vintage
Breitling
Premier Chronograph Ref. 734
The prize of the collection. A 1940s Breitling Premier chronograph in a 37.5mm steel case, powered by the legendary Venus 178 — a column-wheel, manual-wind movement that many consider one of the finest chronograph calibers of its era. The salmon dial has aged into a warm copper patina, set off by blued steel hands and the elegant Breitling Premier script.
Specifications
- Movement
- Venus 178 manual-wind column-wheel chronograph (Cal. 178)
- Case Material
- Stainless steel
- Case Size
- 37.5mm
- Dial
- Salmon / copper, telemeter & tachymeter scales, blued steel hands
- Crystal
- Acrylic
- Strap / Bracelet
- Tan leather
- Reference
- 734
- Year
- 1940s
This is the one. A pre-Navitimer Breitling from the 1940s, back when the Premier line represented the brand’s dressier, more refined ambitions. The Venus 178 inside is a column-wheel chronograph — that satisfying, mechanical click when you start and stop the timing hand is something no modern cam-actuated movement quite replicates.
The salmon dial is the star. Decades of gentle aging have turned it a soft copper, and the three sub-registers, telemeter, and tachymeter scales give it a busy, instrument-like charm. Mounted on a tan leather strap, it wears like a piece of mid-century history.
