IWC Watches have always held a special place for me… they have that men’s no-nonsense thing going on, and really make a nice, simple functional watch. They are the only company that is a manufacture and also makes many watches that suit my personal style. However, I do not own any of them. Why? Because they are simply too small.

I draw the line at 42mm. I do not buy any watches smaller than 42mm anymore simply because I won’t wear them. I still have some, such as my Navitimer and Chronomat that are under 42mm, and I wear the Navi, but not the Chronomat. IWC’s watches at their largest were 43mm with the Ingenieur, and that just simply did not cut it. I believe their Aquatimer Cousteau edition also was a bit larger like 44mm or something, but did not fancy paying the premium for it.

I’ve always wanted an IWC with their Manufacture movement, which is why I liked the 42mm Portuguese with the seven day power reserve. The Ref 5001. Caliber 50010 IWC movement.

Enter the IWC Big Ingenieur
A 45.5mm Ingenieur with a power reserve indicator. Utilizing a Calibre 51112 Movement also with a seven day power reserve! Wow. My dream watch.

Very nice. Utilizing the IWC Pellaton winding system, and … in case you missed it.. 7 day power reserve! This is one of the biggest (if not the biggest) automatic movements in production. Watch comes on Rubber or Crocodile, and not stainless in this size unfortunately.

I might have to settle for the new 44mm Ingenieur Automatic on steel, but only if they add a Chronograph to it. It looks a bit too plain without any subdials. The 44mm Ingenieur does not have the seven day movement, unfortunately!

Price on the Big Ingenieur is around $11,000.

Oh well… I guess you can’t have it all, right?

Breitling has finally provided press photos for the new Montbrillant Legende. This model is set to replace the current Navitimer Heritage model which is smaller at 43mm. The Montbrillant Legende will be an imposing 47mm, with an integrated bracelet. This model might have to make it’s way into my collection, as I was eyeing the Heritage before, and also the world. I love the 2 subdial layout with the 6 o’clock date window. Powered by the Breitling Caliber 23 movement, the same one that is in the standard Navitimer model, this model will sure to be a hit!

Available in a variety of case combinations, with 3 dial colors: Silver, Black and Bronze. Silver will be on my wishlist.

Movement: Breitling 23
Diameter: 47mm

For more info: Breitling Montbrillant Legende

Photos:

Sometimes when scouring ebay or for sale listings in forums such as Timezone, you will notice that people are selling these “American Airlines” or “15th Airborne” Edition of Breitling watches.. Usually they are Chronomats, Aerospaces, or occasionally B-1’s or Navitimers.

Ever wonder how these custom dialed versions appear? Its nothing special… Breitling does not represent these organizations or companies in any way.. they are simply making custom dials for them at a cost.

Breitlings does custom dials for customers if they will make at least 50 of them.. and the cost of the custom dial is added onto the overall price. This can be done through a dealer, but the minimum of 50 is very strict. Usually these editions go for slightly more than the standard models, as there are collects out there willing to pay a premium on them.

Here are a couple of examples.. one is the Isreali 50th and the other is a Land Rover dial.

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’s a quick picture I took of nine of my Breitlings together.. wanted to get a group shot but I take lousy pictures from far away. Don’t know how to take them! Missing the Breitling Cockpit in this one, but otherwise complete. Check it out! Squadron of Breitlings!

We have from top left to right, then bottom left to right:
Navitimer, Aerospace, Chronomat, Wings Automatic, SuperOcean Steelfish, Headwind, Chronomat Evolution, B-1, Chrono Avenger