The Reason
The most recent evolution of the classic Navitimer design, housing Breitling’s Manufacture Caliber 01
Functions
Automatic winding with hours, minutes, small seconds at 9 o’clock and date. 12 hour recording chronograph and tachymeter/internal circular slide rule scales.
Screwed on case back with 15 facets.
Technical Specifications
47 jewels. About 70-hour power reserve. 4 Hz/28,800 vph frequency. Index regulating system. Column/pillar-wheel chronograph system. Vertical clutch. Instantaneous date change. COSC certified. Movement 7.2 mm thickness with a diameter of 30 mm. Bi-directional rotor. Kiff shock absorbers. Water resistant to 30 meters.
The bezel rotates in both directions, originally the cases were not water-resistant back in the 1950’s, primarily due to the bezel. As the model evolved it has increasingly improved in design and construction and today is water resistant to 3 bar / 30 meters.
The early model used an ‘UB’ (un-breakable) perspex glass, commonly used then and more robust than mineral crystals being used at the same period. Today the bezels house 2 bombé sapphire glasses treated with anti-reflective coatings that are strong, easier to ‘proof’ for water resistant and don’t scratch in the same way as their predecessors.
The size of the case photographed is 43 mm, historically, the original was 41 mm and today they are produced up to 46 mm in diameter.
The case back unscrewed revealing the inner black seal (red arrow) that is sandwiched between the case back and the centre.
The case back has a sapphire glass set into it to be able to view the calibre, many examples including the original watches had solid case backs.
The movement removed from the case back and the stem returned into the movement.
The movement is held in the case by three screws (shown above) holding casing clamps locking the movement and dial assembly into the case centre. These screws and clamps are made from stainless steel.
From the inside of the case, the ends of the pushers that activate the chronograph can be seen. Inside the pushers are rubber seals for water resistance.
The dial with and without hands.
The 6 hands removed from the watch. The minute and hour hands are filled with a luminous material.
The dial removed showing the hidden side of the calibre.
The movement ring that sits between the calibre and the inside of the case centre removed.
On smaller cases the movement ring is rendered unnecessary, with larger case designs a thicker ring is used.
The movement with and without the automatic winding rotor.
The rotor turns on a ball race held in place by 3 screws.
The rotor winds the mainspring as it turns in both directions.
Recto-verso of the rotor/winding mass. The outer section riveted onto the flat central piece is made from tungsten carbide, one of the heaviest and most dense non-precious metals.
After decoration the complete mass (excluding the ball race) is rhodium plated to provide a single colour of the tungsten outer and inner brass flat section. Then the two pieces are riveted together.
The cut outs around the ball race are both aesthetic and functional. When the watch receives a knock the central section will ‘give’ slightly protecting the ball race.
The total thickness of the movement is 7.2 mm including rotor. The total number of individual components exceeds 350 pieces. Many of these pieces are built into assemblies that are not dismantled when the watch is serviced, e.g. sections that are riveted, pushed or welded together.
Despite the industrial nature of the production (producing tens of thousand of units annually), the final aesthetic/finishing of the components, is found in higher-end watchmaking.
Inclined view of the balance wheel assembly.
Below the balance wheel milled into the main-plate is an aperture allowing visibility to the safety roller under the balance.
One of the unusual aspects of the calibre is the modular aspect of the calibre. The complete chronograph mechanism can be removed separately from the rest of the movement in a single block. The only elements that need to be removed first are the rotor and automatic system.
The automatic system transmitting power from the rotor to the barrel removed, to the right of the calibre.
The automatic mechanism block, recto-verso.
The complete automatic block.
The underside of the automatic block dismantled.
To the left a fully assembled automatic reverser assembly, to the right the two pawls/clicks, ratchet wheel and circular synthetic ruby disc that are found inside the assembly.
This is the system that allows the automatic rotor to wind the barrel when it rotates, in both directions. The circular disc synthetic ruby separates the two clicks and allows them to move with a minimum of friction as they rock around the central ratchet wheel. The assembly is constantly moving as the watch is being worn.
Explaining the automatic reverser assembly.
The construction design to modulate the calibre’s automatic mechanism and chronograph separates the movement into defined zones that facilitate the manufacturing process.
The complete chronograph module has been removed and is sitting to one side.
