A beautiful 1968 Breitling Top Time chronograph model 2000 with original black/silver panda dial in a gold plated case with high quality Venus caliber 188 within, freshly service and keeping great time, ready to wear. What follows is the story of this timepiece from its original owner:
I purchased the new Breitling in 1968 from a watchmaker in London, UK. At the time I was a Navigating Officer with C.P. Ships (Canadian Pacific) aboard one of their freighters Trans Atlantic and Pacific. The primary purpose of buying a chronometer vs a watch was very accurate timekeeping. Several times daily we had to take sun or star sights with a sextant to check the ship’s position. The ship had an onboard chronometer, and we used to check its accuracy daily via daily radio signal from Greenwich. I often found that my Breitling was more accurate than the ship’s chronometer, so I trusted its accuracy more than the latter. (This was all before computer navigation systems came into play). When I left the Merchant Marine in 1974, I purchased an automatic watch and rarely wore the Breitling again.
Circa: 1964 by serial number, original purchased in 1968.
Style: Sport, Tool, Mid-Century Dress
Case: Three piece gold plated case with stainless steel back measuring 35mm in diameter excluding the crown and pushers. It has some definite signs of wear with some gold plating worn off on the lugs and pushers but overall has a beautiful vintage feel on the wrist with a very sharp, dressy/sporty look. The stainless steel case back is stamped Breitling with the model number 2000, then inside Breitling Watch Ltd, Swiss, Stainless Steel Back with serial number in the 983XXX range dating it to approximately 1964. Comes on a nicely matches 18mm black strap with generic gold plated buckle.
Dial: Original factory printed black and silver dial with applied gold hour markers and outer tachymeter track, constant seconds at 9:00 and a 45-minute counter at 3:00. Beautiful condition with some light patina and lost printing on the outer ring to note. Signed Breitling, Geneve, Top Time, Swiss Made T.
Movement: High quality Venus caliber 188 freshly serviced with all functions working beautifully and I excellent cosmetic condition as well. Signed Breitling Watch Ltd, 17 Jewels, Swiss, Unadjusted with the brands import code WOG stamped on the balance bridge. Comes with our full 1 year mechanical warranty ready to wear.