Rare Breitling Navitimer Pilot's Chronograph ref. 806, Circa 1950s

 

Breitling Navitimer Ref. 806 – 1950s Overview

• Reference: 806

• Introduced: 1954

• Nickname: “The Pilot’s Tool Watch”

• Movement: Initially Venus 178, later Valjoux 7736 (but not in the '50s)

• Diameter: ~40mm (large for the era)

• Bezel: Bidirectional slide rule bezel (used for navigation calculations)

• Crystal: Acrylic

• Lug width: 22mm

• Case back: Snap-back stainless steel

Movement – Venus 178

• Manual-wind column wheel chronograph

• 17 jewels

• Highly respected and reliable movement

• Used from the inception of the 806 until 1973

Historical Significance

• Developed in collaboration with the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA)

• Early models featured the AOPA wing logo on the dial — without the "Breitling" text in many cases.

• The slide rule bezel allowed pilots to calculate fuel consumption, airspeed, distance, and more.

• Became the definitive pilot’s watch of its time — a true "wrist instrument."

Key Variants from the 1950s

1954–1955 "All-Black" Dial with AOPA Logo

• AOPA wings at 12 o'clock (no Breitling text)

• All-black dial with white printing

• Venus 178 movement

• Extremely rare — among the most collectible

Mid-late 1950s: "Breitling + AOPA" Co-branded Dials

• Still with Venus 178

• Now includes "Breitling" and "Navitimer" on the dial

• Beads of rice bezel — count the number of beads to date (1950s versions typically had 125 or more)