The Breitling Watch Blog

Coming out on DVD August 2015 is the new documentary movie “The Watchmaker’s Apprentice“. This is a story of Dr. George Daniels’ rise from poverty to become one of the most notable watchmaker’s of our time and how Roger W Smith embarked on a journey to become his apprentice. Dr. George Daniels is the inventor of the co-axial escapement used in Omega’s line of watches.

This should be an interesting movie and I am looking forward to watching it. It has the last known interview with Dr. George Daniels before his death in 2011. Here is a preview of the movie from 2012 – its been a long time in the making:

Preview Clip – "The Watchmaker's Apprentice" from Dave Armstrong on Vimeo.

An exclusive first look at the much talked about documentary 'The Watchmaker's Apprentice', about Master Horologist George Daniels and his only student, Roger W Smith. The full documentary, which features the last interview Daniels gave before his passing in 2011, will receive an exclusive early preview at Salon QP 2012.

Documentary conceived, filmed and produced by DAM Productions Isle of Man:
www.anotherdam.com
Contact: dave@anotherdam.com

For more information visit: www.rwsmithwatches.com and www.salonqp.com

As seen in The Telegraph online.

The hand-wind Breitling Navitimer Cosmonaute Ref. A12322 is one of the coolest Breitling Navitimers out there. It is the last in the line of manual hand-wound Cosmonautes featuring the B12 Caliber Movement, and also has the 24-hour dial that, while harder to read and mentally process, is just so darn awesome. I’ve been wanting one of these for quite some time, and when a friend decided to sell his I took the opportunity to add to the herd.

This one is the classic black dial with white subdials with the tri-compax layout. It also came mounted on a dark brown Breitling Strap, but it was quite worn so I purchased a BOB strap to put on there in a tan/saddle brown. The B12 Caliber movement does not have a date, but does have a Chronograph complication in addition to the 24hr dial. On days when I just want a super-complicated looking dial, this watch fits the bill in every way!

The sapphire crystal, like most modern Navitimers, is domed and AR-coated showing a bluish hue. The seconds subdial is located at 9 o’clock (based on 12 hour dial, not this 24 dial of course!), the Chronograph Minutes at 3 o’clock and Chronograph Hours at 6 o’clock. The pushers operate as normal with the start/stop at the top and the reset at the bottom.

The case measures the original standard Navitimer 41.5mm, same diameter as the Old Navitimer and other original models. Newer models like the Navitimer 01 feature larger 43mm cases. The lug width is 22mm, like most Navitimers as has a 14.25mm thick case – much thinner than most Navi’s because the manual winding B12 movement does not have a rotor.

The caseback is the classic Breitling Navitimer style, with the COSC engraving on it. This model was one of the latest sold roughly from 2001-2002, that featured the manual winding COSC Caliber B12 before this watch was discontinued, and is quite rare to get in this configuration. The majority of these watches found on the secondary market are Pre-COSC.

This is a unique and very collectible Breitling that will be unlikely to be ever released again, especially with the Breitling Cosmonaute being released a couple times in a 43mm version with the handwind in-house B02 movement.

Specs:
Model: Cosmonaute (Lemania)
Production Years: 1992-2001
Gender: Mens
Case Materials Available: Steel, 18k
Movement: Breitling 12
Power Reserve: 42 Hours
Water Resistance: 30m
Bezel: Bidirectional
Crown: Push-Down
Crystal: Sapphire
Diameter: 41.5mm
Thickness: 13.3mm
Weight: 69.8g
Bracelet: Navitimer
Lug Width: 22mm

One of the more exciting quartz releases to come out of Switzerland in recent years is this neat Omega Speedmaster Spacemaster Z-33. I picked this up as part of a package deal along with another Omega watch even though I was not totally interested in this one, but the friend that sold it to me wanted them both gone to fund another purchase.

The Spacemaster Z-33 is inspired by the original Flightmaster 1969, which shares the same case shape/style, though the Z-33 is titanium. It features a brand new multifunction quartz movement, and is designed as a pilot watch and even features a log book for logging flight times.

The Grade 5 Titanium case sits at 43 x 53mm in size, and is quite thick. The analog screen is a cool black LCD with red segments in it that adapts to ambient light in order to be visible in low as well as regular lighting and bright lighting conditions. There is also a red LED backlight when things get really dark. The Red really pops in the day time outside lighting and looks fantastic. Its an interesting technology and really sets this watch apart from others in the category.

The back features a resonator panel in beautiful polished titanium complete with Speedmaster logo in order to make the alarm sound louder. The casework on this watch is very impressive, and definitely feels a cut above in terms of comparing with the other speedmasters somehow. There is an exceptional amount of care taken in the design.

This version of the watch was selected with the leather strap and titanium deployant, a superb combination I think. While it looks fantastic on the rubber, the leather just gives it a little something-something that gives it just a touch of personality to it. The 21mm leather strap has special locked-in-place lug ends that prevent it from swiveling once installed on the watch – a common Omega strap feature.

Overall this is just a really bad-ass quartz watch from Omega. It pushes the envelope in terms of design, and also takes a lot of risks in order to give buyers a watch that will really stand out on the wrist, in a multi-function quartz package. This is the “runway piece” of Omega’s collection – few people will buy it, but everyone will love looking at it and talking about it. I get a lot of compliments and comments on this watch when I wear it.. it is an impressive piece.

Specs:
Features: Chronograph, Perpetual Calendar, UTC, Alarm Features, Pilot Log
Movement: Caliber 5666
Crystal: Scratch Resistant Sapphire Crystal
Water Resistance: 30 Meters / 100 Feet
Case Size: 43mm x 53mm

A bit late on this post, but I figure better late than never! Was away without real internet for a bit so now its back to business!

Breitling releases another Ladies model, this time featuring its new SleekT Tungsten Carbide bezel in the smaller 38mm Chronomat form factor – the new Chronomat 38 SleekT. These are by far the cleanest bezels ever produced by the company, in stark contrast to Breitling’s normally busier designs.