Breitling ref. 817 Italian Army Issued Chronograph with Original Box, 1970s

Dealer description — Bulang & Sons

Issued watches have always been a key part of the Bulang and Sons story, and today we’re proud to offer a rare and historically fascinating Breitling that was issued to the Italian Army. The Breitling 817 was introduced in 1975 as a dedicated tool watch for Italian Army helicopter pilots—and in some rare cases, it was also issued to platoon commanders of the Battaglione Paracadutisti Carabinieri Tuscania. These elite soldiers trained as paratroopers at the Folgore Paratroopers Brigade School in Livorno, Tuscany. Their operational terrain often included the steep mountains of Sardinia and Calabria, where they were tasked with tracking down kidnappers, gangsters, and members of the notorious Camorra. The 39mm stainless steel case remains in excellent condition, with a sharp and well-preserved profile. The black dial with painted Arabic numerals is beautifully intact, as are the original hands and 60-minute bezel insert. It's understood that a number of these watches were officially decommissioned by the Italian military and later sold at auction. This fine piece is coming on the original “Fixoflex” expanding bracelet, and the original box is also included, with on the back side “cronometro da polso mod.1 UNIF / Breitling 817” as per military order! This cool military chronograph with its hand-wound Valjoux 236 movement has been fully checked and regulated by our watchmaker. We would love to discuss this watch with you in more detail. Get in touch and let’s chat! Specifications: - Breitling 817 Chronograph - Black dial with luminous Arabic hours - Issue number: E I 04xx, dates to 1970s - 39mm steel case with bi-directional 60-minute bezel - Breitling / Valjoux 236 manual wind movement - Original box signed Breitling with military order numbers - Comes on the pictured “Fixoflex” bracelet - Fully checked by our watchmaker