Letter from the Publisher

top left
Breitling, Navitimer Caliber 01
top right
Breitling, Transocean Chronograph Caliber 01
above
Patek Philippe, Ref. 5170 Chronograph
• 248 Grand Complications, Vol. VII
THe faSHIoN foR CHRoNoGRapHS MaDe “IN-HouSe”
Meanwhile, Breitling, which had also participated in the
development of the Chronomatic in 1969, has opted to invest in
making its own chronograph movement, Caliber 01. The latter
equips in particular the new Navitimer Caliber 01 and Transocean
Chronograph Caliber 01 models. Several other brands have now
made the same choice. for a long period prior to this trend, only
a few rare brands, or even full-fledged manufactures, had proved
able to develop and produce their own chronograph movements.
a large number of the mechanical chronographs offered under
a variety of signatures actually house an eTa 7750 Valjoux
movement, reworked to various degrees, and sold at widely differing
prices that are sometimes hard to justify. But things are changing.
The public is better informed and prepared to pay the price
for a chronograph from a well-known brand, provided it has an
exclusive or relatively original movement. The Swatch Group’s
announcement that it would cease delivering eTa movement
blanks as of January 1, 2011 has also spurred competitors to find
alternative solutions. In recent years, we have therefore witnessed
a growing number of chronograph movement developments
made in-house, often combined with innovative concepts.
The year 2010 was also a key year for the chronograph at
patek philippe, which presented no less than three in-house
movements and a number of new models, starting with the Ref.
5170 Chronograph, equipped with manually-wound Caliber
CH29-535 pS. The movement features a column wheel and
horizontal coupling of the toothed wheels. Though the movement
is classically structured, it is nonetheless protected by six patents.