Buying Guide: The Best Breitling Watches from the 1980s

Watches from the 1980s represented the tremendous changes in the watch industry throughout the 1970s—particularly the introduction of the quartz movement and its long-term effects on the industry. Are you interested in these vintage timepieces? If you’re looking to buy watches for men & women from the ‘80s, you can’t go wrong with luxury brands like Breitling. These are timeless timepieces that have withstood the tests of time and changing technologies.

In the 1980s, Breitling developed new models under its new owner, Ernest Schneider. He started with quartz timepieces and continued with the Chronomat in new mechanical Breitling watches, helping define the future of the brand. He also focused on the brand’s history in aviation, as he himself was a pilot. Moreover, he created the brand’s new design language to establish a new identity for it.

Despite the challenges in production and design, Breitling continued to thrive throughout the decade, resulting in some of the most iconic watches that are still around and popular to this day.

 

• Chronomat : Chronomat is an illustrious name that has been around since the 1940s. In the 1980s, it represented Breitling’s renewed focus on mechanical timepieces. The new Chronomat has the vintage aviator-inspired look, with a rotating timing bezel featuring four-rider tabs by Schneider. The pushers and crown are fluted in honour of the early Fliegers, and the dial has a 100ths scale and a tachymeter scale. Sub-dials are remarkably placed, spreading out near the dial and far from one another. Schneider used the automatic Valjoux calibre 7750 to power the watch.
• Navitimer : The Navitimer is one of the iconic Breitling watches that helped drive the brand’s success. It retained most of its original look to preserve the legacy associated with the classic watch. The watch features the manually-wound Lemania 1873 movement, which Omega used in the Speedmaster under the name Omega Caliber 861. The movement runs at 21,600vph, with 18 jewels and a 40-hour power reserve. The new Navitimer was made more famous by French Singer Serge Gainsborough, who wore it on a platinum racing bracelet.
• Superocean : Schneider may have focused more on aviator watches in the 1980s, but he also made Breitling watches for explorers and adventurers. One of his remarkable creations is the Superocean, a top-of-the-line dive watch with a quartz movement. It resembles the Doxa Sub 300T, with a chunky 44mm stainless steel case and a no-deco scale bezel. Nowadays, it’s a highly valuable watch you can buy online from a reputable and authorized dealer of watches for men & women.