There is perhaps no more versatile complication than the chronograph.
From race cars to rocket ships, boats to battlefields, you are likely to find a chronograph being employed to measure a plethora of tasks and times. From the Greek khrónos (“time) and gráphō (“to write”), a chronograph is a watch that has the ability to record time, generally via the addition of small sub-counters that register minutes and hours.
No single company is more associated with classic midcentury chronographs than Breitling, inventor of the dual-button chronograph in 1933. Following on the heels of the developments in automatic chronographs in the late 1960s, it released the Chrono-Matic Reference 1806, powered by its Calibre 12 movement. Because this caliber was based upon the Buren 1282 micro-rotor movement and was not designed as an integrated chronograph mechanism, the crown needed to be placed at 9:00. This design proved expensive, and did not survive the Quartz Crisis.
This particular Navitimer, a Reference 1806, is housed in a whopping 47mm stainless steel case with a rotating slide rule navigational bezel with fluorescent markings, barrel pushers, a signed crown, and crisp visible caseback engravings. It features a matte black dial with multiple timing scales, a dual-register chronograph display, a date window at 6:00, Tritium indices, and a matching handset. Powered by the Calibre 12 movement, it comes fitted to a period-correct black Tropic® rubber strap with a steel pin buckle.
Looking closer, you'll notice a set of wings on the dial that do not belong to Breitling. Bentley then - you must be thinking. Wrong again! In fact, the logo belongs to Morgan - the small English car manufacturer - known for their commitment to vintage design language and 3-wheeled cars. Breitling produced a small number of these pieces exclusively for the Morgan Drivers Club in Europe. This outstanding time-capsule example is one of them.
Whether you’re navigating your Cessna, you simply want an extremely cool vintage watch to wear around town, or are desperate for a timepiece to accompany you in your Morgan, this Navitimer Chronomatic from the era of early automatic chronographs is a strong choice!
