In The Shop: A 1965 Breitling Co-Pilot, A 1972 Cartier Tank With Audemars Piguet Movement, And A 1983 Rolex Datejust With Papers

Summer is on the horizon, it’s the beginning of wedding season, and your weekends are currently packed with parties. Whether it’s a gift or a personal accessory, you need a watch – and we are here to help. This week, we have eight watches for your perusal: elegant timepieces for classy events, sport-inspired watches for your more casual outings, and ones that can go either way. Noble manufacturers, workhorse movements, and classic forms are the name of this week’s game.

1965 Breitling Co-Pilot Chronograph Ref. 765-CP

You’ll be excited to know that it was this watch, not the Rolex reference 6036, on Jean-Claude Killy's wrist during his amazing run at the 1968 Winter Olympics (that Rolex wasn't even produced in 1968 when Killy swept the Alpine races at Grenoble). The reference 765-CP (standing for Co-Pilot) was developed for pilots, with the Venus 178 movement modified to replace the 30-minute counter with a 15-minute counter typical for watches related to aviation. You can read more about this piece here. 

1972 Cartier Tank With Audemars Piguet Movement

It really doesn’t get any better than this, as far as basic Cartier Tanks go. The classic Tank design is rendered in yellow gold, with an enamel dial covering the slim Audemars Piguet movement within. It is understated, yet exceptional, and we absolutely love it. The thin manually-wound movement K2001/A is the heart of this piece, and the movement was also cased by Audemars Piguet in the 1970s, which was common practice for Cartier at the time. To learn more about this incredible piece, read on here. 

1983 Rolex Datejust Ref. 16014 With Original Papers

This Datejust comes with a bit of history in the form of its original sales receipt, punched guarantee papers, and pamphlet, indicating it was sold in Hong Kong in July 1984. The "4" at the end of the 1601 reference number indicates the presence of a white gold fluted bezel, which adds a subtle touch of luxury to an already sublime timepiece, and it works on basically any wrist for basically any occasion. Check it out here. 

The Full Set

Also on deck this week, we have a 1970s IWC automatic dress watch, a 1987 Rolex Oyster Date reference 15000 in stunning condition, a 1960s Breitling Sprint Reference 2010, a 1960s Zenith Respirator, and a 1970s Longines Ultra-Chron Automatic. See the full collection over at the HODINKEE Shop.