Chris Heal FBHI watchmaker
chealwatch Ltd Watch Repairs 01797 260207
Oaklands Beckley Rye Sussex TN31 6TJ UK 
email: chealwatch@btinternet.com

Home Links  watch repairs costs sending send form info repair enquiry contact Search
watch name Breitling
Range of watches Older mechanical to modern quartz
  Our repair charges (Guide charges)
offical web site http://www.breitling.com/eng/index_navitimer50.html 
 

History and info
 
bullet Breitling do not supply parts especially for older models.
bullet We are able to service Breitling watches but case parts such as bezels , bracelets dials etc must be obtained directly from your local agent. or from the UK service centre shown below
bullet Helpful info on Breitling watches http://people.timezone.com/breitling/bfaq/
bullet Breiling Emergency info http://hubpages.com/hub/The_Breitling_Emergency

 

The "G. Leon Breitling" firm was founded in Saint-Imier, Switzerland in 1884 by Leon Breitling. Leon Breitling started out inventing and creating complicated watches, chronographs and special measuring instruments. He moved his company to La Chaux-de-Fonds in 1892 where he built a full-fledged factory. At this time, the company was renamed to "Leon G. Breitling S.A. Montbrillant Watch Manufactory" and had 60 employees.

After much success, Leon Breitling passed away in 1914 and his son Gaston inherited the business. Gaston knew that Breitling's specialty and biggest seller was the chronograph, and he set out to develop this market further. His first big accomplishment, the Vitesse chronograph, was enthusiastically used by police authorities, the military and governments.

During World War I, Gaston grew the brand outside of the closed European markets. He continued to invent new chronograph models with special time-event scales on the dials. Gaston Breitling died in 1927 and the Breitling firm was without leadership until 1932 when his son Willy stepped in.

Vintage PremierWilly Breitling developed the aircraft chronograph and made Breitling famous worldwide. Breitling signed a contract with the British Air Ministry and started making chronographs for the Royal Air Force. People associate Breitling with aviation largely because of this contract and the success it brought the company. Many more contracts were subsequentially signed with aircraft manufacturers and airlines. Pilots took notice and acknowledged the great quality of Breitling's chronographs.

Willy Breitling was also responsible for one of Breitling's most famous inventions, the slide rule bezel. The first watch to include this feature was the Chronomat. By 1946, Breitling manufactured about 250 different models in six categories. Obviously, they included their famous chronographs. In addition, Breitling now also offered waterproof watches.

In 1952, Willy moved the company's headquarters to Geneva, while production remained in La Chaux-de-Fonds. The company had now abandoned in-house movement manufacturing and relied on suppliers such as Venus. This saved cost and allowed Breitling to focus on its main strength: designing and refining their special dials.

Cosmonaute Scott CarpenterThe same year also saw the introduction of Breitling's most famous model, the Navitimer. Flight and rally calculations could be made with this wrist-worn navigational instrument and it was a huge hit with pilots around the world. The famous Cosmonaute, a 24-hour dial Navitimer, was introduced in 1962. It went into space on Lt. Commander Scott Carpenter's wrist.

Time magazine wrote of the Navitimer in 1957: "The firm of Leon Breitling introduces a new stopwatch that is intended for engineers and technicians, and is equipped with a calculator as well as three hands for time and speed measurements." Around the same time, the Super Ocean diver's watch was introduced. The trendy Top-Time was introduced in the early 1960s.

In cooperation with Heuer-Leonidas, Hamilton-Buren and Dubois et Depraz, Breitling introduced in 1969 the new Chronomat. It was an automatically winding chronograph, something that took 500,000 Swiss francs to construct. This movement, marketed by Breitling as Caliber 11, was nothing short of a Swiss watch industry sensation.

As the quartz revolution began, Breitling reluctantly introduced a quartz version of the Chronomat in 1975. It was manufactured alongside their mechanical varieties. A quartz Navitimer followed the next year. Adjusting to the new quartz technology was a difficult, if not impossible, task for Breitling and in 1979 the Breitling firm was voluntarily closed by Willy Breitling. He had become ill and passed away the same year. The inventory went to the family, but Ron Geweniger of Chicago purchased half of it.

