Important Watches, Collector's Wrist...

Hong Kong, Jun 08, 2001

LOT 268

Breitling "Navitimer Rattrapante Etanche", No 034/100. Produced in a limited edition of 100 examples in 1996.Fine and rare, water-resistant down to 30 m., self-winding, 18K yellow gold gentleman's wristwatch with split-second round button chronograph, registers, telemeter, date and slide-rule with no less than 10 calculator functions for navigation (first introduced by Breitling in 1942), with navy blue leather strap and an 18K yellow gold Breitling deployant clasp.

HKD 100,000 - 120,000

USD 12,000 - 15,000

C. three-body, polished and brushed, revolving ribbed and graduated bezel, lapidated lugs, dedicated back, sapphire crystal. D. dark blue and matte silver with applied gold Arabic numerals and indexes, sunk "guilloché" auxiliary dials for the seconds, the 12 hour and the 30 minute registers, outer graduations for the telemeter and the slide-rule. "Bâton" gold and tritium hands, the main hand featuring an anchor-shaped counterweight while the flyback hand is a Breitling "B". M. Cal. 34, 11 1/2 ''rhodium-plated, 39 jewels, lever escapement, monometallic balance, 5 adjustments, antishock system, self-compensating flat balance-spring, 18K gold rotor.Dial, case and movement signed.Diam. 37 mm.


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Grading System
Grade: AA

Very good
Case: 2

Very good
Movement: 2*

Very good

Overhaul recommended, at buyer's expense
Dial: 2 - 01

Notes

NavitimerTrademark registered in La Chaux-de-Fonds on February 26, 1955.The word ?Navitimer? derives from ?Navi? and ?Timer?. Truly a milestone, for many people it was ?the? Breitling watch or chronograph. The watch was designed for flying enthusiasts, racing fans and sportsmen. With it, all the necessary calculations for a rally or a flight could be made, so the Navitimer was more than just a chronograph, it was a complete navigational instrument worn on the wrist. It was universally used in flying, and for that reason, the first Navitimer bore the letters ?A.O.P.A., the initials of the ?Aircraft Owners and PiLots Association?, in the Breitling emblem.The Navitimer is equipped with the logarithmic scales of a slide rule. The moveable outer scale position was chosen in order to allow for the calculating process. Some examples among the many calculating operations are: multiplication, division, calculation of speed per hour, distance covered in a given time and at a specific speed, and the time needed to cover a certain distance at a specified speed.