The Breitling Watch Blog

Just remembered to post the Omega Speedy Pro Sapphire Sandwich review I posted a few days on youtube! Video review of the not-so-true-to-the-original Speedmaster Professional. This one has the Sapphire glass from and back, to the chagrin of the purists. The original has the Hesalite crystal front, and solid caseback. Since I am not going to the moon, nor is the actual watch I am buying the watch that went to the moon, I prefer this version. Its the practical man in me. Harder to scratch, and I like to see the movement!

Doxa’s, love ’em or hate ’em, they are an icon when it comes to Diver watches. The 600T-Graph is a limited edition model (as all Doxas are) of usually 250 per year per style, and each year the dial colors and configurations change so they are always unique. There is a screwed-in plaque that indications the year of the model, and in this case the model year is “2005”.

This is the Sharkhunter model of the 2005 600T, and features a black dial with a 3-register chronograph that has both orange and white highlights on the subdials. In the background you can see the heavy-duty aluminum tube that all Doxa watches ship in. The movement is a high-grade ETA 2894 base. Lume is excellent on the 600T and easy to read in little to no-light situations.

The case diameter measures 44.70mm, and features a solid numbered caseback and sapphire crystal. The unique Decompression Dive Table bezel is a bit smaller in diameter than the main part of the case, giving the watch a somewhat smaller appearance than the 44.70mm case diameter would suggest.

A side shot showing off the inlaid plaque with the year of issue. The 600T-Graph is the thickest of all the current Doxa models, and has a much chunkier wrist presence than its brothers. I personally like the extra thickness and the matching beads of rice bracelet is very comfortable and compatible with all the Doxa models. The clasp on the bracelet is a standard fliplock style that is common to all Doxa as well as many other manufacturer bracelets. Adjustments to the bracelet are via push pins.

Finally the wrist shot! On my 6.75″ wrist, the Doxa wears quite comfortably, and does not appear overly large. The watch does lean towards top-heavy when worn on the wrist so tends to look better when the bracelet is worn tighter rather than looser. Pushers and crown are all screw-in adding to the reliability of water resistance. While the Doxa style isn’t for everyone, it does have an original style with tons of heritage behind it. The Doxa watch is for the Clive Cussler fan as well as the man who wants a watch that not everyone has.

There she is! My Breitling Avenger Seawolf. Its been a while since I picked up a new Breitling, and considering that this is the Breitling Source, I figured it was about time. I’ve been wanting several of the new exhibition back B01 limited editions since they’ve come out, but they are pretty pricey and dealers have been reluctant to offer any discount whatsoever, meaning that they are all around $8000+. That means this Avenger Seawolf in stainless steel will have to tide me over until I can scrounge up the scratch.

Beautiful pale yellow dial doesn’t draw too much attention but gives it that little bit of “je ne sais quoi” that gives it some diver pedigree – as if the 10,000ft water resistance wasn’t enough 😉 The dial features a bit more llume than the previous Seawolf with the large markers at 12, 6 and 9 – a welcome addition to Breitling’s typically stingy lume. Arabics are not silver nor lumed, contrary to what you might think. They are a gunmetal chrome color, which seems to fit well with the dial.

The Helium escape valve is located at 9 o’clock, and is pretty necessary for a watch that is good down to 10,000ft. Even the 5000ft rated SuperOcean has an escape valve, but that’s it for similarities between the two watches. The Avenger Seawolf shares the case style of the Avenger series of watches from Breitling, being very similar to the Avenger Chronograph, but actually thicker, due to the increased water resistance.

The watch measures 45.4mm in diameter, and features the Breitling 17 Caliber automatic movement. To find out the rest of the specs see the Breitling Source page here: http://www.breitlingsource.com/watch_details/Aeromarine_181.html

The Avenger Seawolf comes on either Rubber/Leather straps or the fantastic Pro II bracelet. I think the watch works best on the brushed Professional II by far, and possibly the new Rubber Deployant if you are going to be going into the water a lot with it. Unfortunately the Pro II doesn’t have the raised Wings logo.

Another shot of the great dial featuring all the writing declaring the 10,000ft water resistance and COSC certification. The watch is only available in stainless steel, and a few dial color options: Yellow, Slate-Grey, Air Force Blue, Volcano Black and Stratus Silver. The watch is also available now with the Baton markers instead of the Stencil Arabics, though I greatly prefer the Stencils numbers.

And finally, the wrist shot! The massic 45.4mm case sits very nicely on my 6.75″ wrist, and doesn’t seem too large like the Super Avenger does. I think this is the perfect large size watch for me and am really glad they went to this size for their Not-So-Super Avenger sized Cases. Thanks Breitling for making such a great watch!

Finally got a video of my PAM 320 posted on youtube, and here it is! My Panerai Luminor 1950 3 Day GMT in all its glory 🙂 I am still enjoying this watch very much and its quite frankly the most perfect Panerai I’ve ever owned. It has a minor complication (GMT) visible on the front, leaving the dial uncluttered, and two discreet complications that make the watch special, namely the rear power reserve indicator and the second reset when the crown is pulled out. Enjoy!

I never really liked the Radiomir style watches from Panerai, even though I tried them on many many times. It wasn’t until one day I picked up a Risti-Scorned RXW MM25 Radiomir watch from a local fellow that it grew on me and I just had to buy this Panerai 183 when a guy I knew was selling it. In addition to the OEM strap, it came with a Kaktus strap which is what its shown on.

The Panerai Black Seal 183 is the model one up from the Base 210 Radiomir and features a small seconds at 9 o’clock and has the words “Black Seal” printed on the dial. It features a curved Sapphire crystal and exhibition caseback as well as a great black sandwich dial that glows like a torch. The PAM183 is a current model that has been in production since 2004.

The movement is an OP XI, based on the Unitas 6497/2 which is heavily modified by Panerai with custom bridges and other fanciness. This one is Chronometer certified, unlike the 210, which does not since it doesn’t have a second hand. With the new 3000 series movements from Panerai, this may soon be the end of these models.

The signed Panerai crown is nicely made, and is a screwdown crown – uncommon for handwind watches. But then Panerai watches are anything but common. The Crown on the 183 is easy to wind, and looks great with the blasted background behind the polished Officine Panerai logo. The lugs are inserted into the case and held in by screws. There are tiny rubber o-rings in the screws and lugs to prevent water from getting into the lug hole and rusting it from the inside out. Smart.

While its not too difficult to change straps on the 183, its nowhere near as easy to do as it is on a Luminor case, especially with the quick release.

And finally, the wrist shot. The 45mm Radiomir case is perfect for a semi-casual vintage style watch, especially when mounted on an aftermarket strap like this Kaktus strap shown. When mounted on an OEM strap, the watch dressed up quite a bit. The smaller 42mm Radiomirs are much more dressy than the 45mm 183 here, and would likely be better candidates if that was what you were looking for. The Panerai PAM183 that I snagged is a good in-between watch that wears especially well with jeans and a t-shirt in my opinion – the only thing I sometimes miss is the date function