The gold coloured straight band below the barrel is the stop/hack for the balance wheel. When the stem is pulled into setting position this piece pushes against the balance wheel, stopping the watch from ticking allowing the seconds hand to be synchronised.
Recto-verso of the chronograph module.
Profile of the module showing the length of the chronograph, minute and hour wheels axles.
The barrel removed from the movement.
In theory, accessing the barrel in this way will reduce considerably the service time when only the barrel is required to be changed.
The barrel contains a mainspring that powers the watch for 70 hours once fully wound. The ratchet wheel, sitting on the barrel arbour above the barrel is held in place by an elaborate ‘C’clip that keeps the ratchet wheel flat on the arbour prior to positioning in the calibre.
Returning to the deconstruction with the chronograph mechanism sitting in place on the movement. The automatic mechanism has been removed, and to the right, the top bridge that holds down the chronograph wheels and upon which the rotor is screwed has been placed.
In the centre is the chronograph seconds wheel, to its left the large yellow wheel with heart shaped cam is the minute counter and to the right, the similar looking cam and wheel is the hour recorder wheel.
One of the innovative construction elements in the design is the intermediate drive pinion (red arrow) that meshes directly between the going train (4th wheel), to the chronograph wheel. The teeth are split into two pieces and are slightly flexible, removing all play between wheels due of the deep penetration between teeth.
The intermediate drive pinion is constantly turning as the watch functions.
The activation of the chronograph is made through the activation of a vertical clutch system instead of the conventional coupling clutch.
In this image the basic construction of the chronograph can be seen. The steel intermediate drive pinion (1) turns the chronograph seconds wheel (2) that in turn, every minute indexes the minute recorded train indicating the number of minutes to have passed on the minute recorder wheel (3). This in turn drives the hour recorder wheel (4).
The system functions in this way thanks to the vertical clutch mechanism and friction clutches integrated into the system.
The flat faces of the 3 hammers that return to zero the chronograph seconds, minutes and hours recorder wheels.
The vertical clutch chronograph seconds wheel driven by the intermediate drive pinion, in turn driving the complete chronograph mechanism. The most complex assembly in the chronograph module.
The two steel levers either side of the central bush, act in unison engaging on the vertical clutch system on the central chronograph seconds wheel, activating and dis-activating the chronograph.
Recto-verso of the hammer assembly.
The movement partially dismantled with the chronograph wheels removed.
The pillar/column wheel.
The three slots on the central screw indicate a left handed screw thread.
The Pillar/column wheel surrounded by the operating lever and indexing spring.
The return to zero trigger system.
The partially dismantled chronograph mechanism (recto-verso).
During a conventional service to effectively clean the movement all of the steel parts shown are removed.
The remaining gears are for manually winding the mainspring.
The balance wheel assembly shown to the right of the movement revealing the Swiss Anchor escapement.
The Swiss Anchor and train bridge removed.
The fully dismantled main plate. The stop piece/hack is riveted and left in place.
Full view of the movement hidden under the dial.
The drive mechanism for the date disc. To the left the indexing pawl.
The rapid date change star wheel.
To remove the date disc, the screw plug with flat sides positioned between 8 & 9 o’clock is turned through 90 degrees.
The date disc removed from the movement.
The upper plate holding the date disc shown turn upside down (left) revealing the indexing spring assembly for the date disc. To the right can now be seen the calendar change mechanisms.
The cam normally hidden from sight upon which the lever and jewel push as the watch is turning arming the date mechanism for an instantaneous jump.
The complete train driving the date mechanism to the left including the minute wheel.
The star shaped wheel is part of the rapid date mechanism that can adjust the date disc in both directions.
The setting mechanism.
Summary
For many generations the Navitimer housed different calibres that were shared by other brands which is often found in the evolution of watch houses.
The Breitling Manufacture Caliber 01, released in 2009 developed at the Breitling Chronométrie, the watchmaking facility the brand built in La Chaux-de-Fonds in 2001, illustrated their own manufacture and ‘completes’ one of watchmaking’s most classic models.
It has been designed to be produced in large volumes with consideration for future after-sales service. A combination of classic elements such as the column wheel, combined with new technologies used for pieces like the intermediate drive pinion have optimised effective elements of early and modern watchmaking.
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