
Breitling's buckles were generic all the way through the 60s. In the mid to late 70s, Breitling made Twin Jet logo buckles in steel but never released them. These were liquidated in the 80s, and I am fortunate to own a good supply.
In the 1980s, Breitling briefly made "B" logo buckles in gold color only. These are the ones for sale in this fixed price auction. I am fortunate to have just located a small pile of these. Breitling also made their first full wing logo buckles in steel only at the same time. I have a few of these, so ask. They are in a different shape than the contemporary buckles.
In the late 80s, Breitling introduced 18K gold buckles in both yellow and pink gold, and I try to keep a small supply of these. Those buckles, with the contemporary logo, have been made up to this century, before the raised logo was introduced.
I have custom made black and brown lizard (18,20, and 22 in black or brown and 16 and 19 in brown only) straps and some others in various sizes to fit these buckles. My lizard straps are made to Breitling's specifications from the 50s and 60s with a single extra wide keeper. The widest of these is a 22mm which is also available in an extra long. Ask me about my straps.
YOUR NAVITIMER, COSMONAUTE OR OTHER BREITING WILL LOOK LIKE IT DID RIGHT OUT OF THE BOX.
THE BUCKLES ARE ORIGINAL O.E.M. BREITLING BUCKLES LEFT OVER FROM THE 70s. THE STRAPS (NOT OFFERED AS A PART OF THIS AUCTION) ARE MADE TO FIT BOTH THE BUCKLES AND 806 NAVITIMERS, 809 COSMONAUTES, AND 765 AVIs AND COPILOTS, AS WELL AS NUMEROUS 70s BREILTINGS THAT TAKE A 22mm BAND.
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IN THE MID TO LATE 40s, BREITLING STARTED USING THE VENUS 178 IN ITS REFERENCE 765 WATCHES, AND TURNED THESE INTO ITS AWESOME AVI IN THE EARLY 50s. THE AVI WAS AN EXPENSIVE, WATER PROOF, LARGE STEEL CHRONOGRAPH, BUT IT HAD NO SLIDE RULE, JUST A ROTATING BEZEL.
SOMETIME IN 1949, BREITLING CHANGED ITS REPRESENTATIVE IN THE UNITED STATES FROM WHITE PLAINS WATCH COMPANY, AND OCCASIONALLY OTHERS, TO AN EXCLUSIVE MARKETING AGREEMENT WITH WAKMANN WATCH COMPANY.
ICKO WAKMANN WORKED MIRACLES FOR BREITLING, AND THE UNITED STATES STARTED TO DOMINATE BREITLING'S WATCH SALES.
ACCORDING TO BREITLING LORE, BREITLING COMMENCED MARKETING ITS FAMOUS NAVITIMER IN 1952, USING ITS ESTABLISHED VENUS 178 MOVEMENT. THIS TURNS OUT TO BE FALSE! THE ONLY REMAINING MYSTERY ABOUT THE 1952 CLAIM IS WHY BREITLING MAKES IT.
LIKE MOST OF THE OTHER BREITLING EXPERTS, I HAVE COME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT BREITLING NAVITIMERS WERE FIRST MADE IN 1954.
IN 1954, BREITLING INTRODUCED THE NAVITIMER, AND IT USED NO REFERENCE AT ALL. THE WATCH WAS JUST CALLED THE AOPA, FOR THE AIRCRAFT OWNERS AND PILOT ASSOCIATION IN FREDERICK, MARYLAND, IN THE UNITED STATES. THE MOVEMENT USED WAS A VALJOUX 72. TODAY, THESE WATCHES ARE SCARCE AND FETCH UPWARDS OF $10,000 EACH. THEY ARE AMONG THE MOST RARE OF THE BREITLING NAVITIMERS. I AM PROUD TO SAY THAT I HAVE AN EXCELLENT EXAMPLE IN MY COLLECTION, WITH ORIGINAL EXECUTED PAPERS. THERE IS NO MENTION OF THE WATCH'S EXISTENCE BEFORE THIS IN LITERATURE OR RECORDS ANYWHERE. THE WATCHES DID NOT BEAR THE NAME BREITLING ON THE DIAL. BREITLING HAD NO REFERENCE FOR THEM IN 1954 (AND CERTAINLY NOT IN 1952 OR 1953). THE WATCHES WERE ALMOST COMPLETELY SOLD THROUGH AOPA, AND WERE NOT MARKETED ELSEWHERE. A FEW OF THE EARLY BREITLINGS HAVE BEEN DISCOVERED WITH BREITLING'S "B" INSIGNIA INSTEAD OF THE AOPA INSIGNIA. THESE WERE APPARENTLY MARKETED IN EUROPE ON A VERY SMALL SCALE AND NOT THROUGH AOPA. THE WATCH WAS MADE WITHOUT CHANGE THROUGH MOST OF 1955, BUT A FEW EXAMPLES FROM LATE 1955 HAVE SHOWN UP WITH THE VALJOUX MOVEMENT AND THE 806 REFERENCE NUMBER. BREITLING CHANGED MOVEMENTS TO THE VENUS 178 IN LATE 1955. THE MOVEMENT WAS USED FOR ALMOST ALL OF THE REMAINING BREITLING NAVITIMER 806s ISSUED INTO THE EARLY 1970s.
