# Iraq Air Force Issue Breitling



## Roy (Feb 23, 2003)

Just picked this up with Iraq Air Force logo on the back.


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## Andy (Feb 23, 2003)

Oris custom made watches for a certain dictator to.


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## john b (Jun 11, 2003)

Andy, you've ruined my whole day. I love the 4 Oris models I have; but now every time I gaze fondly at any one of them, I'll probably see that evil, F*****g idiot.


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## ericp (Feb 23, 2003)

Could we have a photo of the back please...


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## raketakat (Sep 24, 2003)

He does have a nice bright "colgate" smile though. I wonder where he had his dental work done.


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## Griff (Feb 23, 2003)

John b,

That Saddam "Oris" will be a fake model, so don't lose faith in your Oris watches.


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## john b (Jun 11, 2003)

Thanks, Griff, I feel much better.


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## chrisb (Feb 26, 2003)

Griff said:


> John b,
> 
> That Saddam "Oris" will be a fake model, so don't lose faith in your Oris watches.


Griff, why should it be a Fake?

up until the early '90s everyone was happy to be associated with that regime, including U.K & U.S.A


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## Griff (Feb 23, 2003)

I think it highly likely it's a fake.............Andy to confirm?

It's also a watch style I've never seen the like of with an Oris name on it, an I doubt it is a style Oris have, or would have made, but we'll see. Does it look genuine to you, because it doesn't to me.


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## Andy (Feb 23, 2003)

I don't know anything about it.

I found it while I was browsing and kept it for a laugh.

I see Griffs point.

It looks nothing like any Oris I've ever seen but then who's to say that Oris weren't commissioned by Saddam himself to produce these, possibly as gifts to visiting dignitaries or to his faithful followers within his regime. He wouldn't be the first wealthy arab leader to do something like this.

It's amazing what you can get if you have the money to pay for it.

Having said that I bet if Oris did make them they are wishing they hadn't.


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## Roy (Feb 23, 2003)

I am 99% certain that the watch will be a REAL Oris. The Acapulco was a genuine Oris model.

They brought out many quartz watches in this style in the 1980's.


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## Gray (Sep 6, 2003)

Mr Hussein frequently sent his brother to Switzerland to find watches. On one trip alone a reputed Â£24m pounds was spent just on watches. Rolex, to be precise, who were happy to supply the regime for many years, along with many other brands. Rolex were favoured by SH for trusted aids.

The Breitling has a non Breitling winged logo, but it might be an emblem of the Iraqi air farce.


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## Nalu (Nov 28, 2003)

While it wouldn't surprise me to hear of yet another wretched excess by SH (I saw more 'personal' weapons than one person could fire in a lifetime in one of his armories), I'd point out that there are hundreds of SH portrait watches being sold to soldiers on the streets of Baghdad. Furthermore, forgeries of any copyrighted/trademarked item are commonplace there, whether watches, movies, clothes or whiskey. So I'd say the jury is out on the Oris.

The emblem on the front of teh Breitling is not that of the Iraqi AF, but I would be interested in seeing the back.


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## Griff (Feb 23, 2003)

Agree Nalu,

I'm not convinced that is a true Oris, but I'll keep an open mind on it!!


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## Roy (Feb 23, 2003)

Griff be convinced,

Look here :

http://www.chronometrie.com/baghdad/baghdad01.htm


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## Griff (Feb 23, 2003)

Jury still out, re the Oris


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## Griff (Feb 23, 2003)

In the event of this Oris not being a fake, I would have no doubt Oris would no more relate themselves to SH today, anymore than our own Government would now do in hindsight, since the days when we DID support him along with the US, many years ago, when Iraq was at loggerheads with Iran. It certainly shouldn't put anyone off the Oris brand, as they would no more promote SH today as us.


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## Roy (Feb 23, 2003)

> It certainly shouldn't put anyone off the Oris brand, as they would no more promote SH today as us.


I agree Griff,

If they did it with Zodiac's and Pateks then I see no reason why they would not do it to a quartz Oris.


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## Nalu (Nov 28, 2003)

Well, it looks as if the Breitling may be real - or at least counterfeited in quantities







. I still question the Breitling symbol - looks a little off to me (as Gray pointed out). The symbol on the back looks like the real thing and the Iraqi eagle on the Patek and other watches is real - I've seen silver service at an abandoned Iraqi officer's mess with that very stamp on it. In fact, just about everything in that country had either SH's mug or that eagle on it.

I've been to the 'thieves markets' of Baghdad. Anything and everything is available there and nothing would surprise me. They are much like the bazaars of any asian country, but more dangerous







.

Roy, you're the Jedi master - what does the force tell you on these pieces?


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## abraxas (Oct 21, 2003)

A few days ago I wrote some extracts from:

Military Timepieces 1880-1990, Z. M. Wesolowski

at another forum:

http://www.tz-uk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2356

and one of the extracts happened to be this:

pp162

Several days after the outbreak of the Gulf War*, a group of news reporters was holed up in a Tehran hotel. A soldier unexpectedly hurried into the foyer, and made an excited announcement then he produced a bag of watches and began to distribute them among the amazed foreigners â€" the idea seems to have been that the Iranians were claiming to have taken them from downed Iraqi pilots. In fact some 130 Iraqi aircraft fled into Iran, preferring internment to facing the Coalition airforces; these watches (quartz Breitling Navitimers) were presumably taken from their pilots ...

* The first Gulf War

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All the Iraqi Breitlings have those odd 'cheap looking' wings.

JD


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