The analog 1:1 fake Breitling AVI ref. 765 is quite a popular watch and not so easy to come by. No wonder it became the role model for a re-edition three years ago. Equally, it was no surprise that the release was quite a success. The 15-minute totalizer with lumed indexes is so unique, and the super-cute, tiny syringe hand is a detail that will make you melt.
Staying cool and waiting for a 765 AVI “Lucy Digital”
Despite everything I just said, I never wanted to pull the trigger on either the original or the reissue. The reason was pretty prosaic: I knew another cheap replica Breitling ref. 765 was out there but with a major twist — a date window that is not a date window at all. To explain, 10 out of 10 people and maybe 99 out of 100 people think it is a blurry date hiding in the square window. Only after you press the chronograph’s start pusher and wait for 60 seconds do you realize it’s actually a 15-minute counter.
Let’s start with Lucy
There used to be petty disputes about which brand was the first to present a watch of this style to the French Air Force, with Breguet Type 20 fans fighting for primacy. While Breguet ultimately won the contract thanks to a flyback function, history is not only about fables and rumors, and there are dates to rely on. Breguet presented the Type 20 prototype in 1954 but didn’t start delivering it until 1959. AAA quality fake Breitling not only presented the 765 AVI six years earlier in 1953 but also put it into production in April of that year. To end all the pointless discussions, the Swiss movement replica Breitling 765 AVI was nicknamed “Lucy,” like the remains of the earliest-known woman, the australopithecine dated to about 3.2 million years ago. To learn more about why Lucy was called Lucy, you can read my article on the Top Unusual Watch Nicknames.
Analog vs. Digital
Since I learned that there was a cheap fake Breitling 765 AVI Lucy Digital, the analog version always left me stone cold. I have seen it listed and offered online so many times, but not a single time did I even bother to look at the details. It seemed way too boring to me in comparison to the Lucy Digital. To catch the latter, however, is not so easy. There were only a couple of them that resurfaced in the last few years, and you want to be well educated on them before you decide to pull the trigger. You don’t want to end up with an incorrect bezel or hands.
