The Breitling Watch Blog

As I rediscover my love for Panerai, it is through the PAM 250, which is quite a sporty looking Panny. The PAM250 Chrono Daylight looks quite a bit more modern than the Historic line offerings from Panerai. Very different than the Base models which Panerai is known for.

On the brushed stainless steel bezel is a Tachymeter scale, which goes further to create the somewhat sportier look of the watch. Pushers are discreetly integrated into the 44mm watch case and look very good, however my only complaint is that the lower pusher is difficult to push due to the Crown Lever covering it partially.

The shot above shows the quick change date mechnism that can be adjusted by pushing a pin into it. The instructions state that you can use the corner of the provided screwdriver, but I found that it did not go deep enough when I used mine. The Dial is a matte black which is typical of Panerai… very simple when compared to the likes of brands such as Breitling or Zenith. One nice feature of this dial is the luminous numbers on the subdials.

The second hand for the chronograph on this watch is interesting. While the rest of the hands are a matte black with Lume on them, the second hand for the chrono is a shiny silver metal color, in contrast the the brushed stainless that the rest of the watch has. I do not know why Panerai did that, but it seems an odd choice… having said that.. it does not seem too out of place.

As you can see, the strap is held in with the usual Panerai screw pins. The strap provided with this model is the Black Croco on Deployant, with an extra Rubber strap.

I feel that the size fits my sub 7″ wrist perfectly, and highly recommend this watch to anyone interested in a slightly more complicated Panerai, that isn’t necessarily interested in their historic models.

I recently posted a new Video review of the Breitling for Bentley Motors T watch with a black dial. Almost identical to the regular Motors, this watch has a different engine turned bezel and a two-tone polished and brushed finish to the case and bracelet. Oddly, this bracelet costs slightly more than the fully polished one on the Breitling for Bentley Motors.

Enjoy the video

I posted a Video review of the Cartier Roadster a couple weeks back, but did not get a chance to post it on here as I have been busy moving! Now that I have started settling back in I am catching up a bit on the posts. This Cartier Roadster was a surprisingly nice watch, and I liked it a lot more than I thought it would. My dad likes this Cartier so much that he has it right now and has been wearing it for the last couple weeks.

The Cartier Roadster has very good attention to detail in the case design and a very innovative bracelet attachment system. A user commented on the video that you have to be careful when wearing the watch, and not to wear it to a club as it can come off. I don’t doubt it.. if the mechanism fails it would go flying! But otherwise it is a great watch.. I don’t think it is a huge concern as it seems quite secure - but as always, YMMV. Enjoy.

My good friend Norman aka “Nubo” has posted a great review on the hunky chunky Marathon CSAR. Marathon is a Canadian company that produces products for military and other such entities. The Marathon CSAR is a huge watch, 47mm in diameter, and looks almost as big as a Breitling Super Avenger, but much more tool watch in character. Almost like a big Fortis. Enjoy Norman’s review!

Here’s a video review of a Breitling Super Avenger White dial that I did. This is the first generation of Super Avenger… it went through one change with the Pro II and larger Applied Wings logo, and next years model will lose the arabics and have trapezoidal indices instead.

The Super Avenger is a hulking watch and after some consideration, I decided that it is not the watch for me. Too big, though maybe one day I will wish I had one again!

The IWC Portuguese is one of the most recognizable classics in the IWC line of watches, having changed very little from generation to generation, though new variations have been coming out such as the F.A. Jones, 7 Day 5000 series Portuguese with the Pellaton winding system, and the new Regulateur Portuguese. The Portuguese Chrono is probably the most commonly seen variation of this IWC, and also the entry level model.

The one I have here is a Steel case, with Opaline dial and Gold Arabics and hands. The Chronograph hands are blued steel to differentiate them from the ones that tell the time. The movement is a modified Valjoux 7750 which IWC calls the Caliber 79350. The date wheel has been removed, and the seconds subdial moved from the 9 o’clock position to the 6 o’clock position. The movement is also the all gold-colored version of the Valjoux 7750 as you can see below.

The dial is a beautiful peice of work, with Guilloche subdials and finely lacquered writing, and the three-peice case is very well crafted. The bezel is polished stainless steel with a domed Sapphire Crystall, and the case and caseback are mostly Brushed Stainless. The Crocodile strap that came with it is on the thin side, but still quite serviceable. The only thing the watch is missing is a Date, but the dial would likely suffer from the addition of a date window.

A rear shot:

The case is 41mm in diameter, almost the same size as the Breitling Navitimer, and it wears very similarly as well. The style of the watch lends itself to the slightly older consumer as it is less sporty and more classic. Overall, an impeccable peice, with tons of history and style. Wearing the IWC brand tells those around you that you are a watch aficionado, not just a casual wearer.

Diameter: 41.5mm
Case: 3-Peice Stainless Steel
Strap: Crocodile
Crystal: Sapphire
Movement: IWC Caliber 79350

Video:

I did a review on a Tag Heuer Formula 1 Chronotimer that I had briefly in my possession. This was actually a pretty neat watch and I liked the way it looked on my wrist, but I figured if I didn’t keep the Breitling B-1, why would I keep this one? I’d make the typical excuse of wearing it for sports, but I would either wear a Casio G-shock or one of my Lings. That’s just the way it is.

I’ve also had a soft spot for Tag Heuers, and they are really making a move to the Automatic Swiss watch market. Enjoy the video

For a change, I decided to get myself a Franck Muller Casablanca watch.. Its now traded, but I really enjoyed it for the short time I had it. The Franck Muller is an interesting watch, very different from anything I’ve ever had, but very well made. The case has an extremely interesting shape, which Franck Muller calls their “Cintree Curvex” shape.

It looks really good on the wrist, and very large for it’s width because of its ellongated shape. The bracelet is a five-row affair, and reminds me a little of the Breitling Pilot bracelet, though without quite the finesse. A beautiful watch however that commands looks when its worn.

The movement inside is one of the most highly decordated ETA 2892 movements on the market, and I took a shot just for you guys to see:

Overall, a beautiful watch with a very distinct look but one that I find myself struggling to read.. the exploding numbers look fantastic but are difficult to get used to… So I’ll leave you with this shot.. and a video review.

Here is the video review that I uploaded today: