Lot 198

Breitling

Chronomat UTI

A rare, large vintage wrist chronograph with slide rule function

The Breitling chronograph with integrated slide rule dates from the early 1940s and is viewed as predecessor of the Navitimer - it is, however, not an aviation chronograph. The backs of the Chronomat models from the 1960s were engraved with the 1942 patent number of the slide rule functionality, which permitted general calculations such as multiplication and division.
This example dating to approximately 1962 boasts a captivating, two-tone patinated, champagne-coloured dial with red accents that lends the timepiece a sportive yet elegant appeal. The inscription UTI is positioned at 6 o’clock and stands for a company established in 1908 in Paris, which imported wristwatches from Switzerland; among those were Breitling watches, which then received the additional UTI lettering. A first generation, pearled revolving bezel complete the elegant yet sportive image of this timepiece.