The Breitling Watch Blog

I’ve posted video reviews of both Ticino Big Pilots of Youtube, and here they are for you guys to check out if you haven’t seen them already. Both are 47mm reproductions of the Nav B-uhr Pilot watch from WWII. Manual winding Chinese unitas copy movements.

Bell & Ross finally introduced a GMT version of it’s popular BR01 Instrument watch at Basel World this year. The model is a standard 46mm BR01, with a 24 hour fixed chapter ring for the GMT hand to point at. This model does not offer a moveable chapter ring. The movement is an ETA 2893 movement, and the crystal is AR Coated sapphire.

The other new Release for Basel 2009 from Breitling is the new Breitling for Bentley Motors Speed. This is really just another Motors with a new dial. The new Black Velvet dial does look interesting, with the raised chrome edges around the subdials. While I like this model, I already have a Motors T (and previously a Motors), and this would be too much of a duplicate.

Very nice. Same specs as the Motors.

Movement: Automatic, Breitling 25B calibre, COSC-certified chronometer, 38 rubies, 28,800 vib/h

Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, date, 30-second chronograph, 15-minute and 6-hour totalisers. Variable tachometer

Case: Steel or 18K red gold (limited to 500 pieces), 48.7 mm
Convex sapphire crystal, anti-reflective treatment on both sides
Ratcheted rotating bezel with variable (circular slide-rule) tachometer
Water-resistant to 100 m

Dial: Black Velvet, Silver Storm or Bronze for the steel or 18K red gold models
Neptune for the steel version only
6-hour, 15-minute and small seconds at 6, 9 and 3 o’clock respectively
Date window at 4.30

Bracelet/Strap: Barenia leather, crocodile or rubber strap, or metal Speed bracelet

The new body for the in-house Calibre B01 from Breitling has finally been announced and pictures shown at Baselworld! The new Chronomat has a 43.5mm case, which is very similar to the last Chronomat, with Stainless Steel, SS/18k and 18k Rose Gold options. The new Bezel is an inverted bezel like the kind seen on the Rolex Yachtmaster.

Dial Colors are Antarctica white, Pearl, Onyx black, Riviera blue, Metallica blue, Sierra silver, Mirage red, Amber or Metallica brown for all case versions. Blackeye blue, Blackeye grey, Pearl grey and Pearl grey diamond for the steel case version and Pearl diamond for the two-tone, steel & gold and 18K pink gold versions

Pictures Below!

Just so you guys know what you are missing out on, all Andrew Michaels owners club members get access to exclusive raffles of cool stuff and also get great added value benefits from Andrew Michaels, an authorized Breitling Dealer, which also happens to be one of the biggest, with a current stock of over 600 Breitling watches!

To join the Andrew Michaels Owners Club (AMOC), just join the Breitling Source Forum and go to the Andrew Michaels owners club section to find out how. Its easy! Only requirement is that you own a Breitling.

Or April Raffle will be for a pair of Breitling Earplugs, a Breitling Lanyard, a Breitling T-shirt, Breitling Swizzle sticks and Breitling Coasters!

Even Schaumburg is getting into the movement game, similar to the way Nomos started, by significantly modifying ETA movements. Whereas Nomos began with te ETA/Peseaux 7001, Schaumburg is using the ETA/Unitas 6497. The movements are the SW07.9.1 and SW07.9.

The new Schaumburg movements are very impressively modified. Some of the more unqiue adjustments that they have made include:
- Glycudur Screw Balance
- Nivaflex Main Spring by Schwab Feller providing 90hr Power Reserve
- German Made 3/4 Glashutte-Style Plate, Rhodium Plated and Decorated Extensively

Not only that, but the new watches are on a completely different level as previous watches from Schaumburg L&B, and these new entries really do take the company to the next level.

Very Impressive.

