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Dominique Breitling Navitimer 7806

picture reworked by Jocke from the WUS photo forum

This version of the famous Navitimer is less renowned and less hip than its elder counterpart the 806 with its column wheel based chronograph.
It can be considered, however, like being more complete (with its date!) and the movement ticking inside it represents a curiosity by itself.
In addition, it is a lot rarer than the 806.

The case, measuring 41 mm in diameter and 5 mm in thickness is made of brushed steel on almost the entire surface, except the upper lugs, finished in the same polish steel than the upside edge of the bezel and the push pieces.
The turning bezel moving both sides is ornate with 60 thin grooves accurately machined. It holds a Plexiglas crystal heavily domed looking to be very thin (but I did not take it down, so it is only a guess!) Beware of scratches even if an application of polish used for acrylics (Poliwatch for example) helps retrieving an immaculate surface.

The 7 mm diameter and 2 mm thick crown is signed with the beautiful B characteristic of the Breitling brand. Its manipulation is easy and it turns effortlessly making the watch a pleasure to wind.
The two push pieces of the chronograph are cylindrical and possess a soft action.

The back has a central circular area (which is brushed finished and flat) bearing the engraving of the following writings: “STAINLESS STEEL”, “B BREITLING”, the serial number dating this Navitimer as being a 1973 watch and the watch type “7806”.
The outer rim of this back is polished steel and tapers toward the case.

Including the curves of the crystal and of the back, the total thickness of the watch reaches at its maximum 15 mm.
Like all small case Navitimers of this era, this watch is waterproof …if you keep it 30 meters off the water!

Its dial reflects the personality of the Navitimer. This one is provided with the famous type 52 slide rule whose outer scale is silver coloured like the three registers.
The central scale of the slide rule and the remaining of the dial are black, the traditional colour of the Navitimer.

Apart from the totalizers slightly depressed with concentric circles in the middle, the entire dial is flat, unlike modern Navitimers with the raised outer scale of the slide rule.
Beside the slide rule, going to the centre there is a logarithmic scale graduated from 1hour to 10 hours used for average speed calculation, and to convert hour and minute durations in a number expressed in minutes (illustration here).

During the last overhaul, indexes and number 12 were striped off the tritium paint they were coated with. This paint was disintegrating and the risk was to see it finding a way toward the movement and damage it. (A problem caused by moisture; tritium absorbs it like a sponge before falling apart).

Under the “12”, the stylized two plane symbol reminds us of the original purpose of the Navitimer.
These two planes are followed by the writings “BREITLING” and “GENEVE”. Going down at 6 o’clock we find “SWISS MADE”.
It is the only 7806 I have seen not bearing the name “NAVITIMER” on its dial!

The small date aperture shows a red number written on a white background.

The hands have been replaced by Breitling-France, because rust oxidized the hour minute and second hands. These three hands are painted in white and hour and minute are luminescent.
The small hands of the chronograph differ from the small second and it seems to be the correct configuration (as one can see a lot of variations on the web!)

The leather strap (22 mm wide interlug) when I bought the watch, was changed for a synthetic Hirsch Carbon Sport. After the moisture problem, I resigned myself to avoid wearing this Navitimer at work, so the Hirsch gave its place to a handsome alligator strap (with only one pin hole).

The movement driving the Navitimer 7806 is the Valjoux 7740.
This seldom seen calibre is a mechanical hand wound movement measuring 31 mm in diameter on 7.7 mm in height. It counts 17 jewels and has a frequency of 28800 alt/h. The power reserve (observed) appears to be around 42 hours.
We are in front of a modular construction. The chronograph module (cam activated) used in this 7740 comes from the ChronoMatic cal.11 and 12.
It seems that this chronograph plate is paired with a movement created for this occasion. At this time, no pre-existing movement of the same diameter and frequency can be found in Ebauches SA records.

This calibre is unadjusted and its precision adjustment is simply designed: there is no swan neck nor “+” and “-” indication. It misses a stop second feature when the crown is pulled out for date or hour setting. The date can be changed more quickly by turning the hour hand between 22:00 and 24:00.

The chronograph section is pleasant to handle. The two pushers are a breeze to activate and are as soft as on a chronograph fitted with a column wheel.
Elapsed durations can be read without hesitation because both registers bear jumping hands (like the minute hand on a Valjoux 7750, for example) thus no difficulty is encountered when reading the hand in the hour subdial (as this hand moves by 30 minute steps), even when adding a lot of timings without resetting the chronograph (just try this on a Valjoux 7750)!
This is the way a ChronoMatic works and it is logical as the two watches share the same Dubois Dépraz Chronograph plate.

The Valjoux 7740 has been used by Breitling in a tricompax configuration like in my watch or in two register based chronographs without the small second, looking like a “manual version” of the Cal.12. In this case, the watch is called “Navitimer 7806-S”.

This movement can be found in other types of Breitlings, in the Monte Carlo by Excelsior Park and Bulova is one of the scarce watchmakers who used it.

The calibre 7740 will have a short career, used between 1972 and 1974, and will quickly be forsaken for the benefit of the Valjoux 773X series (whose production started before the introduction of the 7740), as they had a more economical production.

Light weighted, large, pleasant to wear but fragile and really non-waterproof, this 7806, with its large registers, its particular chronograph section and its small red date, has a distinct and attractive personality in the wide Navitimer range.

Text and photos:
domi38 (except when mentioned)

Thanks to Joël de Toulouse for the technical information and the “Cal.12-Cal.7740” sketch. (Joël site).
Thanks to Jean-Michel for the 7806-S picture and the information in his invaluable Navitimer site.