The Breitling Watch Blog

Well, here’s my second installment of the high-quality fake analysis. This time I’ve got a fake Breitling Chrono Avenger on the block, and i’m going show you guys what’s wrong with this replica, so you can check to make sure you know all the signs.

They did a good job copying the original with this one, right down to an almost perfect all Titanium case. The Titanium feels a little bit different to the touch than the real ones do, however, the fake is still Titanium, which is pretty impressive. They did miss some pretty major things, and this one is not as good as some of the replica’s I’ve seen, but it is the best Chrono Avenger fake I’ve seen.

Check out the video, and keep yourself informed so you don’t get duped!

I’ve been slowly adding to the series of articles on my website on how to make sure you identify those fakes Breitlings out there. There are plenty of folks out there just ready to take your hard-earned cash and replace it with a cheap replica. Be armed with the information you need to make informed choices.

Currently there are three written articles:
General Rules on Spotting Replicas
Spotting a Replica Dial
Spotting a Replica Caseback

And one more video article examining a Fake SuperOcean steelfish which has already been posted here. There will be an article on a fake Chrono Avenger up soon which should be very useful for people.

Also on that page is a series of other articles that can be handy for identifying things about your watch such as date of birth and tutorials on how to properly size your watch for maxium comfort. Keep checking back as this page is also getting new information added to it.

http://www.breitlingsource.com/articles.shtml

I got an email once asking me if the Breitling Caliber 23 had a quickset date, and I replied that it did not. And, it doesn’t, which is odd, since the previous Caliber 13 has one. The Caliber 23 is used in the current standard Navitimer with the 3,6,9 subdial layout.

I got to thinking, about how some of the older non-quickset Navi’s had the ability to let you change the date by turning the hour hand back and forth over the 12 midnight marker and how you could advance the date much more quickly that way, and I wondered if I could do that with my Navitimer. I didn’t want to mess with the date since I would have to move it all the way around to get it back to normal so I tried to look it up online, and found that there were others with this question as well and no answers.

Well I have the answer, and the short answer is yes, kinda. The date can be quick advanced by moving the hour hand to about 8:30pm on mine, then back over 12am.. and the date changes. That is quicker than advancing it all 24 hours. Your watch may not need to go all the way back to 8:30, but mine is about that.

I purchased a diamond bezel for my Chronomat Evo a while back, and put it on film for you guys to see. Its not everyone’s taste, but I enjoy it quite a bit. There are 2 carats of diamonds in this bezel, and for the money it is pretty cheap as far as getting a nice bit of bling on your Ling.

This bezel has the side-mounted diamonds as well as the front-mounted diamonds on the bezel.. I was quite adamant about having both. It is significantly cheaper to only have the front bezel-mount diamonds, which would have totaled 1.2 carats.

Breitlings look good with diamonds, and I will always stick to that!

Most of the newer Breitling bracelets are adjusted with fine screws, such as jewelers screws, rather than pins. A question often asked is how do you adjust them? In fact, here is an email that someone sent me a couple of days ago:

“hello…i stumbled upon this site in search of info on the old colt automatic. i just purchased a NOS Colt Auto I (ca. 2005) and was wondering if you can point me out to articles on how to size the fighter bracelet..”

So I figured I would post a Youtube video demostrating how this is done. I accidently went off screen at one point but its still servicable! Hope this helps:

Here’s an interesting question that someone asked:

“I have had my Brietling Navitimer for about a week now. I have a question about long term use of the chronograph. I just like the way the watch looks with the second hand sweeping around the dial. Is there any significant downside to just letting the chrongraph run all the time? I would guess the time the watch can run without being wound is reduced. Also, I worry about the extra wear on the movement. Does anyone else let there chrongraph run all the time? Any other comments?”

Well, the Valjoux 7750 is not designed to have the movement running continuously, however it is not going to destroy the watch. There will be extra stress on the movement and it will not be quite as accurate as if you ran it without the chronograph running. Also, It will also drain your power reserve faster. Some watches have a power reserve with and without chronograph running rating, usually about 10% less with the chronograph running.

Hope that answers your questions!

Here it is! I know a lot of you have been waiting for this one… the Breitling Chronomat Evolution video review. What a watch.. and now you can see it u close and personal before committing to an online purchase… or if your AD is just too far away. Take a look.. and enjoy.

Got an email today:

“What’s the value of a 1998 Breitling Windrider model # b10350 (like the picture but with gold tips, markers and hands), and where, and to whom, could I sell it? Its in good shape, ordinary wear from wearing it notwithstanding, but in surpisingly good shape. It came from Paris and has French on the back “Chronometre Officiellement Certifie”. Is this typical?
thanks for your help”

Well, to answer the question, that is Swiss-French on the back.. the one of the languages spoken in Switzerland. Its a swiss watch, not French. But Swiss-French is very much like French I am told!

Another neat tidbit