The Breitling Watch Blog

Sometimes I get great email, with some great suggestions that I’ve had on the block, but sometimes gives me the extra motivation to work on it. This is the email I got today:

“Hi.
I love your site. It’s an incredible resource for
newbies and old timers who collect. My only request is
a data base that includes rarities and limited
editions. I know there are many that I do not know
about, and would appreciate any assist your site can
offer in the future!”

I really would like to get some of the Limited Editions up there, but there are so many and they are so hard to find examples of that I have relegated it to the bottom of the list for importance. I still have tons of other things to add to the site.. Reviews, more articles, and tons of watches that I still have not posted yet! But if you guys have some more info on limited and special editions please email me with the info!

Got an interesting email this morning:

“I was wondering if you could help me out or let me know if this has ever
happened before.

I purchased a Chrono Avenger II from a certified jeweler in Sydney
Australia in 2002 (about 5 years to the day that I purchased it). This
morning, I looked at the watch face to find that the Breitling wing logo
had detached from the watch face and was sliding around in the case.

I could see to very small pins in the back of the wings and the watch face
had two very small holes from where the wings had come loose.

Has this ever happened that you know of?

My wife brought the watch to a Breitling certified jeweler and they said
two months to fix…and to add insult to injury, it apparently is not
covered under warranty.

Thanks.”

I’ve removed the signature to maintain his anonymity, but I get similar emails every day from site visitors asking me about things that have happened to their Breitlings. I’ve seen the applied logo fall off before, but the Chrono Avenger does not have an applied logo so i’m not quite sure how this happened… must be a different watch.

Anyway… does anyone else have any stuff like that going on ever? weird.

Well, only Rolex, Blancpain, Vacheron, and Ulysse Nardin videos right now… but the B’s will come. I’m working on getting lots of Breitling vids up, and hopefully lots of people will enjoy them.. but right now I have 9 videos up of general watches and watchmaking movements type things… check ’em out! The link is listed there on the right, but there will be more.

http://youtube.com/profile?user=breitlingsource

Since I picked up that Silver Navitimer in Toronto, I’ve been wearing two Navi’s…. one of them is a Black model with the Valjoux 7750 style layout, using the Breitling Caliber 13 movement. I think I will be getting rid of this one… If anyone is interested, my asking price is $2300US Shipped + paypal fees 😉

Anyway, this is a great watch… very classic, and the colors Black with white subdials and outer ring are instantly recognizable as a Breitling Navitimer. What better way to start off a Breitling Navi collection right? I am hoping to snag a larger Heritage in either white with black subdials or black with white subdials… this one is dubbed the Old Navitimer II, and is a 2002 Model. COSC ceritfied with all boxes and papers. I really liked wearing this one with a suit, and it keeps time to within 2 seconds a day.

Band is well made, but will need to be replaced. Has a quickset date which is a plus. The new model does not!

Beautiful back and excellect construction… I will be buying more Navitimers in the future. Possibly a Navitimer world or maybe a Heritage next. I also want a Chrono SuperOcean or Chronomat Evolution soon! So many watches, so little time. Keep ’em sharp!

The Navitimer keeps great time, within COSC specs… has a great curved Anti-glare sapphire crystal, and looks fantastic on the wrist. The packaging, as with all Breitling watches is very nice. Though I really like the newer style Breitling pacakging that includes the travel case!

Movement: 9/10
Case/Crystal/Crown: 9/10
Dial/Hands: 9/10
Strap / Buckle / Bracelet: 8/10
Accuracy: 9/10
Comfort: 8/10
Packaging / Manual: 8/10
Overall Impression: 9/10

I’ve been scouring the entire line of Breitling, past and present, to try and develop a must-have list of Breitling watches that I need in my collection. There needs to be a Breitling watch for every occasion, and sometimes the yearning for a non-Breitling watch affects that. Just now I purchased a new Ball Hydrocarbon GMT watch… which I have wanted for a long time. Well, I’ve wanted some sort of Ball Watch.. the GMT was just what was recently available. The 42mm Mad Cow version is quite desirable to me too.

Anyway, I feel that with approximately 12 Breitlings, you can achieve all reaches and areas of Breitlings without breaking the bank.

Classic Navitimer
You have to have a Navitimer, and the basic model is good for all-round Navitimer Goodness. Perhaps on a steel bracelet for a somewhat sportier look.

Navitimer Olympus
Next Navitimer to get is the Olympus. Get this one on a Crocodile strap, extra class, and even goes with a suit.

Breitling Flying B
How can you NOT get this watch? When i have $10K to drop on a watch, this is the one that’s gonna get bought. Big, and rectangular, and a Breitling. Very Cool. Jump hour, too!

Bentley Motors T
The new Bentley Motors T with the snazzy bezel design is very attractive to me, and would fit the bill of the one and only round Bentley in my collection. I do like the 6.75, but Between that one and the Crosswind special, i’ll take the Crosswind…

Crosswind Special
The Breitling Crosswind special… in my opinion the nicest Windrider series watch that Breitling has ever made, and now its gone. Big date, Chronograph, almost 44mm diameter.. what more could you ask for!?

Wings Automatic
You need a smaller Breitling for those days when the big watches are just a little too much.. the Wings Auto is the best small watch that Breitling has ever made. Period.

Headwind
Possibly my favourite Breitling ever. I love the day/date configuration that’s set up like the rolex, but with much more presence. This watch has got to be one of my all-time favourite designs ever.. unfortunately it was not a runaway hit for Breitling. I need one in every color!

Original Blackbird
Since we need to have a Chronomat platform based watch here, the Blackbird is a good choice. Not the new blackbird, which is essentially the same as the older Crosswind special without the character, but the original one, which is a somewhat stealthy version of the Chronomat. Very cool, subtle, and slick.

Airwolf
EIther this or the B-1 will do it. I prefer the styling of the B-1, but the Airwolf is always very pleasing to the eye. A lot of people don’t like the new airwolf quite as much, and demand for the b-1 on the secondary market has gone up because of this. But the classic dual LCD with Analog layout should be represented with this watch, as it is superior to the Aerospace.

Chrono Avenger
To satisfy our need for a Titanium Chronograph, we look to the Chrono Avenger… other Titanium models from Breitling are inferior to this popular beast of a watch. Leonardo Di Caprio wore one even!

SuperOcean Steelfish X-Plus
Gotta have a watch that goes 2000m into the water, so why not go with this revamped classic!

Colt Quartz
Last but not least, we need to have a quartz analog model in there, and the Colt is the one to fit the bill. The watch is bomb-proof and will be useful in conditions where a lot of banging around may occur… and when you dont need the complexity of the Airwolf or the B-1.