Why We Love It

Well, here's something you don't see every day...

You're looking at a Breitling Transocean Quantieme Perpetual Calendar Chronograph - one of the most highly complicated wristwatches ever produced by the noted Grenchen-based manufacture!

Finished in 18k rose gold and sized at 43mm, this striking timepiece plays heavily on Breitling's aviation-centric design language, yet has an air of sophistication and luxury not commonly seen from the brand. Part of their Transocean collection, this Reference R2931012/C873 features a stunning blue sunburst dial features four subsidiary registers that communicate chronometer-rated readings for a complete calendar, leap-year indicator, moonphase, and even season - with the added functionality of a chronograph to boot.

Part of an extremely-limited run of 25 pieces and coming complete with its full original set of boxes, books, cards, hangtag and extra straps, this is a truly impressive timepiece that is worth more than its (considerable!) weight in gold to a passionate collector who appreciates high-comp wristwatches.

The Breitling Story

Breitling was founded in 1892, and while still around today, the company is no longer in the hands of the Breitling family.

The late 1970s was a turbulent time for the Swiss watch industry, and many storied houses were swept away by the Quartz Crisis. By 1978, Breitling was in trouble due to the illness of its leader, Willy Breitling, and the steep decline in sales that had cut through the entire industry. Unable to keep operations going, the Breitling company was liquidated, and parts, toolings and naming rights were sold off. One of the best aviation watch companies was no more, but they left behind a large range of incredible watches.

Breitling has been surprisingly slow to catch fire with vintage collectors, especially since the history of the brand and their ties to aviation are unimpeachable. Sure, many of their watches have polarizing designs and complicated dial aesthetics (hell, we don't know how to use the slide rule feature on the Navitimer 806 any better than you do), but their cleaner designs embody the best of 1960s and 1970s chronograph design and shouldn’t be overlooked.

If we had our druthers, Breitling would be one of the top dogs in the world of vintage watches, and given a strong new direction for the company today, we’re confident that in time, they will be.