The Breitling Watch Blog

I wrote a new article on some of the differences between the good fakes and the real Breitlings. Not a super intensive definitive guide on a model-to-model basis, but rather a general guide as to what to look for and where the fakes falter.

I included some pics to illustrate the differences.. I hope you enjoy the article!

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

This video I made last week, and showcases a Project I made, after purchasing half a dozen Breitling dials on ebay. I got them for a decent price, of $1 each, unfortunately the guy charged me almost $10 each to ship! I guess he was unhappy about the ending bid price. I ended up getting a custom Matte made for a frame that I picked up that would suit the dials. The outcome was very nice, and I finished it up with a metal sticker/label with custom Breitling text written on it.

The dials are mounted on fiberboard and attached to the matte and then set into the frame. Great way to add Breitling decoration to the den!

Have you ever wondered what exactly the COSC Certification for mechanical watches entails? I have – So I looked it up.

There are three labs all located in Switzerland that do the COSC certification: One in Geneve, one in Le Locle, and one in Biel/Bienne. The entire testing process takes 15 days, and the watches are tested in five positions. The watches are tested as movement only, and do not come with hands or anything. Automatic movements have the rotors detached during testing and three temperatures are tested as well. 23 Degrees Celcius is the main temperature tested.

NOTE: I have received conflicting information as to whether the second hand attachement and rotor removal is done by the COSC or by the company sending the movements in. Initially I had read that it was done by the company sending it in and not the COSC, but have not been able to find reference to that anymore. Any information would be great!

15 Days for Mechanical watches

Day 1 : 23 Degrees Celcius – Vertical – 6 o’clock up
Day 2 : 23 Degrees Celcius – Vertical – 6 o’clock up

Day 3 : 23 Degrees Celcius – Vertical – 3 o’clock up
Day 4 : 23 Degrees Celcius – Vertical – 3 o’clock up

Day 5 : 23 Degrees Celcius – Vertical – 9 o’clock up
Day 6 : 23 Degrees Celcius – Vertical – 9 o’clock up

Day 7 : 23 Degrees Celcius – Horizontal – Dial Down
Day 8 : 23 Degrees Celcius – Horizontal – Dial Down

Day 9 : 23 Degrees Celcius – Horizontal – Dial Up
Day 10 : 23 Degrees Celcius – Horizontal – Dial Up

Day 11 : 8 Degrees Celcius – Horizontal – Dial Up
Day 12 : 23 Degrees Celcius – Horizontal – Dial Up
Day 13 : 38 Degrees Celcius – Horizontal – Dial Up

Day 14 : 23 Degrees Celcius – Vertical – 6 o’clock up
Day 15 : 23 Degrees Celcius – Vertical – 6 o’clock up

Seven things tested for Mechanical watches

1. Over the first 10 Days the average daily rate must be within -4/+6 seconds
2. Mean variation in rate cannot be higher than 2 seconds in any single position
3. Greatest variation in rate between any 2 days cannot be more than 5 seconds in any single position
4. The difference of the rates in the vertical and horizontal positions cannot be more than -6/+8 seconds
5. The difference between the main daily rate and any individual rate cannot be more than 10 seconds
6. Variation in temperature cannot be more than 0.6seconds per degree
7. Difference between the mean daily rate of the first two dates compared with the the last two dates cannot be more than 5 seconds.

Many brands do not submit to COSC, and feel that their watches are good enough on their own merit. This may be true, but COSC does have its place, and at least in my opinion, it is not a gimmick. It provides the end-user with a third-party certification that their watch is accurate. That is nice to have, though, not necessary in most cases.

Quartz watches have a different set of parameters that must be met.. perhaps we’ll discuss those in a different post 🙂

To some this might seem obvious, but I’ve been asked by several people how this is done, and this is how I change a strap on my Breitlings. This would apply to many if not most watches actually… at least any watch that uses spring bars. Panerai’s and some other watches may have different access to the spring bars or use screws.

Its just a video giving a quick explanation on how to change your straps out for a bracelet and vice versa. Enjoy!

There are two different SuperOcean Steelfishes out there, and many people are often confused as to which one they are buying, the X-Plus or the original. Especially since Breitling has dropped X-Plus from the name.

Like many watch companies, when new models are released, sometimes they change or have a transition model initially. The SuperOcean steelfish was one of these models. Initially when the Steelfish was a variant of the SuperOcean with two-tone brushed and polished case and bracelet on a professional I bracelet. 1500m water resistance and a helium escape valve at 10 o’clock. This model was only produced for a year. The above picture shows the two. The watch on the right is the X-Plus… notice the Profesional II bracelet.

As you can see both models are very similar, but a couple things to note. The SuperOcean X-Plus, now on the left in the above picture, is all brushed. The watch is less blingy than the original brushed/polished two-tone. The original was also only available with a professional I bracelet, however you could buy a bracelet for the regular SuperOcean and use it.

The pic above gives you an idea of their size difference, even tho only 2mm, is quite substantial on the wrist. Also the all brushed look of the X-Plus makes a difference. Both models shown are in the blue dial, which is my favourite of all the dials. Same movement in both watches, the Breitling Caliber 17.

Well, I hope you enjoyed this post. It would be especially useful for those of you looking to purchase a Steelfish online so you don’t accidently buy the wrong one! Here are links to both on the BreitlingSource site:

SuperOcean Steelfish
SuperOcean Steelfish X-Plus