#BreitlingSquad

I used one of these serial lookup sites, which dates my 98XXXX on 1964. I don't know how correct those are though, as I don't follow Breitling that much.

Well, as you asked for a story, I'll try to keep it as condensed as possible. Back in 2010, my father had already been collecting and selling watches locally. Nothing major or unique, as he was still new to it. He got a call from someone who he had bought from before, telling that he had a Breitling to sell. Asked me to tag along, as he knew next to nothing about Breitlings, and neither did I, but at least I could quickly check online. When I saw the watch, I immediately loved it. It was in a sorry state, dirty, scratched, broken plexi and not working at all, but the charm of the 806 is difficult to resist. The guy asked for €60, which is crazy. My father of course took it. He sent it in for a service and it had some superficial rust which was cleaned and a broken wheel or a pinion (I don't exactly remember). That same watchmaker also gave it a polish, which is not ideal, but we didn't know better back then. He charged us like €20, which again, is crazy. Finally, when it was in a working state, he gifted it to me. From that time until earlier this year, I didn't care that much about watches. I have worn the Navitimer on specific occasions, but most of the time it's been sitting in a drawer. For context, this is Eastern Europe, so prices are sometimes bonkers.

Now that I've got the watch drug, I need to get back to that Navitimer and show it some love. First of all, it's in dire need of a service. It's keeping time well, but it's running slow (as you'll notice from the movement shot below) and probably needs a thing or two replaced with original parts. I also plan to give the case a light brush finish, like it was originally. Finally, I should replace that random strap with a lizard matching the era. This is a watch I never intend to sell, no matter what. It's got a story to tell and most importantly, it's a gift from my father. The scratches and the damaged, yellowed slide rule are part of that story.

Have you checked this out:

https://www.breitling.com/us-en/archives/