Fine Watches
Fine Watches
Breitling
Reference 808 Chronomat A gold plated and stainless steel chronograph wristwatch with rotating inner slide rule bezel, Circa 1960
Lot Closed
March 19, 06:15 PM GMT
Estimate
3,000 - 5,000 USD
Lot Details
Description
Breitling
Reference 808 Chronomat
A gold plated and stainless steel chronograph wristwatch with rotating inner slide rule bezel, Circa 1960
Dial: silvered
Caliber: cal. Venus 175 mechanical, 17 jewels
Case: gold plated, stainless steel snap-on case back
Case number: 929'518
Size: 37 mm diameter
Signed: case, dial and movement
Box: no
Papers: no
Accessories: service papers by Breitling Vintage restorers
The integrated slide-rule function has been an iconic design of Breitling’s aviation watches since approximately 1942. Although best known as part of the Navitimer, it was actually the Chronomat that featured the first application of the calculating device.
The name "Chronomat" comes from the combination of the two words: chronograph (chrono) and mathematics (mat). The slide rule, at its simplest, is basically a mini-calculator on the watch, allowing the wearer to quickly go through various calculations by simply turning the bezel. The slide rule can determine anything from simple multiplication and division to measuring the distance of a climb or descent, both of which are very useful for a pilot. As seen in this example, the Chronomat models from the 1960s and before had a caseback engraved with "CHRONOMAT + 217012," indicating the patent number for the slide-rule design.