40's Breitling Chrono - Venus 170

A bit of superficial corrosion on a part isn't necessarily a problem, but it's really not possible to judge the condition based on a few photos. Old watches often have issues and may have been tampered with over the years; this will become apparent once it is completely disassembled. You will have to take your chances and hope for the best. A good experienced watchmaker is a great asset for watches like this since parts are not always easy to find. There's no reason that you can't wear a 1940s chronograph as part of a regular rotation, many of us do it. But they can require some TLC, and it's also good if you can tolerate less-than-perfect timekeeping and some quirks. Sometimes you get lucky, but sometimes you don't. I've bought some old chronographs that only needed a service, and others that became money pits.

Personally I don't generally like to invest my time and money into watches in plated cases and with damaged dials since repair costs can add up quickly and I prefer to have more upside and a watch that will really give me joy. A full service and a few parts, and the amount you pay your watchmaker will exceed the value of the watch, and you will still have a watch with brassing and damaged dial. But if you like it, go ahead. Good luck.

My two cents:

- Venus 170s have often developed a loose cannon pinion problem, sometimes it can be corrected, sometimes not. New parts availability is of course problematic for 70 years old movements.
- Plated cases : meh. Avoid, they only look good when new from the factory.
- Those square pusher chronos have zero WR: keep it in mind when wearing it, and that is why so many dials are damaged.

I would rather have a better watch (case and movement) for the same price than an old venus 170 labelled breitling. You pay for the name only, there is no step up in quality from any other generic plated case watch. At least try to find a steel one imho.

Buy.....Service.....Wear.....Enjoy......Repeat


No more fragile than the next 70-80 year old item.😁

Nice chrono.....nifty looking dial.

Won't speak to this specific watch but I have no problem wearing old watches. I have watches from the late 1800s through the mid 1900s that all get worn regularly without any problems. I just make sure they get serviced.

Water resistance. Round pushers sometimes have pretty good seals, but vintage chronographs with rectangular pushers are generally not suitable for wet conditions. Of course, with a 1940s chronograph, I would generally avoid moisture in any case.