Navitimer Ref 806 1959 Re-Edition Stainless Steel

In Context

At 43 mm it is a large watch — well above this catalogue’s 40 mm median, and enough to dominate a narrow wrist. At 13.43 mm it is a tall case, and it will catch on a cuff. The case back is closed, so the movement stays out of sight, and the plexiglass crystal scratches easily but polishes back out at home, which sapphire does not. Rated to 30 m, it is protected against rain and splashes and nothing beyond that.

The movement is hand-wound, so winding it becomes part of the day rather than something the watch does for you. 70 hours of reserve is enough to set it down on Friday evening and find it still running on Monday. At 28,800 vph the seconds hand advances 8 times a second.

AB0910371B1X1 stands on its own in this catalogue — no other reference here shares its base number. It pairs a black dial with a stainless steel case. It was a limited edition. Introduced in 1959.

The hand-wound version of Breitling's in-house B01: the same column wheel and vertical clutch with the automatic winding taken out. Breitling built it for the heritage pieces where a rotor would either hide the movement or contradict the original — the Premier B09 and the Navitimer 806 re-edition. Like the B01 it is chronometer-certified, and the vertical clutch starts the chronograph hand without a flinch.

12 other watches in the library run the Breitling Caliber B09.

Breitling

AVI Ref. 765 1964 Re-Edition Stainless Steel

AB09451A1B1X1 · 41.1 mm

Breitling

AVI Ref. 765 1953 Re-Edition Platinum

LB0920131C1X1 · 41.1 mm

Breitling

AVI Ref. 765 1953 Re-Edition Pink Gold

RB0920131B1X1 · 41.1 mm

Breitling

Premier Heritage B09 Chronograph 40 Stainless Steel / Burgundy / Boutique Edition

AB0930D41K1P1 · 40 mm