100 years of watchmaking and Breitling tradition was not about to vanish off the face of the Earth, however. In 1979, the Breitling name was taken over by Ernest Schneider of the Sicura firm in Grenchen. Willy Breitling's two sons, Gregory and Alain, were too young to take over the business.

Schneider reaffirmed to the public that Breitling was worthy of their confidence. He showed them that the original philosophy was unchanged and that special focus was, as always, given to the flying sports. A pilot himself, Schneider conferred with other pilots and introduced the Jupiter, Pluton and Mars chronographs in 1980. The market at this time wanted electronic watches, so these watches had quartz movements.

Chronomat BlackbirdTimes were changing again in the early 1980s; the mechanical watch was making a comeback. In 1984, Breitling introduced its first mechanical chronograph since the death of Willy Breitling. It was, like the 1942 model, to be called the Chronomat. 1986 saw the comeback of the 1950s-style Navitimer. Watches catering to sailors were also introduced at this time. Breitling had re-emerged as the indisputable champion of "Instruments for Professionals".

Today, Breitling continues its involvement in aviation and all the adventures that it entails. The "Breitling World Cup of Aerobatics" was introduced in 1993 and is recognized by the Federation Aeronatique Internationale as having the same status as a world championship. Breitling also had enormous success with the Breitling Orbiter 3, the first balloon to fly around the world. In the year 2000, Breitling inaugurated its new headquarters in Grenchen.

 
 

 

CHEALWATCH
C.C.HEAL F.B.H.I. watch repairer
Oaklands Beckley Rye Sussex TN31 6TJ UK
 info@chealwatch.co.uk
telephone : 01797 260207 outside UK your code + 44 1797 260207
fax : 01797 260693 outside UK your code + 44 1797 260693
Credit cards accepted: Visa, MasterCard, Switch
Sending advice at http://www.chealwatch.com/sending.htm

 

 
Addrees or  agency BREITLING UK Ltd

Suite 5.02 , Fifth Floor , Morley House
314-322 Regent Street
W1B 3BG LONDON
 enquiries@twg-breitling.co.uk
Tel: +44-207-6365200
Fax: +44-207-6375354

service centre

  BREITLING UK Ltd
  P.O. Box
   Tunbridge Wells
  Kent
  UK
  TN2 3YB

 

 

Below is a list of Breitling watches we have serviced and repaired in the workshop

 

