The Breitling Watch Blog

I’ve had some time now to sit with my Breitling Chronomat 44. Its a watch that took me a couple years to truly digest, and took me several years to convince myself to buy one. Now that I have owned it for some time, I’d like to share my deeper review thoughts.

Very well balanced dial and bezel composition. The bezel is thicker than on previous iterations, and the subdials have a very pleasant balance on the dial. The newer style rider tabs are a little less obvious than the originals, but also give it a cleaner look, and they don’t have the tendency to snag on clothing like the old ones did. This is the index model, rather than the more blingy roman numeral model, which I had reviewed before – I prefer this as it just sits better with me in the long run.

The inner ring between the bezel and the crystal has been lowered in height now, and doesn’t suffer as easily from dings and scratches anymore. A common problem for many Breitling owners. The entire face of the watch now follows a smooth contour, and feels very relaxed. it has grown into this new look quite well. The bezel is also a 240-click affair, quite precise.

The Crown and Pushers haven’t changed much in all these years, and it still features screw-down pushers and a rounded cone-shaped screwdown crown, aiding it to 500m water resistance. As you can see from the side, the bezel is still attached the traditional way, with 12 screws from the side.

Beautiful Breitling 5-row high-polish stainless steel bracelet, which is precision machined into one of the nicest bracelets out there. Breitling has chosen to go with swinging rather than fixed endlinks for a more contoured bracelet that will fit a wider range of wrist shapes. This is a good move I think, as free swinging endlinks tend to look better on more people.

The clasp is largely unchanged in over 20 years, and still looks great. The main difference that occured a few years back was the introduction of the raised wings logo on the fliplock.

Nice looking White-on-black date wheel. The Breitling 01 movement beating inside the Chronomat 44 features a fantastic 70-hour power reserve – almost 3 days. It also has the instantaneous date-change mechanism, which is really cool and a great feature for preventing accidental damage. Additional features that one might not notice are the column-wheel chronograph and auto-centering reset hammers for the chronograph.

Nice close-up of the dial to show the fantastic dial-work and great application of writing and lettering on the Chapter Ring as well as the indices.

Finally the wristshot! Its a beauty, and the 44mm diameter looks fantastic on my 6.75″ wrist. Not too big, not too small – just the right amount of wrist presence. I’ve always liked contrasting subdials and the white subs on black dial really look great on the Chronomat 44. I’m very happy with my Chronomat 44, and think that its a great choice for watch enthusiasts out there that are keen on Breitling’s design.

Half a century of airborne feats

Breitling celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Patrouille Suisse by dedicating to this exceptional team an exclusive version of the Chronomat, complete with personalized dial and engraved caseback. Issued in a 1,000-piece limited edition, this authentic aviation chronograph once again reflects the special ties between the Swiss brand and the world’s elite pilots.

In 2014, Switzerland and the aviation world are celebrating a double milestone: the 100th anniversary of the Swiss Air Force and the 50th anniversary of the Patrouille Suisse.

1964 saw the official creation of an aerobatics team composed of professional air force pilots. Initially comprising four and later five British Hawker Hunter Mk 58 jet fighters, the Patrouille Suisse switched to six planes in 1978 and began giving its first demonstrations beyond national borders. Since 1995, it has established itself as one of the rare aerobatics teams on supersonic jets by flying six American F-5E Tiger II fighter aircraft recognizable by their red and white livery. An outstanding ambassador of Swiss precision and excellence, the Patrouille Suisse regularly performs at shows around Europe, providing stunning displays that delight spectators and have already earned it numerous distinctions.

An authentic aviation chronograph
As a privileged partner of aviation, Breitling enjoys a longstanding relationship with the Patrouille Suisse that has already led to the creation of several personalized models. The brand now joins the team’s 50th anniversary celebrations by launching a limited edition of its stellar Chronomat model in its dual-time version. An authentic wrist instrument for pilots, this mechanical chronograph featuring a sturdy satin-brushed steel case is distinguished by a black dial bearing the flight team logo at 9 o’clock, framed by a rotating bezel with inlaid rubber numerals. The second hour hand, tipped by the outline of a red F-5E Tiger II, serves to display the second timezone in 24-hour mode in a very simple manner via an extremely practical crown-adjustment system. The 24-hour scale on the bezel also enables a third timezone reading. The engraved caseback bears the official 50th anniversary logo, topped by the limited-edition number. Water-resistant to 200 meters (660 ft), the Chronomat 44 GMT “Patrouille Suisse 50th Anniversary” houses Manufacture Breitling Caliber B04, a selfwinding chronograph movement entirely developed and produced by Breitling and chronometer-certified by the COSC (Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute), the highest benchmark in terms of precision and reliability and the only one based on an international norm. Sturdiness and high performance expressed in a technical and masculine style: a fine tribute to 50 years of airborne feats.

Really digging this new LE from Breitling.. not just a Blacksteel case, but they threw in a 24hour movement, the Breitling Caliber 22. Combine that with the cool stenciled 24-hr arabic dial and you have a winner. I personally like the extra effort put into this model. Additionally, they released a new strap called the offroader for it, which is a canvas military style strap.

SUPER AVENGER MILITARY LIMITED SERIES
An elite force

A concentrated blend of power, precision and functionality, the new Super Avenger Military chronograph by Breitling certainly lives up to its name. Its rugged steel case, water-resistant to 300 meters (1,000 ft), features an ultra-resistant carbon-based black coating. The result is a non-reflective stealth look clearly geared up for the most extreme missions. The equally black dial provides a 24-hour “military time” display to avoid any potential confusion in the heat of action. The offroader strap is made of a durable and comfortable synthetic fabric such as those adopted for their operations by the elite armed forces. Issued in a 500-piece limited edition, the Super Avenger Military is also distinguished by its screwed-in pushpiece guards, its large screw-locked crown with non-slip grip guaranteeing maximum functionality; its thick glareproofed sapphire crystal, as well as the oversized hands, hour-markers and numerals ensuring optimal readability. A true instrument for professionals, it is equipped with a selfwinding movement chronometer-certified by the COSC (Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute) – the highest official benchmark in terms of precision and reliability, as well as the only one based on an international norm. Super Avenger Military: an elite force on the wrist.

See the watch on the official Breitling Website:
http://www.breitling.com/en/models/avenger/super-avenger-ii/versions/limited-editions/

The Chronolog 2014 is available!

The new Chronolog 2014 is now available at your nearest official Breitling retailer.

Tokyo, 6th November 2013 Yves ‘Jetman’ Rossy has completed his first flight in Asia choosing the iconic Mount Fuji, Japan as a symbolic backdrop for this milestone flight.

Flying above the famous snow-capped peak, at up to 185mp/h (300km/h) looping and rolling with his jet powered carbon-Kevlar® wing, Yves Rossy enjoyed a unique perspective of the famous landmark most people only see from the ground, or simply from TV and photos.

Yves Rossy commented:
“Flying here for me is a dream. It is such a contrast flying free with just a wing on my back, compared to being enclosed in a cockpit as an airline pilot. It is hard to describe the emotions and feeling of having an opportunity like this, it’s spiritual, it is immense. I am the lucky guy who gets to do this, but I hope I can motivate the next generation of forward thinkers to do something different, to strive and achieve their goals… even if it seems impossible.”

Following the recent tour of the Breitling Jet Team in Japan, Breitling, a watch brand synonymous with aviation, is pleased to support these outstanding achievements, which are part of activities marking the 150th anniversary of diplomatic relationships between Switzerland and Japan.