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Breitling Top Time 'Long Playing' 815, 1970s — view 1 of 6
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Wristwatches · Wristwatch

Breitling Top Time 'Long Playing' 815, 1970s

DocumentedDocumented from a dealer's listing; attribution and date as stated by the dealer.
Maker / attribution
Breitling (maker)
Date
1970s
Country of origin
Switzerland
Object type
Wristwatch
Dimensions
Case 38 mm
Stock no.
Product 1385848012887
Credit line
Dealer listing, S.Song Watches (product 1385848012887)
Catalogue title (original)
Breitling Top Time 'Long Playing' 815 (English)

View the source record (dealer listing) ↗ (opens another website in a new tab)Suggest a correction

Record summary

Catalogued by S.Song Watches (dealer), Seattle (stock number Product 1385848012887), this is a wristwatch by Breitling, made in Switzerland, dated 1970s. The Atlas places it in the Quartz Revolution period (1969 – 1990) of its Wristwatches collection. Recorded dimensions: Case 38 mm. The record is illustrated with 6 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

Dealer description — S.Song Watches

The Breitling 815 Long Playing is a perennial favourite amongst watch collectors and it is not hard to see why. With a large stainless steel 38mm case and a reverse panda dial with a beautiful silver sunburst finish, it is a very accessible watch especially for those first getting into vintage. Breitling was amongst one of the top chronograph producers and this 815was the successor to the previous 810 Top Time. Released in the 70’s, this was a classic sports watch that was nicknamed ‘Long Playing’ by collectors due to its unusually long power reserve. The 52-hour power reserve was achieved by using a longer mainspring. The particular 815 example you see here is a transitional model as it still features the ‘Top Time’ text on the dial and an 810 engraving on the caseback. This Breitling is powered by a workhorse Valjoux 7730, a very common movement used for chronographs in the 70’s. With its good looks, muscular case and Breitling brand name, the Ref. 815 Long Playing remains great value in the vintage watch world.

Historical context

Quartz Revolution (1969 – 1990)

Seiko's Astron begins mass quartz timekeeping; traditional industries contract sharply.

Quartz and digital watches transformed the market after 1969. Swiss employment collapsed, Japanese and Hong Kong production soared, and the Swatch (1983) helped the Swiss industry recover; mechanical watches survived as luxury goods.

Read the period in the timelineMore wristwatches from this periodEarlier: Modern Mechanical Horology

Atlas type guide

Wristwatches

Bracelet watches were worn by women from the early nineteenth century — Breguet made one for Caroline Murat, Queen of Naples, in 1810–12 — but the wristwatch only became a man's instrument with military use and aviation in the early twentieth century. Between the World Wars it overtook the pocket watch; the 1920s and 1930s brought rectangular Art Deco cases, water-resistant cases and the first automatic winding systems.

After 1945 the wristwatch became a carrier of identity — dress watches, sports and dive watches, chronographs, calendars — produced by Swiss, American, Japanese, German, Soviet and Chinese industries. The quartz revolution after 1969 and the mechanical renaissance since the 1990s, including the rise of independent watchmakers, complete the story.

What to look for

  • The reference number (between the lugs or inside the case back) and serial number, the starting point for dating.
  • The calibre: its maker and number are often stamped under the dial or on the bridge.
  • Originality of dial, hands and crown — refinished ('redial') dials are common.
  • Case material marks: 18K/750, 14K/585, stainless steel, gold-filled, plated.

Dating clues

  • Wire-lug cases: before c. 1925.
  • Water-resistant screw-down cases: from 1926.
  • Quartz movements: from 1969; sapphire crystals widespread after c. 1980.

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.

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