SOME OF THE EXPERTS WHO HAVE ADOPTED THE 1954 OPINION, IN ADDITION TO MYSELF, INCLUDE KURT BROENDUM, THE WORLD'S ACKNOWLEDGED EXPERT ON BREITLING NAVITIMERS AND ITS PIONEER ON WRITING AND RESEARCH, AND MARK AND THERESA HEIST OF HOROLOGICAL SERVICES, THE OFFICIAL REPAIR CENTER FOR VINTAGE AND OTHER BREITLINGS PAST FACTORY SERVICE. THEY HAVE SEEN MORE VINTAGE BREITLING NAVITIMERS THAN ANYBODY. (THEY HAVE RECENTLY SUBSTANTIATED THAT ALL OF THE APPARENT 1953 NAVITIMERS HAVE BEEN CLOSELY GROUPED FROM 1960).
THE OTHER SCARCE AND EARLY BREITLING NAVITIMER IS THE 18K GOLD NAVITIMER. THE WATCH IS SO SCARCE THAT EVEN THE HEISTS HAVE ONLY SEEN TWO. THIS IS AN EXTRAORDINARILY VALUABLE WATCH. I AM FORTUNATE TO HAVE ONE IN MY PERMANENT COLLECTION, IN NOS CONDITION. I ALSO HAVE A MINT ONE FOR SALE.
IN ABOUT 1957, BREITLING STOPPED USING THE BREITLING "B" FOR NON AOPA NAVITIMERS AND REPLACED IT WITH THE AOPA INSIGNIA, BUT WITHOUT THE AOPA LETTERING. THIS IS THE FIRST USE OF THE WINGED BREITLING LOGO FOR BREITLING ITSELF, RATHER THAN FOR AOPA. THE INSIGNIA WOULD NOT BE CHANGED TO INCLUDE THE "B" INSIDE THE WINGS UNTIL THE EARLY 80s.
IN 1960, BREITLING MADE A FEW NAVITIMERS OUT OF SERIAL SEQUENCE. THESE WATCHES, WITH OTHER FEATURES THAT WERE APPROPRIATE FOR 1960 NAVITIMERS, WERE MADE WITH AN"8" INSTEAD OF A "9" AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SERIAL NUMBER, THUS GIVING RISE TO THE MYTH THAT BREITLING NAVITIMERS WERE FIRST MADE IN 1952 INSTEAD OF 1954. UNFORTUNATELY, I HAVE SEEN ALMOST AS MANY PHONY 1953 NAVITIMERS AS THE ONES MISTAKENLY MADE BY BREITLING IN 1960.
IN 1959 or 1960, BREITLING MADE A MINOR CHANGE IN ITS CASE FOR THE NAVITIMER BY ENLARGING THE BEAD SIZE ON ITS BEADED BEZEL. THERE MAY HAVE BEEN A COUPLE OF EVOLUTIONS OF THIS CHANGE, BUT IT IS HARD TO TELL BECAUSE OF MINOR PRODUCTION VARIATIONS AND WEAR TO THE WATCHES. THE WATCHES, LIKE THE NAVITIMERS BEFORE, CONTINUED TO HAVE ALL BLACK DIALS, AND WERE ALMOST ALL, IF NOT ENTIRELY, MADE FOR AOPA.
THIS IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE ALL OF THE SO-CALLED 1953 NAVITIMERS HAVE THIS LARGE BEADED BEZEL, NOT THE ONE WITH THE SMALLER BEADS. THEY ALSO HAVE THE LATER VENUS 178 MOVEMENT USED FOR NAVITIMERS SINCE 1956, AS OPPOSED TO THE EARLIER MODEL USED BY BREITLING IN ITS EARLY (PRE 1956) 765 AND 765 AVI.
