Here is an astonishing watch that will no doubt always be such a talking point - an original Breitling Cosmonaute that was made in 1969.
This incredible watch came into being after American astronaut Lieutenant Commander Scott Carpenter suggested a 24-hour watch be produced prior to the second US manned orbital space flight. The reason for a 24-hour dial was simple - as he would be orbiting earth every 90 minutes, and subsequently seeing dozens of sunrises and sunsets, confusion as to whether it was 9:30am or pm on earth, would be solved by having a 24-hour dial. Therefore unlike a "traditional" watch, instead of reading the hands of the watch, you read the dial. Indeed as seen in the image of the watch here, the time displayed is actually 7:10pm instead of 9:10, with the hour hand pointing to 1900 hours.
Continuing with the dial, it is all original with this being the Mark II dial, with the ultra wide lumed dagger hands, red chronograph sweep seconds hand and one sub-dial hand in black, and the other in red. This dial configuration was produced for only a short time between August 1967 to January 1970, and has such a fantastic patina to the numbers.
The stainless steel case is referred to as a "Big Case" and at 48mm across, plus the crown and pushers, it is no wonder why. Designed to Scott Carpenters specification of a larger case and bezel to make rotating the bezel easier with a flight suit, this is one watch that certainly makes an impression on the wrist.
The movement was used by Breitling from 1962 to 1969, and was the world's first automatic chronograph watch, and is fitted with a micro-rotor. This movement has undergone a complete and very extensive restoration by our in-house LVMH and Rolex trained watchmaker. After 2 months of careful restoration, this Breitling Cosmonaute is arguably one of the best around and in spectacular condition including the case.
Fitted on a black Hirsch band with red stitching that compliments the dial so well, this is a spectacular watch that is like no other, and one that will make other watch collectors so envious when they see it on your wrist.
Stock# W1920cc
Maker: Breitling
Model: Breitling Cosmonaute reference 1809
Circa: 1969
$Sold.
Out of stock
Fully restored 1969 Breitling Cosmonaute reference 1809
This vintage Breitling Cosmonaute has the Mark II dial.
What is the Breitling Cosmonaute?
The Breitling Cosmonaute was produced after American astronaut Lieutenant Commander Scott Carpenter suggested a 24-hour watch be produced prior to the second US manned orbital space flight. The reason for a 24-hour dial was simple - as he would be orbiting earth every 90 minutes, and subsequently seeing dozens of sunrises and sunsets, confusion as to whether it was 9:30am or pm on earth, would be solved by having a 24-hour dial. Contrary to what one would expect, the time that Scott Carpenter set on his watch, was not United Stated time, but rather UTC (Universal Coordinated Time) at Greenwich England.
Where can I service my Breitling watch?
We can! When we expanded and renovated our store in late 2022, we put in not only a full watchmaking and polishing workshop, but a watchmaker who used to work for LVMH and Rolex. This allows us to be able to service your Breitling as well as other brands such as Rolex, Omega, Cartier and Patek Philippe to name a few.
How often should I service my watch?
We recommend to service your mechanical watch every five years.
Click here to see more vintage watches that are currently in store:
https://www.kalmarantiques.com.au/product-category/vintage-watches/
A link to Breitling's website about the Breitling Cosmonaute:
https://www.breitling.com/us-en/archives/navitimer/cosmonaute-ref-1809/
