Breitling: The History of a Great Brand of Watches 1884 to the Present (A Schiffer Book for Collectors) [Hardcover]

Benno Richter (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1995 | Series: A Schiffer Book for Collectors

Breitling-one watch has made this name famous worldwide, the Navitimer. In 1952 this watch was a real sensation, for the chronograph along with the calculator made it possible for the pilot to carry out all necessary calculations during the flight. This made the Navitimer a valuable on-board instrument at that time, and a valuable collectible today.

But Breitling did not develop watches just for pilots and aircraft industry. This book shows the whole spectrum of the firm's products since its founding in 1884, and gives the reader an informed insight into more than 100 years of the firm's history. Many photos, old catalogs and advertising material support the informative text. With the help of reference numbers, the collector can also locate individual watches chronologically.

This fascinating portrait of the Breitling firm will enthrall all who appreciate fine mechanical precision.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: German --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Schiffer Pub Ltd; First Edition edition (June 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0887408648
• ISBN-13: 978-0887408649
• Product Dimensions: 11.5 x 9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,224,680 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Where's the passion?, November 17, 1999

By 

Gordon Reade - See all my reviews

This review is from: Breitling: The History of a Great Brand of Watches 1884 to the Present (A Schiffer Book for Collectors) (Hardcover)

For the uninitiated let me just say that my Breitling wristwatch is my most prized possesion. In other words us Breitling collectors are a bit nuts. You'd have to be to spend so much money for a watch when a fifteen dollar quarts digital is all you need to tell time.

My feeling is that the author of this book might just as well have been writing about some other collectable such as Snoopy or South Park action figures. I felt that he didn't really have the enthusiam for the subject which is a shame. I'd pay a lot for a really good book on Breitling.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Stuff, March 24, 2004

By 

Randy Given (Manchester, CT USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Breitling: The History of a Great Brand of Watches 1884 to the Present (A Schiffer Book for Collectors) (Hardcover)

This has some good stuff, but it is for a mixed audience, so none may be fully satisfied. For horologists, there is a fair amount of movements shown, with many of them "exploded" to show all of their parts. For historians, there is a lot of good old-time advertising and photos. For collectors, of course, you get to see a whole bunch of the product line back over a hundred years ago. The price list is minimal and ten years out of date, so it is not as relevant, but not completely useless either. Still, not a bad offering.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not sure what to say about this., August 17, 2007

By 

David Hess (Ottawa Illinois) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Breitling: The History of a Great Brand of Watches 1884 to the Present (Schiffer Book for Collectors) (Hardcover)

I was a little surprised by the book, it's now 12 years old and outdated, the pictures are all black and white, and it does not have much writing, I read it from cover to cover in about 1.5 hours. The pictures are good quality, although many are from Breitling advertisements.

It would be nice to see it updated, in color and have some history behind it. It does not explain anything about the Breitling Emergency watch, it just shows a picture! I was a little disappointed.