Vintage Breitling Yachting Chronograph

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Vintage Breitling Yachting Chronograph

About the Item

Breitling Chrono-matic yachting Stainless steel ref 7651 Breitling Genève, "Chrono-Matic, Yachting" Ref. 7651. Made in the 1970's. Fine and large, self-winding, water-resistant, stainless steel wristwatch with round button chronograph, registers, 5-minute countdown and date, winding crown at 9 and the chronograph pushbuttons at 2 and 4 o'clock. Case: Three-body, polished, nudged black bezel, screwed- down case back, lapidated lugs. Dial. Bicolor black and silver with painted luminous baton indexes, subsidiary 15-minute and 6- hour register dials, outer graduation for the 5 minute countdown, aperture for the date. Luminous baton hands. Some spots on markers and hands Movement. Cal. 11.2, Automatic Leonidas-Buren rhodium-plated, 17 jewels, straightline lever escapement, monometallic balance, steel flat balance spring, micro-rotor. Watch comes with original warranty papers and an additional red leather Nato Strap. Size: 48mm In 1953, Breitling introduced the 765 AVI Co-Pilot s and the brand added a first Yachting version (reference 765-Yachting-CP) in 1966, followed by a second one with a newly designed handset the next year. More versions followed in the following years such as the slightly bigger reference 7650 Yachting (1969), which was later changed to reference 7660 (1970). All these models used a Venus cal. 178 movement. In 1969 Breitling presented the Chrono-Matic, and a yacht model was in the lineup with reference 7651. The yacht madel was made in very limited quantities because the market of yacht racers was rather limited. All these chrono-matic were powered by a calibre 11 one of the first automatic chronograph movements with a date window at 6 o’clock and the crown at 9 o’clock created in a joint venture between Breitling and Heuer/Buren-Leonidas. Finally, they introduced reference 7652-Yachting version available, fitted again with a Venus 178. These Breitling Chrono-matic were made in rather small quantities between 1969 and 1974, while all of them were chronographs they were made in a multitude of variations. Each variation had a specific usage for navigation on Air, Sea or Land. Today they make great collector's watches. They are still rare and affordable, a combination that never remains for long. Grab them while you can! How to use a Yachting Chronograph: The bezel of this Breitling has two red sectors separated by a white sector. Each sector is equivalent to 5 minutes. If the race is due to start in 15 minutes, set the figure 15 opposite the (center) minute hand. This hand will show on the bezel the minutes remaining before the starting signal. If there are 10 minutes to go before starting signal, set figure 10 opposite the minute hand.

Creator:
Breitling
Case Material:
Stainless Steel
Case Dimensions:
Width: 48 in (1,219.2 mm)
Place of Origin:
Switzerland
Period:
1970-1979
Date of Manufacture:
1973
Condition:
Seller Location:
New York, NY
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU33421686853

Shop All Breitling

Breitling

For pilots and others in love with flight, no brand is more closely associated with the world of aviation than Breitling. From the beginning, watchmaker Léon Breitling, who opened his shop in the Swiss Jura Mountains in 1884, was focused on chronographs and their uses in the burgeoning fields of sports, science and industry.

After Léon’s death, in 1914, his son Gaston continued along his father’s trajectory. An early fan of aeronautics, Gaston introduced one of the first wrist-worn chronographs, a welcome upgrade for pilots used to executing complex maneuvers while juggling a pocket watch.

In 1934, Gaston’s son Willy made another leap in the chronograph’s evolution, patenting the first wristwatch with two pushers — one to start and stop elapsed time and one to reset — a feature now taken for granted.

But perhaps the most significant development under Willy’s leadership was the Chronomat watch. Introduced in 1942, it featured a patented rotating slide-rule bezel for making calculations on the fly. This innovation led to the 1952 creation of the brand’s signature timepiece: the Breitling Navitimer.

Designed in partnership with the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, it was adopted as the official watch of the AOPA in 1959 and remains the world’s most iconic pilot’s watch. Not content to rule just the air, Breitling developed dive watches as well, including the Superocean, released in 1957, and the Transocean, which followed in 1958. The house also took its show on the road, producing dashboard clocks and then watches in partnership with luxury automaker Bentley.

The Navitimer, however, still reigns supreme among pilots everywhere. Given the stature earned by Top Gun since its release — as well as the excitement around Top Gun: Maverick — it's never too late to pick up a vintage Breitling Top Gun Navitimer, displaying the official logo of the United States Navy Fighter Weapons School, for yourself or your favorite wingman.

Find a range of Breitling watches on 1stDibs.