• 1960s Breitling Top Time 2003 manual-wind chronograph with black dial, white minute track and gold-plated case.
  • Front view of vintage Breitling Top Time 2003 chronograph on a black leather strap.
  • Side profile of the gold-plated case of the Breitling Top Time reference 2003.
  • Crown-side detail of the Breitling Top Time 2003, showing winding crown and chronograph pushers.
  • Closer front view of the Breitling Top Time 2003 black chronograph dial and minute track.
  • Breitling Top Time reference 2003 gold-plated chronograph shown from the front.
  • Additional side view of the 1960s Breitling Top Time 2003 case and lugs.
  • Close-up of the Breitling Top Time 2003 crown and chronograph pushers.
  • Front detail of the Breitling Top Time 2003 manual chronograph and two register dial.
  • Caseback of the vintage Breitling Top Time chronograph reference 2003.
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Past2PresentWatches

Vintage Breitling Top Time 2003 Black Dial Chronograph Watch 1960s

Vintage Breitling Top Time 2003 Black Dial Chronograph Watch 1960s

£1,995.00 GBP
£1,995.00 GBP
Sale Sold out
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SPECIFICATION

Reference: Breitling 2003
Movement: Breitling cal. 188 Manual wind chronograph
Age: 1960s
Case Size: 35mm
Case Thickness: 11mm
Lug to Lug: 42mm
Lugs: 18mm
Condition: Used vintage watch
Box and Papers: No
Case Material: Gold plate
Warranty: 12-month UK mechanical warranty

POINTS TO MENTION

  • In good pre-owned condition, with light wear from use
  • Case has some light scratches and marks
  • Matt black reverse panda dial
  • Pushers have some light wear
  • Vintage replacement crown
  • Fully serviced manually wound chronograph movement
  • Paired with an unworn black leather strap

THE WATCH

Breitling had already made its name with serious timing instruments when Willy Breitling decided that a chronograph could appeal to a different audience. Introduced in 1964, the Top Time was intended for younger people who wanted the usefulness of a stopwatch and a watch with a bit of style. It was a deliberate move away from the cockpit without leaving Breitling's chronograph expertise behind.

Reference 2003 captures that idea in a particularly appealing way. It is a proper mechanical chronograph, but its round case and clear, graphic design give it a very different personality from the busy Navitimer. The darker dial version makes a particularly confident statement: this is the sporting side of 1960s watchmaking, smart enough to have a life beyond the stopwatch.

A BIT OF TRIVIA

A Top Time had an unusual starring role in the 1965 James Bond film Thunderball. Q's team fitted Bond's watch with a Geiger counter to detect radiation. That film prop was a Top Time reference 2002, rather than this reference 2003, but it made the collection part of one of cinema's best-known gadget stories.

OUR THOUGHTS

What we enjoy about a hand-wound chronograph is that it invites you to do something with it. Wind it, start the centre hand, stop it and return it to zero: those little mechanical actions are part of the pleasure of ownership. And you certainly don't need to be a pilot or a racing driver to appreciate this one. It's a watch to enjoy for the simple satisfaction of wearing and using it.

BTTL155WO

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