Marca: Breitling
Modello: 817 Folgore
Referenza: 817 CP1 Folgore Lot
Diametro: 39mm
Anno: 1974 – 1975
Corredo: Scatola Garanzia Msellati, certificato origine asta 40 Folgore 817
Quadrante: Nero
Vetro: Plexiglass
Materiale della Cassa: Acciaio
Materiale della Lunetta: Alluminio
Materiale del Bracciale/Cinturino: Acciaio – Maruman Flex original
Chiusura: Flex
Condizioni: Usato, Ottimo

Unico vero Folgore in vendita in tutto il mondo

Unique, the last of notorious “Forty Ghosts of the Folgore” (The 185th Paratrooper Regiment for Reconnaissance and Target Acquisition (RRAO) “Folgore” is a unit of the Italian Army Special Forces, specialized in direct actions involving the engagement of remote targets. The regiment is based in Livorno and operates under the command of the Army Special Forces). Conditions NOS, probably one of the most well preserved Breitling 817 part of the lot acquired from the Italian Government. These watches commissioned by the Italian Army during the seventies are a true myth. Worn by heli-transported rangers of the 185 RAO Folgore Unit (an excellence in terms of military units) these watches are meant for only top world clients and collectors. Comes with its original list of the 40 pieces batch that have an traced origin and were found closed inside a locker of the Folgore Unit some years ago. Original Maruman flex steel bracelet, serviced movement, untouched case with original sticker on the caseback. This watch is suitable for auctions as it is a true piece of history, highly collectable.

Unico, l’ultimo dei famigerati “Quaranta Fantasmi della Folgore” (il 185° Reggimento Paracadutisti per la Ricognizione e l’Acquisizione Obiettivi (RRAO) “Folgore” unità delle Forze Speciali dell’Esercito Italiano, specializzata in azioni dirette che comportano l’ingaggio di obiettivi remoti. Il reggimento ha sede a Livorno e opera sotto il comando delle Forze Speciali dell’Esercito). Condizioni NOS, probabilmente uno dei Breitling 817 meglio conservati del lotto acquisito dal Governo Italiano nel 2016. Questi orologi commissionati dall’Esercito Italiano negli anni Settanta sono un vero mito. Indossati dai ranger elicotterati del 185° Reparto RAO Folgore (un’eccellenza in termini di reparti militari), questi orologi sono destinati solo ai migliori clienti e collezionisti mondiali. Viene fornito con la sua lista originale del lotto di 40 pezzi di origine tracciata e ritrovata chiusa all’interno di un armadietto del Reparto Folgore alcuni anni fa. Bracciale originale Maruman (made in Japan) in acciaio flessibile, movimento revisionato, cassa intatta con adesivo originale sul fondello. Questo orologio è adatto alle aste in quanto è un vero pezzo di storia, di grande valore collezionistico.

“Very rarely do you hear about watches being sold on a government website. Yet, the Italian Ministry of Defense made a spectacular announcement last September when it revealed that it would auction 40 pieces of the military-issued Breitling reference 817, all in one single lot. This was a very exciting news on many accounts, and not only for vintage Breitling enthusiasts. The Breitling reference 817 is an extremely elusive chronograph, manufactured in 1975 for the helicopter pilots of the Italian Army. One can only imagine the small size of the overall production, and the even smaller number of surviving pieces, with fewer than 40 having been accounted for up until now. A couple of months after the auction, it is now time to think about what effect these “new” Breitlings, all suddenly reaching the market at once, have on the vintage market and the value of this historic military chronograph. The Breitling 817 looks like a military watch through and through; from its stark black dial and bezel to its outstanding legibility, everything on this watch is about functionality first. This chronograph actually looks very similar to the Leonidas CP-2 that was also utilized by the Italian Army, as well as to the Heuer Bund trusted by the pilots of the German Federal Republic Forces. The Breitling is nonetheless a successor of both better-known watches, being produced solely in 1975. Its features are far from random, as they answer the requirements of the Italian Army for its CP-1 and CP-2 classes, the 39.5mm case of the 817 matching the size of other CP-1 watches exactly. Interestingly, this Breitling was never offered in a civilian version.

These strings of digits allow us to establish that all reference 817 were produced in 1974/1975, and they also allow us to trace the surviving examples. A seasoned Breitling collector kept a list for years, and totaled 31 different examples, although this list does not claim to be fully comprehensive in any way. For instance, a bit of digging allows us to discover the numbers 054, 424, 475, and 462 too. Furthermore, Italian collectors confirm that they have seen many more examples in the local market (very logically since all 817 were issued to Italian forces), though there’s less documentation there.

These watches originally came on a Japanese-made expanding bracelet, and were housed in a box reading “Cronometro da Polso Mod. 1 Unif.,” again a mention of the CP-1 standard that this chronograph followed, with the notable exception of the flyback complication (maybe explaining the “Unificato” which would mark an evolution over the original CP-1). Note that the overall presence of the lume, which strangely ages differently between the painted numerals and the handset. The former tends to turn greenish while the hands take a darker yellow, if not orange, patina. This seems to be normal and correct across all the known examples. This historical introduction leads us to the recent group sale, with 40 of these chronographs being offered all at once in October 2016. ”

Ogni nostro orologio viene revisionato prima di essere proposto per la vendita e viene garantito per la durata di 24 mesi grazie ai nostri elevati standard qualitativi. Forniamo inoltre certificato di lecita provenienza ed originalità delle parti.