IN 1962, BREITLING INTRODUCED A 24 HOUR VERSION OF THE NAVITIMER CALLED THE COSMONAUTE WHICH WAS FRENCH FOR "ASTRONAUT". THE 1962 MODEL INCLUDED A UNIQUE SECOND HAND, WHICH WAS ABANDONED SOME TIME IN 1963 IN FAVOR OF THE NEW HAND SETS THAT WOULD BE INTRODUCED IN THE 12 HOUR VERSION IN OR POSSIBLE DECEMBER OF 1963. LATE (DECEMBER) 1963, BREITLING INTRODUCED WHITE SUBDIALS WHILE CONTINUING WITH THE BEADED BEZEL. THESE ARE VERY SCARCE. SOME HAVE SHOWN UP WITH 1964 HANDS, WHILE OTHERS HAVE THE EARLIER HANDS IN USE SINCE 1954. IN JANUARY 0F 1964, BREITLING INTRODUCED A COIN EDGE BEZEL WHILE CONTINUING WITH THE LATE 1963 DIAL WITH SMALL WHITE SUBDDIALS AND THE 24 HOUR AOPA OR AOPA STYLE INSIGNIA. THE DOUBLE WING INSIGNIA, IN GREY, WAS INTRODUCED IN EITHER JANUARY OR FEBRUARY OF 1964, AND THE 24K GOLD AOPA AND AOPA TYPE INSIGNIA DISAPPEARED IN FAVOR OF A GOLD PRINTED AOPA INSIGNIA IN FEBRUARY OF 1964. THIS INSIGNIA CONTINUED IN USE FOR AOPA WATCHES UNTIL IT WAS REPLACED IN 1965 WITH THE A SILVER AOPA INSIGNIA WHICH CONTINUED IN USE TOGETHER WITH THE THE DOUBLE PLANE INSIGNIA FOR NON AOPA 806 NAVITIMERS FOR THE BALANCE OF THE 806'S PRODUCTION YEARS.
WAKMANN MADE ONE OTHER LITTLE KNOWN CHANGE IN THE MARKETING OF THE 24 HOUR NAVITIMER. THERE ARE ERRORS IN THE PUBLISHED WAKMANN HISTORY THAT MAKE IT IMPOSSIBLE TO KNOW EXACTLY WHEN THE CHANGE HAPPENED, BUT I BELIEVE IT TO BE 1964 OR 1965. THE CHANGE HAS BEEN FORGOTTEN BY COLLECTORS TODAY. THE WORD"COSMONAUTE" (WITH AN E) IS FRENCH, AND HAS THE SAME MEANING AS THE ENGLISH WORD "ASTRONAUT". IN THE EARLY AND MID 60'S HOWEVER, THE WORD "COSMONAUT" (WITH NO E) WAS THE ANGLICIZED WORD FOR A RUSSIAN ASTRONAUT AND PRONOUNCED THE SAME WAY AS THE FRENCH WORD.
THERE WAS STILL A BIG RED SCARE IN THE UNITED STATES, AND THE FRENCH WORD "COSMONAUTE" WAS TOO EASILY CONFUSED WITH THE RUSSIAN. RUSSIA WAS BRIEFLY AHEAD OF THE UNITED STATES IN WHAT WAS CALLED "THE SPACE RACE" IN THE UNITED STATES. THE OBSTACLE WAS A BIG MARKETING HURDLE, AND WAKMANN INTRODUCED THE NEW NAME, ASTRO-TIMER, FOR THE 24 HOUR WATCH. THIS ALSO EXPLAINS WHY THE WORD "NAVITIMER" STAYED ON THE DIAL OF THE 809 COSMONAUTE, AND WHY THE WORD "COSMONAUTE" WAS SELDOM SEEN, ALTHOUGH IT APPEARS ON SOME OF THE EARLY DIALS FROM 1962 AND IN THE FAMOUS ADVERTISEMENT WITH THE MESH BRACELET. IF YOU WANT AN EMAILED COPY OF THE WAKMANN CATALOG LISTING WITH THE ASTRO-TIMER NAME, LET ME KNOW. THE WORD "COSMONAUTE" IS CONSPICUOUSLY ABSENT IN THE WAKMANN LITERATURE.
THROUGHOUT THE REMAINING 60S, BREITLING MADE VARIOUS CHANGES TO ITS INCREASINGLY SUCCESSFUL NAVITIMERS AND COSMONAUTES. THE COIN EDGE WAS ENLARGED IN ITS FIRST YEAR, 1963, BUT THE SMALLER COIN EDGE IS SEEN SPORADICALLY THROUGHOUT THE REMAINDER OF THE EARLY 60s. ORANGE DIAL INDICATORS AND SLIDE RULE INDICATORS WERE INTRODUCED IN 1966, AND LATER REPLACED BY RED INDICATORS IN 1967.
IN 1968, SOME VALJOUX MOVEMENTS WERE USED, AND THIS CONTINUED THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE 60s AND EARLY 70s.
IN 1972, BREITLING CEASED PRODUCTION OF THE 806 AND 809 NAVITIMERS AND COSMONAUTES, AND ALMOST CEASED PRODUCTION ENTIRELY. SOME WATCHES WERE FINISHED AND SOLD UNDER THE BREITLING NAME BY OLLECH & WAJS, AND LATER, OLLECH & WAJS CONTINUED MAKING THESE GREAT WATCHES UNDER THE "AVIATION" NAME.