THE ESSENTIALS

MAKE: BREITLING
MODEL: 7650
YEAR: 1969
BOX/PAPERS: NO/NO
CASE DIAMETER: 42.7MM
CASE MATERIAL: STAINLESS STEEL
BRACELET MATERIAL: LEATHER
MOVEMENT: MANUAL WIND

Here at Falco, the Breitling 765 family from the mid-1950s to the 1970s are some of our favourite vintage chronographs out there, and equally some of the hardest to find. This week, however, three of them went live on Falco's website at the same time, each representing a different era of the 765 lineage. 

The line-up was born as the ref. 765 AVI in 1953, featuring a 41 mm case and highly legible design. It was the brand’s attempt to secure a contract with the French Air Force, albeit ultimately unsuccessful, in part due to the absence of a flyback function. Fortunately, the model was released to the public, and over the following decade the 765 underwent a series of incremental changes. Early 765 AVIs feature an all-black dial (somewhat similar to early Navitimers), whereas the now-iconic “reverse panda” configuration appeared around 1962.

In 1965, Breitling upgraded the line-up again with the 765 "Co-Pilot" (CP), featuring a clicking anodised aluminium bezel and a distinctive enlarged 15-minute counter at 3 o’clock. A few years later, the ref. 7650 was introduced, now featuring a larger 42.7 mm case. 

The present example is a rare "Yachting" model, easily identifiable by the yachting countdown subdial at 3 o’clock and the (very colourful) hands and bezel. The watch has survived in honest condition, with some ageing on the dial, especially on the white subdials. All of the tritium lume is intact, and the freshly serviced movement is running beautifully at +2 s/d, with 274 amplitude and a 0.4 ms beat error. 

Presented alongside its older siblings, these lovely Breitling chronographs are some of the most unique watches that were (fortunately) made before the quartz crisis. Super cool.