Conclusion of the Navitimer project
This is the final chapter of the Breitling Navitimer Restoration Project which began in 2016. As you’ll recall I had serviced the movement and repaired the damaged case; I had also repaired the hour and minute hands which were bent and needed new luminous paint. Continue reading “Navitimer 806 Restoration: Part 3”
Continuation of the Navitimer project
Having finished the service of the Navitimer movement I needed to find a stainless steel case to house it, so I began scouring the internet for one of the right vintage. I deduced that the movement was from the late 1960’s from the flat hairspring, beat corrector, and general finishing so I was on the lookout for a case with a serial number in the 1130000 – 1350000 range (which would place production between 1967 and 1970). As luck would have it the first one available happened to fall right within range. Continue reading “Navitimer 806 Restoration: Part Two”
A 1967 Breitling restoration project
In October of 2016 I purchased a second vintage Breitling Navitimer which I knew would be a long term project. The watch consisted of only a Venus 178 movement, dial, slide rule, and hand set. I would need to service the movement and find a case and strap for it before the project was complete. I’ve continued working on this project off and on now for a little over a year and although it’s not yet complete, I have enough documented to put up a blog post or two detailing the journey thus far. Continue reading “Navitimer 806 Restoration: Part One”
Servicing an iconic pilot’s watch
Before joining the echelon of luxury Swiss watchmakers, Breitling was one of the earliest purveyors of chronographs for the common man. In the late 1920’s they sold their patent portfolio to Hann-Landeron and began using movements almost exclusively from the Venus company. Chronographs from Breitling were very much in demand during the 1940’s, 50’s and 60’s. Their most popular models were the Navitimer, Top Time, and Chronomat. Continue reading “Breitling Navitimer 806”
Minding the risk of radium paint
A popular feature of most wrist watches is the ability of the hands and hour markers to glow in the dark. This feature makes it possible for the wearer to read the time when sufficient light may not be readily available. We take this for granted now, but in the early twentieth century glow in the dark paint was an exciting new technology. Continue reading “Radioactive Dials”
Lost Time 