Pre-Owned Breitling Superocean 'Slow Counting' Chronograph 40940075/AS08702

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 gráph? (“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. 

When it comes to collecting vintage chronographs, Breitling can be somewhat polarizing. Best known for their Navitimer line of aviation watches, some collectors can find their dials to be too hectic and difficult to read for daily wear. As a result, we feel that Breitling’s chronographs get swept under the table all together. 

This piece, however, a Superocean 'slow counting' chronograph, has developed a cult following amongst collectors of vintage watches, and rightfully so!

Most nautical Chronographs inhabit a strange space on the vintage timepiece spectrum. Most divers rely on a rotating bezel to calculate how much time is remaining for their dive. Topside timepieces, like Heuer's Skipper models and various yacht timers often utilize small, hard-to-read chrono subdials which are sub-optimal in choppy conditions.  Thus, the notion of developing a chronograph--most usually employed in the fields of aviation or racing--with a highly legible central minute hand was genius. 

Released in 1965, the Reference 2005 replaced the earlier Superocean references released in the 1950s--the Reference 1004 (which did not feature a chronograph) and the chronograph Reference 807.

What makes this such a special piece is the functionality and layout of the chronograph feature: a minutes-only counter with a large, luminous central sweep hand.  Because it only counts minutes, it is difficult to know whether or not it is running with just a glance. 

To solve this problem, the dial features a circular aperture just about the 6:00 position.  When the chronograph isn't activated, this circle appears black and blends in with the rest of the dial. When engaged, the window turns white (now a more patinated, creamy white) to indicate to the wearer that the function is operating. And when stopped, a smaller dot appears, which reverts to black when reset.

Additional features include a 42mm stainless steel case with an acrylic crystal, a bidirectional rotating timing bezel with a Tritium pip at 12:00, an oversized crown and pushers, and a period black Tropic® rubber strap with a steel pin buckle.

The Reference 2005 is one of the most desirable vintage Breitlings ever produced, an unbelievably rare find on the market. In fact, it's so rare that this is only the fifth we've been able to offer in our 11 years of operation.