Case References gents or ladies type and description

069797 breitling gents quartz strap

1 09310 breitling gents automatic bracelet

1 35999 breitling gents quartz bracelet

1 417 993 breitling gents chronograph bracelet

1 420 814 breitling gents manual bracelet

10628 breitling gents quartz strap

1081028 breitling gents manual bracelet

1119989 breitling gents chronograph strap

1119989 breitling gents manual strap

1139075 breitling gents manual strap

1161860 breitling gents manual bracelet

1166464 breitling gents chronograph no strap

1205698 breitling gents chronograph bracelet

1238362 breitling gents automatic strap

1241150 breitling gents chronograph strap

1241150 breitling gents manual strap

1256120 breitling gents chronograph bracelet

1263856 breitling gents chronograph strap

1272396 breitling gents chronograph strap

1281072 breitling gents manual strap

1281970 breitling gents manual strap

1283823 breitling gents manual bracelet

13048 breitling gents chronograph bracelet

1332047 breitling gents chronograph strap

1351 breitling gents manual strap

1352312 breitling gents manual strap

135999 breitling gents quartz bracelet

1370648 breitling gents automatic strap

137188 breitling gents automatic strap

14447 breitling gents quartz strap

1450 breitling gents manual strap

16044 breitling gents automatic chronograph bracelet

1643 breitling gents quartz strap

16890 breitling gents automatic bracelet

1716 breitling gents automatic strap

1806 breitling gents chronograph bracelet

1884 breitling gents automatic no strap

1884 breitling gents quartz bracelet

1884 breitling gents quartz strap

2000 breitling gents chronograph no strap

2000 breitling gents chronograph strap

2000 breitling gents manual bracelet

2000 breitling gents manual no strap

2000 breitling gents manual strap

2002 breitling gents chronograph bracelet

2002 breitling gents chronograph strap

2002 breitling gents manual bracelet

2002 breitling gents manual no strap

2002 breitling gents manual strap

2003 breitling gents manual strap

2007 breitling gents manual strap

2008 breitling gents chronograph strap

2008 breitling gents manual strap

2009 breitling gents manual bracelet

2018 breitling gents manual bracelet

2117 1370648 breitling gents chronograph strap

2212 breitling gents manual strap

22571 breitling gents quartz bracelet

244-94 breitling gents manual no strap

2912 breitling gents manual strap

292883 breitling gents quartz bracelet

303 61 breitling ladies manual strap

30456 breitling gents quartz strap

340998 breitling gents quartz bracelet

341329 breitling ladies manual no strap

342212 breitling gents manual bracelet

40/133 breitling gents quartz bracelet

4476 breitling gents chronograph strap

458722 breitling gents manual strap

497911 breitling gents quartz bracelet

525873 breitling gents automatic bracelet

5262 breitling gents chronograph bracelet

56121.1 breitling gents quartz bracelet

5y23-8a60 breitling gents quartz bracelet

60790 breitling ladies quartz bracelet

622718 breitling gents manual strap

693649 breitling gents automatic bracelet

702757 breitling gents manual strap

715230 breitling gents automatic bracelet

7551 breitling gents chronograph strap

765 breitling gents chronograph strap

765 breitling gents manual bracelet

765 breitling gents manual strap

80 360 breitling gents quartz bracelet

80290 breitling gents chronograph strap

80290 breitling gents quartz strap

806 breitling gents chronograph bracelet

806 breitling gents chronograph no strap

806 breitling gents chronograph strap

806 breitling gents manual bracelet

806 breitling gents manual strap

80770 breitling gents quartz bracelet

809 breitling gents chronograph no strap

809 breitling gents manual bracelet

809 breitling gents manual strap

80975 breitling gents quartz strap

81.950 breitling gents automatic no strap

81.950 breitling gents quartz bracelet

810 breitling gents chronograph bracelet

810 breitling gents chronograph strap

810 breitling gents manual no strap

810-24 breitling gents chronograph no strap

812851 breitling gents manual strap

81610 breitling gents automatic strap

81610 breitling gents chronograph bracelet

816-72 breitling gents manual bracelet

81950a breitling gents automatic bracelet

82653 breitling gents quartz strap

87544 breitling gents quartz no strap

9122 breitling gents manual strap

93001 breitling gents chronograph strap

a10350 breitling gents automatic bracelet

a10350 breitling gents quartz bracelet

a13019 breitling gents manual strap

a13022 breitling gents automatic bracelet

a13022 breitling gents chronograph strap

a13022 breitling gents manual bracelet

a13022.1 breitling gents automatic bracelet

a13035 breitling gents quartz bracelet

a13035.1 breitling gents automatic bracelet

a13035.1 breitling gents automatic strap

a13035.1 breitling gents chronograph bracelet

a13035.1 breitling gents quartz strap

a130351 21485 breitling gents chronograph bracelet

a13050.1 breitling gents automatic bracelet

