The Breitling Watch Source Forums

Hello everybody,

I have recently started to collect vintage Breitling chronographs (pre 1979) and I have a 1945 ref 178, a 1950 ref 188 and a 1964 ref 7736. They all run but they all run fast.

Each of them cannot be regulated any further and they all run roughly +7 to 10 mins per hour. As they all appear to be showing a similar symptom, is this typical of watches of this age?

If so, would it be something that a service would cure or is there a specific component/s that would need replacing?

I thank you all in advance for your suggestions,
Jack

Not typical that they would ALL be doing the same thing, but they are 80 years old and a service normally puts things right. You’d normally expect +/- 15 seconds / day max or that range.

Any chance they may have become magnetized?

_________________
Cheers,
Jim

more worried about “1950s ref. 188” and “1964 ref. 7736”....

Hi all,

Thankyou for your replies so far.

To watchfred I say sorry, the 7736 is not 1964, it is 1974. However, the watch I refer to as the 188 is a bit of a mystery as there is no serial number on the back or the movement and the auction house I bought it from tagged it as c1950 cal.188. I personally think it is an older 178 (1944/45 too early for a 188). It does have a star on the movement but being new to Breitlings, I can't varify the caliber.

To Moana43; I would not know where to start in answering that, it is possible, who knows what might have happened to them in previous hands. I've been careful with them. Can that be sorted?

To buddman; thankyou for this, I will be getting them serviced over time.

Jack.

not aware of a ref. 7736 and ref. 188 was assigned to a big case automatic Chronomat in 1972 only, never a 1950s chronograph ref.

Jack - the Venus cal 188 is a 2 register chrono like on a top time 2002, and the cal 178 is a three register chrono like on a Navitimer. Can't get them mixed up, even though there is only 1 digit difference in their naming. In your description you cite "cal" which means "calibre", not the watch reference number ("tagged it as c1950 cal.188")

Also re magnetisation - normally would make a watch runs a few minutes fast per day. If as you say your running fast several minutes per HOUR, magnetisation won't account for that.

ah, thanks for clarifying David, these are caliber numbers not watch references...

It will be the one time in my life that I'm the one doing the clarifying to you.

Ah yes, sorry everybody, my mishtake! I am as Buddman says, refering to calibres and not ref numbers. Apologies but I was so excited to get a response that I didn't re-read my posts.

I shall be more attentive in future.

So if it has two sub-dials, it's a cal.178 and if it has three sub-dials, it's a cal.188. Already I've learnt that I have two cal.178s and a cal.7736.

Everyday is a school day. Thank you gentlemen!

Jack

Other way around. But of course, not all 2 register chronos are cal 178, nor are all 3 register cal 178....

Oh Lord!

Post a pic or two.

hi donmenzies,

Thank you for your response.
I have posted some pics in the thread "Can you confirm this 188?"

Thanks in advance,
Jack.