The Breitling Watch Blog

Well, now that the dust has settled after the Basel release of the new Breitling models, its time to think and reflect. Breitling surprised many with the slimming down of their trademark “chunky” Avenger line earlier this year and many picked them up when they hit the market in June. The Super Avenger II and Avenger II Seawolf were slimmed down a bit in specs, while the new Avenger II was slimmed down quite a bit to 43mm. The new Avenger II GMT is also weighing in at 43mm. Breitling is a frontrunner and a trendsetter in the watch industry. While many may disagree with that, there is no doubt that Breitling is one of the pioneers of the big-watch movement, and now they have slimmed down their Avengers… an interesting direction.

There have been several discussions on the BreitlingSource Forums regarding the size of the Super Avenger 2 in the past, and how the watch actually wears larger than the previous model, despite the .4mm smaller measurement. The new Super Avenger has a larger crystal, but is substantially thinner, giving the watch a different feel on the wrist. I personally prefer the new size, having tried one on.. which inspired me to talk a bit about the new Avenger II line.

The Avenger II Seawolf, on the other hand I have not had a chance to try on yet. I’ve seen some chatter about the differences but so far I’m prefering my own Avenger Seawolf Steel original. The new Bracelet seems a bit off to me on some of the models while it does appear to work on some of the others. Again, even though this model specs at .4mm smaller, it “looks” bigger. Possibly due to the overall change with the larger Crystal and thinner bezels on the Avenger II line.

The Avenger II and Avenger II GMT are almost like completely different watches than the previous Avenger II. There are some great pics posted from one of our users with his Avenger II. Well, the GMT IS a totally new watch to the Avenger II line, and in my opinion Breitling shrunk these down to 43mm in order to fill a void that was left in the brand when they decided to extinguish the Colt Automatics. With the departure of the Colt GMT, cutting the Avenger down to 43mm would make it a in-between for buyers that would be searching for a colt. The Avenger II GMT doesn’t appear to be available yet, at least not here a couple weeks ago.

Overall the line is sitting well with me. I was a bit surprised when I heard about the drop in size initially, but the Super Avenger is still healthy and large… and in fact wears larger in my opinion than its predecessor. I took the time to try them on and quite like them. I think I might need more time to completely digest the Pro III bracelet, however.

It was only a matter of time – Breitling would be launching a Blacksteel Cosmonaute that looks awesome with its all-black dial and subdials to go with the brushed blacksteel case. Breitling’s successful Blacksteel watches have now invaded the Navitimers! When it was revealed at Basel, the watch was mounted on a Ocean Racer rubber strap, which I’m not sure if I personally liked the presentation. Perhaps with the inevitability of the Navitimer Blacksteels to come, they should make a blacksteel oriented strap or bracelet that suites the Navis.

From Breitling:

“Intersidereal darkness

The first spacegoing wrist chronograph enters a new orbit with an exclusive and technical all-black version issued in a worldwide 1,000-piece limited series.

On May 24th 1962, Lt Commander Scott Carpenter orbited the earth three times aboard the Aurora 7 capsule. On his wrist was a Navitimer featuring a 24-hour graduation serving to distinguish day from a night – an absolute necessity in space. This space conquest pioneer joined the Breitling collections under the name Cosmonaute. 50 years after its first flight in 2012, the Navitimer Cosmonaute is pursuing its odyssey in a new and highly original version featuring a case in black steel created using a highly resistant carbon-based coating. The dial and counters of this high-performance chronograph are in the same black color, enhanced by luminescent indications and small red hands. The Manufacture Breitling Caliber B02, chronometer-certified by the COSC (Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute) features two key characteristics true to the original model: a manual winding system and a 24-hour display.The famous Navitimer circular slide rule enables pilots to perform the entire range of calculations relating to airborne navigation directly on the wrist. The engraved caseback bears the official Aurora 7 mission insignia. Issued in a numbered 1,000- piece limited series, the Navitimer Cosmonaute Blacksteel is fitted with a black rubber strap further enhancing its tech-savvy, masculine appearance.”

