Skip to content
The Encyclopedia of Horology

Wristwatch · Chronograph with moon phases and calendar

Breitling Chronograph Moon Phases Wristwatch

Partially verified

This 18K pink gold wristwatch by Breitling, Genève, dates to the 1950s. It features a chronograph complication with rectangular buttons, along with auxiliary registers for seconds, 30-minute, and 12-hour intervals. The two-tone, matte silver dial includes applied pink gold pyramid indexes, an outer track calibrated for 1/5th seconds, and guilloché-finished subsidiary dials. Additional complications include a date function and an aperture for moon phases. The case measures 37 mm in diameter and 12 mm in thickness, with a stepped bezel and lugs. It is accompanied by an 18K pink gold Breitling deployant clasp. The movement, described as a rhodium-plated caliber with 17 jewels, utilizes a straight-line lever escapement, a monometallic balance, and a self-compensating Breguet balance spring. The watch is signed on the dial, case, and movement. The auction description notes the piece is in very good condition with original hands.

Front view of the Breitling Chronograph Moon Phases wristwatch showing the two-tone silver dial, guilloché subsidiary registers, and the moon phase aperture.
Front view of the Breitling Chronograph Moon Phases wristwatch showing the two-tone silver dial, guilloché subsidiary registers, and the moon phase aperture. — Antiquorum. Rights pending — permission not yet requested. Original source

Catalogue identity

Source
catalog.antiquorum.swiss
Category
Wristwatch · Chronograph with moon phases and calendar
Maker / attribution
Breitling
Reference
Not recorded
Catalogue / lot identifier
256
Source-reported date
1950s
Source-reported place
Switzerland
Source-reported serial
130001

Source-reported attribution and specifications are not independent authentication. A listing does not establish present ownership, current display, availability or permission to reproduce.

Object description

Case and Dial Construction

The watch is housed in an 18K pink gold case, characterized by a three-body construction with a polished and brushed finish. The design incorporates a stepped bezel and matching lugs. The case serial number is identified as 130001.

The dial is a two-tone, matte silver configuration featuring applied pink gold pyramid indexes. Timekeeping and timing details are facilitated by an outer 1/5th seconds track that includes 5-minute and 5-second Arabic markers. Subsidiary dials for the seconds, the 12-hour register, and the 30-minute register feature a guilloché texture, with a dedicated aperture provided for the moon phase display.

Evidence for this section
  • “c. Three-body, solid, polished and brushed, stepped bezel and lugs.”
  • “Two-tone, matte silver with applied pink gold pyramid indexes”
  • “guilloche subsidiary dials for the seconds, the 12-hour and 30- minute registers and the date, aperture for the moon phases.”

Movement and Escapement

The internal mechanism is an unspecified rhodium-plated caliber, identified in the catalog with the prefix '13' followed by illegible characters. It is constructed with 17 jewels.

Technical features of the movement include a straight-line lever escapement and a monometallic balance. The regulation is handled by an index regulator, and the balance assembly includes a self-compensating Breguet balance spring.

Evidence for this section
  • “M. Cal. 13???, rhodium-plated, 17 jewels, straight-line lever escapement”
  • “monometallic balance, self-compensating Breguet balance spring, index regulator.”

Condition and Attribution

The auction description reports the object as being in very good condition, assigning the movement and dial high grades. The hands are stated to be original.

The watch is signed on the dial, case, and movement. The provenance identifies it as part of an East Coast collection.

Evidence for this section
  • “Grading System Grade: AA Very good”
  • “Dial, case and movement signed.”
  • “Overhaul recommended, at buyer's expense”

Open research questions

  • What is the specific movement caliber number beyond the '13' designation provided in the source?
  • Does the 18K pink gold Breitling deployant clasp correspond to the original production date of the watch?

Source evidence

Recorded claims and source quotations for Breitling Chronograph Moon Phases Wristwatch
FieldSource-reported valueSource quotation
MakerBreitling“Breitling, Genève”
Case Number130001“case No. 130001”
Material18K pink gold“18K pink gold wristwatch”
Movement17-jewel rhodium-plated caliber“M. Cal. 13???, rhodium-plated, 17 jewels”
Dimensions37 mm diameter, 12 mm thickness“Diam. 37 mm. Thickness 12 mm.”

Visible details

  • Stepped bezel and lugs design
  • Guilloché-finished subsidiary dials
  • Applied pyramid hour markers

Research qualifications

  • Unidentified movement caliber number ending in question marks
  • Overhaul recommended per auction house report

Photograph identity and source facts were screened before import; rights clearance remains pending.

Consulted source

Breitling - Pink Gold - Chronograph - Moon Phases Breitling, Genève, "Chronograph Moon Phases," case No. 130001. Made in the 1950s. Fine and rare, 18K pink gold wristwatch with rectangular button chronograph, registers, date, moon phase and an 18K pink gold Breitling deployant clasp. To be sold without reserve

Reviewed 2026-10-26 · Record c2a96cf472

Terms in this record

Glossary explanations for terms named in this object’s record.