The Breitling Watch Source Forums

Hello,

I am about to buy my first breitling ( 18th birthday present) and have a crush on this one

http://cgi.ebay.com/1-Generation-BreitI ... otohosting

Could anyone help me identify exactly what model it is? I've figured out it's a Chronomat 769 so far.. but looks a bit different than the other 769s i've seen..
Could someone also tell me where i could purchase it? ( for a reasonable price .. ^^ )
Thanks a lot for you help

PS: Is the one shown on the link a fake? I think so... in fact if you look closely at the movement you can see it isn't Breitling that's written but Breitlin... Or am i just over interpretting?

The one you linked to is a 1950 Chronomat, one of the nicest models of the pre Navitimer era in my opinion. The movement is a perfectly fine Venus 175, though not quite completely original I think.

I'm not particularly happy that the hands are original, but there are a lot of variations, and it's not uncommon for them to be replaced.

In terms of where to find these, eBay and Chrono24 have quite a few, they get rarer as you go back into the 1940s (the first were in 1942). There are a number of fakes, so make sure that you check it out before you buy - people here are happy to help.

Thank you!
I found another one on ebay

http://cgi.ebay.com/Classic-1950s-Breit ... 240%3A1318

but the case looks a bit different than the one above. I guess i can always change it right? Where though?

It's earlier (1947), but I don't like this one anywhere near as much. Apart from the fact that the photos are crap which makes it difficult to inspect the movement, I don't like anything about what I can see.

Hands are wrong, I'm not liking the B on the dial rather than a script Breitling, the bridge engraving looks wrong, the case may be wrong, or it just may be the photo. I would leave this one well alone.