The Breitling Watch Blog

First of all, I should mention this is the 44mm Chrono-matic from 2006-2008, not the larger more commonly seen Chrono-matic 49 that was produced from 2009-2011. This is still a substantial watch that has considerable wrist presence due to its 44mm diameter.

As shown above, I have the watch mounted on a Navitimer Bracelet, with the swivel end lugs, which is different from the fixed lugs that all of the modern Navitimers have.

Just for kicks, here is a photo of one of the original Breitling Chrono-Matics from the 70’s. Second watch from the left:

The above photo was taken from one of the 70’s catalogs that I have scanned on the site here if you are interested.

As you can see, there are some similarities between the vintage and the modern version, particularly with the execution of the bezel, case and hands.

The Breitling Chrono-Matic features a two-subdial layout with date at 6 o’clock and a left-crown designed case. The movement is the Breitling 41LC Caliber, which is based on the ETA 2892 but is modified for a Left Crown layout.

The watch’s sapphire crystal features Anti-reflective coating, as evidenced by the bluish hue on the crystal’s surface, and the striking red chronograph second hand further enhances the watch’s retro-styling. I particularly like the interlaced boxes that surround the subdials and the date.

The back of the watch is the standard “vintage” Breitling caseback, featuring a vintage style and stylized “B” on it, similar to the case back that is used on the SuperOcean Heritage line.

Here is a side shot on the wrist, to show how lean the watch is on the wrist. It is not a thick watch, and wears quite well. I believe it is officially listed at 13.6mm.

Overall a superb watch that gains me many compliments. For some reason the combination of the silver dial and the retro style just tick all the right boxes and balances really well. My wife even tried to take it away from me! Not often something that happens, particularly with a Breitling.