The Breitling Navitimer 806 replica watch, introduced in 1954, is still with us today, albeit in an automatic form. It predates legendary chronographs such as the aforementioned Speedmaster, the Rolex Daytona, and the TAG Heuer Carrera. It’s not older than Universal Geneve’s Compax, but it has most certainly outlived this collectible piece. So, yes, the Navitimer deserves an article, but today I’ll discuss a rather specific and unusual “Navi”: the rare 1964/1965 transitional Breitling Navitimer replica watch.
The Breitling Navitimer 806 replica watch comes in at a whopping ~41mm in diameter and has a 22mm lug width; it’s a big one! Aside from the size, the other thing that hit me immediately was all the dial detail. Well, the Navi is anti-simple. There’s a lot going on, but in a strange way, it’s so complicated looking that it’s cool.
Dial details really abound. Aside from the outer slide rule ring in white, there are two concentric black slide rule rings inside the Breitling Navitimer 806 replica watch. It’s not until you get past these three rings that one actually gets to the normal timekeeping area. The Breitling Navitimer replica watch is laid out with three registers and they provide some great topographical balance to the large, flat remainder of the dial.
This logo on the Breitling Navitimer 806 replica watch dial definitely stands out but not in a bad way. No, it tonally fits in with the aged lume on the hour markers and the rest of the font. The hands on the Navi are interesting because they’re rather dainty. I suppose that’s not unusual in comparison to other similarly aged chronographs, but they certainly differ from the bold hands of the 765. You’ll also note that they’re a nicely aged cream color with lume inside. The central chrono hand is distinctive with its arrow-shaped tip.
The snap-close case back on the Breitling Navitimer 806 replica watch has nice detail and shows the “script B” as well as the model number. When it comes to pushers, they’re of a purposeful size if not a bit small, but the brand came through in great style with a nice, big, signed winding crown. The ultra slim bezel makes this Breitling Navitimer replica watch look big – not cartoon big – but big in a very purposeful way.