The Breitling Watch Blog

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:

Forgot to post this when I uploaded it.. but Figured i’d give you all a heads up.

This is a video review of the Breitling Blackbird.. the newer one that is based on the same case as the Chronomat Evolution, with the faceted Pilot bracelet which is unique to the Blackbird. Very nice. This bad boy is 43.7mm in diameter, and worth every penny. Very beautiful and slightly more understated than the Chronomat Evo. It adds a big date complication and carries a slightly higher price tag than the Chronomat Evo. Dial is sort of a Matte finish, not commonly seen on any Breitling models.

For more info, you can go to the Blackbird page here: http://www.breitlingsource.com/watch_details/Windrider_13.html

I’ve been starting to try and branch out towards watches witha non-round shape. I’ve owned a few rectangular watches, such as a Longines Dolce Vita and some others here and there, but I really wanted to try a Tonneau shaped watch, aside from the knock-offs that people give you as gifts when they visit China. So I started first with a Franck Muller Casablanca, which I enjoyed, but it was a bit too clean and basic looking for me I think, considering that I was used to the complicated busy dials of Breitling.

Then I saw the Roadster again… Its a watch that I always admired and really liked the design of, and with my tastes maturing and the need to have something a bit more understated for business, the Roadster seemed perfect. Still a recognizable icon in the watch industry, with a bit more individuality than a Rolex. So I snapped one up.

The Roadster is an extremely well made watch, with a three-peice case. Tonneau shaped but a bit shorter than a Franck Muller from lug to lug. The Large Mens size model I bought is 38mm x 43mm, not including the crown. It wears very close to a typical 40mm Rolex. The models I picked up as the oldeer style dial, but still looks fantastic in my opinion. All the pictures were taken with my new Sony A200 camera with the Kit lens.

In the above pic you can see the blued steel hands and Luminous dots on the inner dial. The sapphire date magnifier is tastefully integrated into the crown area. The crown is not screwdown, so when you wind it you can just turn it.

The bracelet is a beautiful peice of work, with screwed in pins, in a very unique style. There are two screws, one on each side, and when you remove them, you push a pin out of the middle. The bracelet has that smooth, tight feel to it that reminds me of my Breitling Bracelets. The watch is all polished, but the bracelet is brushed in the middle links.

Here is a shot of the back, showing a bit more of the bracelet, and notice how the design of the crown even bulges on the back of the watch. That is a very nice attention to detail.

The obligatory wrist shot… showing what it looks like on my 6 3/4″ wrist. The bracelet sizes a bit loose on me. Unfortunately with those double butterfly clasps there is rarely a micro adjustment available, and many don’t have half-links either.

And here’s a rare movement shot of the Cartier Roadster. Very nicely finshed Cartier Caliber 3110, base ebauche ETA 2892-2, 21 Jewel movement. The rotor is decorated with the Roadster logo, which is a nice touch, rather than just a generic Cartier signed rotor, making this specific to only this model of watch.

As you can see there is plenty of circular graining on the bridges as well. Overall, a beautiful watch inside and out. I will be enjoying mine!

Here are the quick specs:
Movement: Automatic Calibre 3110 Movement (Base ETA 2892-2)
Case: Stainless Steel
Crystal: Sapphire Crystal w/Date Magnifier
Diameter: 43mm x 38mm

Well, I finally got my Breitling Black video review up! This is a very nice watch, and while does not have the polish of the Chronomat Evo, still looks pretty darn amazing on the wrist! In fact, the faceted bracelet might make it look more impressive. I really do like this Blackbird.