Some pretty awesome stuff from Bulgari this year… mostly what I am really impressed with is the Sotirio Bulgari watch.. This thing is amazing. Check out the stuff below:

BVLGARI presents the new”Bulgari Bulgari” Moon Phase watch

The “Bulgari Bulgari” collection, the icon of the Bulgari watch line, is updated with a new model for women.
In this exclusive version, the 38 mm case has a characteristically linear and contemporary design that renders this precious timepiece unmistakable. The white mother-of-pearl dial is embellished with diamond pavé and hand-mounted markers. The white alligator skin strap has a folding steel buckle. Water resistant up to a depth of 30 metres, it features an automatic B77 Calibre mechanical movement with a 42-hour power reserve. It also marks the phases of the moon and is embellished by Côte de Genève and Perlage treatments.

The “Bulgari Bulgari” Moon Phase model will be available at all Bulgari stores and selected dealers starting from May 2009.

BVLGARI PRESENTS the new SOTIRIO BULGARI watch
125th anniversary edition

In the mid 19thcentury, Sotirio Bulgari articulated a vision of elegance that has since proven capable of transcending the boundaries of both time and space. The young Sotirio sensed the new spirit of his time and, assembling his formidable arsenal of artistic and artisanal skills, left Greece for Corfu and then went on to the recently unified Italy. His enterprising spirit upset many existing schemes, anticipating practises that would become standard only much later. It is to this remarkable man – multicultural voyager ahead of his time, entrepreneur, aesthete and founder of one of the world’s most respected jewellers and watchmakers – that Bulgari dedicates, on the occasion of its 125th anniversary, three watches as extraordinary as the history that began with Sotirio Bulgari.

Watches characterised by a classic style reinterpreted in a contemporary key. A perfect synthesis of innovative design and manufacturing skill, they are distinguished by their sophisticated workmanship and great attention to detail. These new timepieces represent the Bulgari’s vision of a formal watch, featuring manufacture movement, dials finished with exclusive treatments and a unique design. Unique as the exclusive flip-over back case and the pure bezel characterised by the absence of the Bulgari logo and the lugs. Characterised by a converging inclination they are a prominent feature in these Sotirio Bulgari. Their particular construction (they are integrated in the back case) meets the challenge of offering high shock resistance in spite of the reduced size. As testimony of the endless care for detail even the crown as been personalised (with the Sotirio Bulgari historical hallmark) as the sapphire crystal that is curved and enriched by the antireflective treatment

The argenté dial is made in house by Bulgari; the Roman numerals and faceted indexes are applied by hand. The skeleton hour and minute hands are faceted. The watch strap is made of black alligator skin with an 18 cts Bulgari ardillon buckle.

The BVL 250 calibre automatic movement is made of 250 components. The watch has 55 hour power reserve, 32 rubies and 28’800 vibration/hour (4 Hz). It has a diameter of 25.60 mm and is 3.73 mm thick. The bridges and the main plate feature an exclusive design and are embellished by côtes de Genève, diamantés and perlage treatments. The customised oscillating weight features colimaçonné treatments and its 18 cts weight is enriched by a satiné circulaire treatment. The shape of the bridges and the weight of this calibre were redesigned to highlight the creativity of the watch and reveal as much as possible of the movement with its sophisticated finishing. These testify to the sophisticated Swiss savoir faire that went into the making of this watch and were executed in full compliance with the qualitative parameters established for haut de Gamme movements. All edges are diamantes as are the sinks around the jewels. The 18 cts gold oscillating segment is finished with a satiné circulaire treatment, while the central part is colimaçonnée. The Swiss finisseurs’ standard of craftsmanship is evident by the exclusive care taken in decorating even the smallest components, such as the screw heads, which are polished.

Dedicated to our founder these new timepieces are the tangible proof of Bulgari’s tireless quest for perfection.

I’ve reprinted some of the articles that Roffensian posted on the forums for those of you that do not frequent them. They are very informative and the three that I have posted cover the General Mechanical watch, The Perpetual Calendar and the Minute Repeater. They are beginner articles on how these movements work and what they do.

Very cool stuff… I’ve linked each one individually:

How a Mechanical Watch Works
Minute Repeater
Perpetual Calendar