Our remarks

Breitling Navitimer Chronograph Ref. 806, Stainless Steel, Black and Silver Tritium Dial, Venus 178, 1969

The Navitimer is one of the great pilot’s watches of all time. It was introduced in 1954 in cooperation with the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, and its circular slide rule allowed pilots to calculate fuel consumption, speed and distance right on their wrist. The reference 806 is the classic Navitimer, the watch that made Breitling famous among aviators around the world. Its dense, technical dial became an icon, and it still is today.

The 41 mm case is made of stainless steel. The rotating bezel with its beaded edge moves the slide rule scale, which works together with the fixed scale on the dial. It sounds complicated, but once you understand it, it is surprisingly intuitive and fun to use. The case has the robust, purposeful look of a real instrument.

The black dial with silver subdials gives the Navitimer its famous contrast. The logarithmic scales, the three chronograph counters and the luminous hands combine into one of the most recognizable dials in watchmaking. The tritium has aged gently and fits the watch’s 1969 production year perfectly.

Inside works the manually wound Venus 178, a classic column-wheel chronograph movement. It powered the early Navitimers and is valued by collectors for its quality and its smooth, precise action. Around the end of the 1960s Breitling switched to a different movement, so a 1969 Navitimer with Venus 178 belongs to the last examples of the original configuration.

The watch sits on its orignal stainless steel bracelet with folding clap.

The watch dates from 1969 and is in [condition]. It is sold without box and papers.

"A large case Navitimer from the golden age of aviation, with the movement that made the early 806 so special!"