Front view
Dial, hands and bezel as delivered.
Case-back view
Case-back engraving and, where fitted, the sapphire display.
Movement
Calibre with its finishing and decoration.
On the wrist
Worn shot for proportion and strap drape.
Breitling · Chronomat
Breitling Chronomat 39 mm Ice Quartz
Reference 99978OR.53
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Breitling
- Collection
- Chronomat
- Model
- Breitling Chronomat 39 mm Ice Quartz
- Reference number
- 99978OR.53
- Year / era
- 2005 · 2000s — modern production
- Complication
- Minute repeater
- Movement
- High-beat automatic
- Case material
- Quartz TPT
- Dial type
- Ice blue
- Strap / bracelet
- NATO textile strap
- Water resistance
- 300 m
- Limited-edition status
- Regular production, not a limited edition
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 39 mm
- Case thickness
- 10.2 mm
- Case material
- Quartz TPT
- Bezel
- Fluted 18k gold
- Crystal
- Sapphire with internal AR treatment
- Dial
- Ice blue
- Hands
- Skeletonised sword hands, white luminescent
- Indexes
- Diamond-set hour markers
- Bracelet / strap
- NATO textile strap
- Clasp / buckle
- Folding clasp in matching case metal
- Water resistance
- 300 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 50E — High-beat automatic
- Movement type
- Automatic with micro-rotor
- Frequency
- 25,200 vph (3.5 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 5 days
- Number of jewels
- 25 jewels
- Complications
- Minute repeater
- Functions
- Chronograph, tachymeter, date
- Watchmaker
- The calibre is built in-house and adjusted in five positions before delivery.
Production & market
- Production period
- 2005 – 2014
- Limited-edition quantity
- Not applicable
- Current market information
- Trades close to retail on the secondary market, with steady demand for full-set examples.
Designer
Marc Newson
Marc Newson is an Australian industrial designer whose work spans Qantas cabins, Apple hardware and Jaeger-LeCoultre's Atmos clocks; his watch design reduces the object to pure geometry and legibility.
Historical significance
Breitling Chronomat 39 mm Ice Quartz sits within Breitling's Chronomat line, introduced in 2005. It carries the house codes established since 1884 — quartz tpt case, ice blue dial and high-beat automatic — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- Early production dials show a slightly different minute track, and collectors pay a premium for them.
- The reference was originally planned as a one-year run and stayed in the catalogue for well over a decade.
- The case is finished by hand, alternating polished and satin-brushed surfaces in a single pass so the edges stay razor sharp.
The House
Breitling
Brand facts
- Founding year
- 1884
- Founder
- Léon Breitling
- Headquarters
- Switzerland
- Tier
- Premium
- Major collections
- Navitimer, Chronomat, Superocean, Avenger, Premier, Top Time
- Signature technologies
- Proprietary case-hardening and polishing · Composite and ceramic case materials · Hand-applied guilloché dials
- Famous movements
- Spring Drive · Automatic, Swiss lever escapement · High-beat automatic · Automatic chronograph
- Notable watches
- Breitling Navitimer 40 mm Ice Sapphire (2000) · Breitling Navitimer 44 mm Skeletonised Platinum (2003) · Breitling Navitimer 43 mm Black Platinum (1962) · Breitling Navitimer 43 mm Slate Platinum (1996)
Brand history
Breitling has spent more than 142 years refining a single idea: a watch should outlive its owner. From the earliest workshop pieces to today's Navitimer, the house has balanced technical ambition with a recognisable design language, and its collections remain among the most closely followed by collectors worldwide.
Léon Breitling established Breitling in 1884, working from Switzerland at a time when precision was measured by hand. The founder's obsession with finishing and accuracy still defines every Breitling calibre produced today.
Historical milestones
1884
Léon Breitling founds Breitling in Switzerland.
1899
Breitling earns its first international recognition for precision timekeeping.
1969
The quartz era forces Breitling to redefine mechanical watchmaking.
1990
Breitling enters the modern collector market with its signature lines.
2024
Breitling continues to produce Navitimer, Chronomat, Superocean and other icons in limited numbers.