The Breitling Watch Source Forums

Hello Everyone,

I am looking for some help with authenticating ( or not) a watch I own. I have always, always thought it was genuine - due to where and how I bought it and for how long I've owned it - but I know this model has been a point of contention on here in the past. However recently I've seen opinion is maybe changing so I thought I would ask now.

FYI - I purchased the watch from a watch repair shop; C R Frost & Son in Clerkenwell London in 2001 for £600. The shop has long since gone but at the time he had an ever changing selection of difference watches and I bought several from him at the time - incl. a rather nice Breitling Premier that someone on this forum bought off of me via ebay - when I need the money for my wedding. Anyway that's a different story.

The watch in question is 18k Breitling 1185. The case though is a double case back - so similar to Chrono Suisse cases in that it has an inner case marked METAL and is rather soft gold.

The serial number dates in to 1955 and the serial number actually appears on the watch twice although I am not saying where the second serial numbers appears.

The movement is I believe a Venus 188 and is signed BREITLING in the same script that appears on the front.

The dial itself is showing quite a lot of patina these daysin the form of quite a lot of mottling. It was like this when I bought it and it's nicer in the flesh that in the photos. The mottling goes over both the signature on the dial - again in capitials, the B logo and the model name ( cadette ) at the bottom.

So my question is, is it genuine? Due to the circumstances around it's purchase and the length of time that I have owned it - I personally believe it is ( and always have) but I know that experts have discounted these soft back case 1185 for quite some time.






https://ibb.co/F3h4KBV
https://ibb.co/WcvM75F
https://ibb.co/zNtvbmy
https://ibb.co/b10YkNQ

The watch is about to be passed on to my daughter BTW. It's been a regular on my wrist throughout her childhood and I know she will be delighted to wear it regardless of what it may turn out to be.

I've included a few photos of the watch

Thank you everyone in advance.

So Fred will surely weigh in here but I think that our collective view now, different than a few years ago, is that these 1185-marked double caseback watches are, in fact, real. This one looks absolute correct (dial, hands, etc). So I vote "legit"

Isn’t a Cadette though normally a “cheap” watch?

No serial number pictured? What about the gold stamps inside the caseback?

Here you go, sorry I thought it was in the original post.

https://ibb.co/DRMT67B

Looks just like this one. Maybe slightly different hands but the rest almost identical.

https://www.1stdibs.com/jewelry/watches/wrist-watches/vintage-breitling-cadette-oversized-chronograph-18-karat-rose-gold-1955/id-j_6998652/

As I said, don’t really have any doubts about this. We’ve learned a lot.

Thanks guys, that’s good to know.

If anyone is interested and I don’t know how relevant it is - but the case does have the serial stamped twice and it’s obvious both stamps were done at the same time.

sorry, late to chime in. yes. the one single authentic "double caseback" Breitling model.
ref. 1185 was available in solid gold only; introduced in 1950, manufactured until 1957

there are so many fake double caseback "Breitling" that we for many years thought all of them were -but research proved this ref. to be authentic.

this example is from a June 1955 batch (case manufactured by Guillod)

Thanks Fred, Great information always !!

Graham

Just to finish this post off - here's a picture of my daughter wearing her Breitling on Christmas day !!