a13050.1 breitling gents automatic strap

a130501 breitling gents automatic bracelet

a13322 breitling gents automatic strap

a13350 breitling gents automatic strap

a13352 breitling gents automatic bracelet

a13352 breitling gents chronograph strap

a13355 breitling gents automatic bracelet

a13355 358861 breitling gents chronograph bracelet

a17035 breitling gents automatic bracelet

a17035 breitling gents automatic strap

a17035 27875 breitling gents automatic bracelet

a17040 breitling gents automatic bracelet

a17040 breitling gents automatic strap

a17040 breitling gents quartz bracelet

a17050 breitling gents automatic bracelet

a17340 breitling gents automatic strap

a17345 breitling gents automatic bracelet

a17345 221380 breitling gents automatic bracelet

a17350 breitling gents automatic bracelet

a17360 breitling gents automatic bracelet

A17360 617084 breitling gents automatic bracelet

a19030 breitling gents chronograph strap

a20048 breitling gents automatic bracelet

a203348 breitling gents chronograph strap

a20348 breitling gents chronograph strap

a25362 breitling gents automatic bracelet

a25362 breitling gents automatic strap

a300302 breitling gents automatic strap

a36030.1 breitling gents automatic bracelet

a40035 breitling gents chronograph bracelet

a41330 breitling gents chronograph bracelet

a42362 breitling gents automatic bracelet

a42362 breitling gents chronograph bracelet

a47350 breitling ladies quartz bracelet

a51037 breitling gents quartz bracelet

a51038 breitling gents chronograph strap

a51038 breitling gents quartz bracelet

a51038 breitling gents quartz strap

a53035 breitling gents chronograph bracelet

a53035 breitling gents chronograph strap

a53035 breitling gents quartz bracelet

a530401 breitling gents quartz bracelet

a53050 breitling gents quartz bracelet

a53605 breitling gents quartz bracelet

a53605 breitling gents quartz strap

a56011 breitling gents quartz bracelet

A56012 0630 breitling gents quartz bracelet

a56012.1 breitling gents quartz bracelet

a56012.1 772 breitling gents quartz bracelet

a56012.1 7722 breitling gents quartz bracelet

a560121 breitling gents quartz bracelet

a57035 breitling gents quartz bracelet

a59028 breitling gents quartz bracelet

a67365 breitling ladies quartz bracelet

a68062 breitling gents automatic strap

a68062 breitling gents chronograph bracelet

a68062 breitling gents quartz bracelet

a68362 breitling gents chronograph bracelet

a68362 breitling gents quartz bracelet

a73350 breitling gents chronograph bracelet

a74350 breitling gents quartz bracelet

b10348 breitling gents quartz bracelet

b11045 breitling gents chronograph bracelet

b13047 breitling gents automatic bracelet

b13048 breitling gents automatic bracelet

b13048 breitling gents automatic no strap

b13048 breitling gents chronograph bracelet

b13048 breitling gents chronograph strap

b13048 breitling gents quartz bracelet

b13048 breitling gents quartz strap

b13050 breitling gents automatic strap

b13050 breitling gents quartz bracelet

b13050 breitling gents quartz strap

b13050.1 breitling gents automatic bracelet

b13050.1 breitling gents automatic strap

b13050.1 breitling gents chronograph bracelet

b13050.1 breitling gents quartz strap

b13055 breitling gents chronograph bracelet

b13350 breitling gents automatic bracelet

b13350 breitling gents chronograph bracelet

b13350 44695 breitling gents automatic bracelet

b13352 breitling gents automatic bracelet

b52045 breitling ladies quartz strap

b53011 breitling gents quartz bracelet

b55045 breitling gents quartz strap

d13022 breitling gents automatic bracelet

d13022 breitling gents automatic strap

d13022 breitling gents chronograph bracelet

d13022 breitling gents manual bracelet

d13022 breitling gents quartz bracelet

d13022 breitling gents quartz strap

d13048 breitling gents automatic strap

d13050 breitling gents automatic bracelet

d13322 breitling gents automatic bracelet

d13352 breitling gents automatic bracelet

d31063 breitling ladies automatic strap

d52045 breitling ladies quartz bracelet

e56061 breitling gents quartz bracelet

e56062 breitling gents quartz bracelet

e56121.1 breitling gents chronograph bracelet

e56121.1 breitling gents quartz bracelet

e65062 breitling gents quartz bracelet

e65062 breitling gents quartz strap

e65362 breitling gents quartz bracelet

e65362 8921 breitling gents quartz bracelet

e73360 breitling gents quartz bracelet

e75362 breitling gents quartz strap

eub-0099-ep370 breitling gents automatic bracelet

f13360 breitling gents chronograph bracelet

f56059l breitling gents quartz bracelet

f56060 breitling gents quartz bracelet

f56061 breitling gents quartz bracelet

f56061 breitling gents quartz no strap

f56062 breitling gents quartz bracelet

f65062 breitling gents quartz bracelet

f65362 breitling gents quartz bracelet

f75362 breitling gents quartz bracelet

s53035 breitling gents quartz strap

 

 

 

 

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