The Latest Breitling Relationships Forged This Year

Breitling has really endured and thrived as one of the current times’ world renowned, luxury Swiss watch brands. And this year, the Swiss brand has been really busy partnering with many industries from poker tournaments, to French car racing, and of course, in aviation.
Here are some headlines that showcase the Breitling brand at its finest:

Poker Event Highlights
Having class and a high standard that are looked up to by other watch brands, it’s not rare to see Breitling watches being part of poker tournaments and events. Poker has recently increased in popularity thanks to an online gaming boom during the mid-2000s. That mentioned, discussions of poker competitions and Breitling watches have also increased. Although there has been no recent news on partnerships between the Swiss watch manufacturer and current poker competitions, online forums and some news sites are full of speculation about a potential partnership. In our forums, discussions have already come up regarding the Chronomat, SA, and Navi being worn by three poker finalists in the recently held Commerce Casino World Poker Tournament. There was also an online conversation about a very popular Finnish poker player who currently lives in the French Riviera’s Monte Carlo. “The Finn” poker professional has been seen wearing a Breitling Super Avenger timepiece. It should be noted that he has been acknowledged as a prominent poker player in the most prestigious card game tournament, the World Series of Poker (WSOP). That said, it wouldn’t be far fetched to see more poker professionals wearing Breitling classics in the ongoing WSOP 2013 or even the upcoming Partypoker World Poker Tour in Cyprus, France, and the US. Besides, there has already been a WSOP professional who has won a Breitling watch, although it was from a different tournament as blog site MyItThings.com recalls.

Breitling for Bentley

Now this news should already be expected. The Swiss watch company has already been known to be the sponsor/partner of Team Bentley during their 2001 to 2003 season of the 24 Hour Le Mans competition. On that note, it is high time that they celebrate their 10th year anniversary with a commemorative series. “The Breitling for Bentley 10 Years Watch features a design inspired by Bentley vehicles, sporting a radiator grille, an openworked dial, a wheel rim-looking sculpted rotor, a sapphire caseback, knurled motif bezels, and special calibres. The watch boasts a self-winding chronograph movement system that has a 70-hour power reserve, vertical coupling watch, and column wheel”. The commemorative series released three versions namely the Bentley B05 Unitime, the Bentley B04 GMT, and the Bentley B06. You can even look out for these new timepiece models during the poker events mentioned above to see how good they look in person.

With Aviation, Breitling Will Always Be There

More than poker tournaments and French car racing, it is in the aviation industry that the Breitling timepieces have been moulded to become classics. In celebration of 60 years of service, Patrouille de France once again partners with Breitling. To honour the long years of service by the precision aerobatic demonstration team of the French Air Force, the Swiss watchmaker comes up with the Breitling Chronomat 44 Patrouille de France which will only have 600 pieces released. Bellesmontres.com has the full details of this celebration.

At long last, my video review of the venerable Breitling Chronomat 01, featuring the Breitling 01 Caliber in-house chronograph movement. It is such a great mainstay and revived flagship model for Breitling. A great evolution of the previous Chronomat (Evolution) model that evolved from the original 40mm Chronomat that was an icon for many years at Breitling. Watch Trends move nearly as quickly as mobile phone trends these days, so manufacturers have to keep on top of these things!

Breitling launches a new dial for their ultra-functional Transocean Unitime watch, dubbed the Unitime Pilot. The Pilot is basically a clean-dial version of the Unitime that does away with the globe and contrasting subdials. Additionally, the steel versions feature a satin finished case as opposed to a polished case. Gold models are still polished. There is also a limited edition of 1000 pieces in Stealthy Blacksteel with Blacksteel bracelet – very cool. Specs are otherwise identical to the regular Transocean Unitime.

Basic specs again for Unitime: 46mm Diameter Case, 15.4mm Thickness, 100m Water Resistance, Breitling 05 In-House Calibre, 70hr Power Reserve. Check out the stealthy Blacksteel on Blacksteel Ocean Classic bracelet:

From Breitling: A true aviator’s chronograph

The Transocean Unitime Pilot combines an innovative Manufacture Breitling caliber featuring an ultra-practical worldtime system, with a technical look echoing Breitling’s grand tradition of watches for aviators.

From the first Breitling onboard chronographs in the 1930s to the legendary 1952 Navitimer, along with countless models dedicated to skyborne heroes, the black dials with white indications have always been a token of recognition as the best instruments for pilots. The Transocean Unitime Pilot highlights this understated, readable and functional design by teaming a satin-brushed steel case with a steel mesh bracelet. Thanks to its entirely crown-adjustable worldtime system (one smooth move corrects all indications, including the date, either forwards or backwards), this high-performance automatic chronograph proves the ideal partner for all those who – whether in the cockpit or the passenger compartment – constantly juggle with timezones around the world. Manufacture Breitling Caliber B05 with its patented mechanism is chronometer-certified by the COSC (Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute), the ultimate benchmark in terms of precision and reliability. The Transocean Unitime Pilot is also available with a blue dial, a polished red gold case, as well as in a 1,000-piece limited series with a black steel case and bracelet. Each to his own flight plan.