1953 Breitling Geneve

Update:  Price of rare watch now $20,500.00/  $30,000.00
Why is it always the imperfect that’s valuable? You would think if something was made for perfection, failing to do so would make it worthless. But as we’ve said before, “Style is gauged by its uniqueness relative to others”-Blades Magazine. Not that the perfect don’t sometimes also cost a little change. So what makes the 1953 Breitling Geneve ($27,500.00 / $30,000.00) a paragon of imperfection (complete paradox, I know)?

Well first, a little history. We’ve mentioned Breitling before, and have praised it for its precision. Little did we know that in the years 1952-1954, this precision was found to be fallible; their production records were incomplete and even lost in some cases. This means that when the Breitling Geneves were shipped from Breitling, Switzerland in 1953, it was not known how many were made, transported or sold. Furthermore, with the company’s attention completely focused on releasing their classic Navitimer, mistakes in the Geneve B (a second generation of the original Geneve sold to the cover costs of the Navitimer’s production) were overlooked. At a time when digital (battery-powered) watches were taking over, this Breitling Geneve B (Reference number 765 AVI) is one of a miniscule number of watches that were manufactured non-digital.

That takes care of rarity. Now uniqueness. Human error can get someone into huge trouble or even be comical in some sense (i.e. funny signs where “Fire Hose” is spelled “Fire…”, well you know). But in the watch business error somehow increases a watch’s value over time, giving justification to the expression “time is money”. First error: 15 minute gearset did not work properly, later rectified with a 30 minute gearset in the Navitimer. Second error: the bezel’s center mark did not match up with the hour markers! In addition other distinction make this particular watch special, like its black watchface and subdials, all signed “Breitling Geneve ‘B'”, and its Fully Jeweled Incabloc Shock Protection comprised of 17 rubies. Personally I would sell the rubies to cover the price of the watch.

This all bodes the question, how do I buy this watch? It is obviously an extremely unique piece of art (and Breitling’s history) that would add to the prestige of a collector’s shelf or a pilot’s wrist. You could inherit one, as I believe is the case with most collectables…though the only things I’ve inherited are early knee injuries and a fragile back. Or you can let Blades strike a deal with the sole owner of this timepiece, lowering its price from its original $30,000.00 to the now-affordable $27,500.00. We love to reward our readers in any way that we can, and usually this comes in the form of our BladesGirls, but as you can see this time the gift is a bit more extravagant. Us and the owner were extremely enthusiastic about this sale and believe it should go to someone who will truly appreciate its beauty (we know how you pilots love your watches). So anyone interested should click the link above and e-mail the owner informing him that Blades sent you, and you want that badboy immediately. Join the group of elite watch owners who aren’t afraid to say, “My wrist is worth more than your car”.