1960s Breitling Top Time Ref. 810 38mm Gold-Plated Chronograph Venus 178 — view 1 of 4 — View 1 of 4 · Image: Sphere Auctions LLC / LiveAuctioneers · original image source (opens another website in a new tab)

View 1 of 4 · Image: Sphere Auctions LLC / LiveAuctioneers · original image source (opens another website in a new tab)

Wristwatches · Wristwatch

1960s Breitling Top Time Ref. 810 38mm Gold-Plated Chronograph Venus 178

DocumentedDocumented from an auction catalogue; attribution as stated by the auction house.

Maker / attribution: Breitling (maker)
Date: 1960s
Historical period: Modern Mechanical Horology (1945 – 1969)
Country of origin: Switzerland
Object type: Wristwatch
Auction house: LiveAuctioneers auction archive
Lot: Item 215245142
Credit line: Auction lot record: lot 300, Exclusive Watches and Jewlery, Sphere Auctions LLC (2025), via LiveAuctioneers
Catalogue title (original): 1960s Breitling Top Time Ref. 810 38mm Gold-Plated Chronograph Venus 178 (English)

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Record summary

Catalogued by LiveAuctioneers auction archive (lot Item 215245142), this is a wristwatch by Breitling, made in Switzerland, dated 1960s. The Atlas places it in the Modern Mechanical Horology period (1945 – 1969) of its Wristwatches collection. The record is illustrated with 4 photographs.

Assembled from the source record's structured fields. Dates and attributions are given as the source states them; where a field is missing the Atlas leaves it blank rather than estimating.

Catalogue description

Lot description — Sphere Auctions LLC

Vintage Breitling Top Time chronograph wristwatch, reference 810, circa 1960s. Case size 38mm, gold-plated stainless steel case with pump pushers and signed “B” crown. Silver dial with three black subdials, applied gold-tone indices, luminous hands, red central chronograph hand, and tachymeter scale.Powered by the manual-wind Venus Caliber 178, signed “Breitling Watch Ltd.” Movement is visible with gilt finish and shock protection. Caseback marked “Breitling 810, Stainless Steel, Swiss Made, Water Resistant, Shock Resistant, Antimagnetic.” Black leather strap (aftermarket, unsigned).Condition: Running and fully functional. Case shows wear and plating loss, dial clean with light aging, crystal with minor scratches. Movement appears clean.

Historical context

Modern Mechanical Horology (1945 – 1969)

Tool watches for divers, pilots and astronauts; electric watches anticipate the electronic age.

The classic era of the mechanical wristwatch: dive watches, chronographs for motor racing and space flight, GMT watches for jet travel, slim dress watches, automatic calendars, and the rise of Japanese manufacturers alongside Swiss, American, German and Soviet industries.

Read the period in the timeline More wristwatches from this period Earlier: Golden Age of Mechanical Watchmaking

Atlas type guide

Chronographs and split-seconds watches

A chronograph is a watch with an additional seconds hand that can be started, stopped and returned to zero independently of the timekeeping. Louis Moinet built an early example in 1816 and Nicolas Rieussec a recording 'chronographe' in 1821; Adolphe Nicole's heart-shaped reset cam (patented 1862) made the modern return-to-zero possible. Split-seconds (rattrapante) chronographs add a second hand that can be stopped for intermediate times; flyback chronographs restart instantly.

Chronographs were essential tools for doctors (pulsometer scales), artillery (telemeter), engineers and sport. In wristwatches, Valjoux, Venus, Lemania and later the automatic chronographs of 1969 (Zenith El Primero, the Chronomatic Calibre 11 group and Seiko 6139) are milestones.

What to look for

Push-pieces on the case band or a single button in the crown (monopusher).
Subsidiary registers for minutes and hours; tachymeter, telemeter or pulsometer scales.
Column wheel versus cam control visible in the movement.
Calibre markings of specialist makers (Valjoux, Lemania, Venus, Landeron).

Dating clues

Pocket chronographs with heart cam reset: after 1862.
Wrist chronographs: from c. 1910; two-button designs from the 1930s.
Automatic chronographs: from 1969.

General guidance written by the Atlas editors about this kind of object. It is not a statement about this particular piece; for that, rely on the source record above and on physical examination.

Mechanisms mentioned

Chronograph — Complication
Shock protection — Component

Record completeness

Maker or attributionRecorded
DateRecorded
Place or countryRecorded
MaterialsNot in source
DimensionsNot in source
Narrative descriptionRecorded
Inscriptions / marksNot in source
ProvenanceNot in source
Several photographsRecorded

Editorial status: Documented — facts as published by the source; not independently verified by Atlas editors.

Explore further

Sources & image rights

Record source: LiveAuctioneers auction archive (opens another website in a new tab).

Image rights: © Sphere Auctions LLC / LiveAuctioneers — permission required (opens another website in a new tab).

Images are hosted by the Atlas for study and credited to their owner. Rights holders may request correction, credit changes or removal, or grant permission, via the editorial office.

Cite this record

"1960s Breitling Top Time Ref. 810 38mm Gold-Plated Chronograph Venus 178." LiveAuctioneers auction archive, Item 215245142. Catalogue record in The Horology Atlas, WatchMuseum.org, https://atlas.watchmuseum.org/museum/1960s-breitling-top-time-ref-810-38mm-gold-plated-chronograph-venus-17-b18dcc.