THE ESSENTIALS

MAKE: BREITLING
MODEL: 2002
YEAR: 1965
BOX/PAPERS: NO/NO
CASE DIAMETER: 36mm
CASE MATERIAL: STAINLESS STEEL
BRACELET MATERIAL: STAINLESS STEEL
MOVEMENT: MANUAL WIND

The 1960s and ’70s were a golden era for sports chronographs, giving rise to some of the most iconic models ever made—think the Rolex Daytona, Omega Speedmaster, Heuer Carrera, and Universal Genève Compax. Amidst these legendary names, chronographs from another top manufacturer, Breitling, often fly under the radar and still represent excellent value on today’s market.

Breitling introduced the “Top Time” line in 1964, aiming to attract young, active professionals. This marked a shift away from the brand’s more technical models, such as the Navitimer and Chronomat. Just a year after its release, James Bond—played by Sean Connery in Thunderball—was seen wearing a modified version of the watch we have for sale (see last picture). Unfortunately, ours doesn’t come with an in-built Geiger counter to help locate SPECTRE’s nuclear warhead cache.

This example has survived in superb condition. The case remains unpolished, showing only the expected wear marks. The dial is immaculate, with just minor darkening on the sub-dials, and all lume plots are intact.

The movement was serviced recently and is performing at +5 s/d, 280 amps, with a beat error of 0.4.