For some watch brands like Panerai, straps are part of the whole subculture of being a Panerai owner. However, there are brands like Breitling which excel at making very nice bracelets that are also very attractive and comfortable – albeit expensive.
I personally prefer bracelets, however, with a Panerai I do like the straps. I’ve never tried a Panerai on a bracelet so I can’t say which I prefer. Some other brands where the Bracelets do look substantially better include IWC and Rolex, though Rolex bracelets have only recently become something to be impressed by.
In the Breitlingsource forums there is a term that comes up often, and that’s the “FULL LING”. We often use this term to describe a very larg ling with a 24mm lug width on a bracelet. In my opinion, a Breitling is always more desirable on a bracelet, though many of them do look quite nice on a strap as well. Here are a few shots of Breitling Motors on a bracelet and strap. I think it looks great on a strap but the Bracelet does appeal to me more.
Motors on a Leather Strap
Motors T on a Crocodile Strap
Motors T on a Bracelet – The FULL LING as we refer to it 😉
Choose wisely, but always pick the one that calls out to you. That’s important in picking a watch!
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!
Been a while since I posted a review.. been very busy with work but have still picked up a few pieces that I should have done some write-ups on. This is a watch a picked up some time ago but just never had the time to post… its a very sweet watch. I keep saying I feel like James Bond when I wear it…. It was introduced around the time the movie Spectre came out, and a Limited Edition Bond version was released with it, featuring a textile Nato strap.. very cool. This one is on leather but also came with the bracelet. The case measures a very nice 41mm in diameter, and a very healthy 14.65mm thick – perfect dimensions, IMO.
The dial is a matte black with antique lume indices that are inset into the dial. The indices are entirely made up of luminous material, there is no metal or anything. The watch is a re-issue of 1957 Seamaster 300, which you can see a neat comparison of the two side by side that Omega does on their marketing page whenever they re-issue vintage pieces. This piece features the Liquidmetal® ceramic bezel. This technology allows Omega to embed metal numerals into the ceramic bezel – the special metal fuses seamlessly with the Ceramic, and is harder than stainless steel.
Here’s a shot of the crown side of the case, with Omega’s characteristic brushed sides which continue on this Seamaster as well. As many of you know, this is one of those features that looks great, but the watch polishing place always charges extra to do it because its not as easy to touch up! The bezel has some grooves in it, making it much easier to turn than the regular Seamaster 300m Diver. The crown actually features matching sized grooves and gives the crown sort of a cog-like relationship with the bezel.
Tried to score a nice macro beauty shot of the dial, but the depth of field is a bit small.. still looks good though. The sapphire crystal is slightly curved and has anti-reflective coating inside only, and not on the outside. Usually this means you won’t see the blue tint that is on the crystal, but the crystal isn’t quite as anti-reflective as if it were on both sides. You can see the inset indices really well here, and what’s also pretty cool is while the antique lume looks sort of yellow in the light, it glows a neon blue in the dark. I forgot to take a lume-shot, but they are readily available on Google image search as well as Omega’s marketing page. Of note, the minute hand and lume-dot on the bezel are green lume, not blue lume like the rest of the watch.
The beautiful exhibition case back shows off the fantastic Omega Calibre 8400 that is the soul of the watch. This spectacular movement features Omega’s Co-Axial escapement, anti-magentic properties up to 15,000 gauss and two barrels providing up to 60hrs of power reserve. It is also a certified chronometer, like most of Omega’s movements. The movement rotor and bridges are finished simply, but nicely. I always like exhibition case backs, and am very happy that this one provides a nice wide view of the whole movement.
In conclusion, I am really happy with this timepiece. This is a great piece of Omega History, modernized for our hipster generation. I love the retro look of the 1957 re-issue, but with the new in-house Omega 8400 movement, ceramic bezel with Liquidmetal® numerals, and awesome anique lume that glows neon blue. Its just such a successful merging of old & new. Highly recommend this if it suits your tastes!
General Specs:
Case Diameter: 41mm
Case Thickness: 14.65mm
Material: Stainless Steel
Movement: Omega 8400
Power Reserve: 60 hours
Water Resistance: 300m
Breitling has launched a new Special Edition of the Blacksteel Chronomat. Featuring a super bright yellow dial with black subdials, it creates a superb contrast against the blacksteel case. The strap features the same color scheme, and the style really seems to resonate with Breitling’s new design direction.
I personally like the style of the more traditional pieces like the Chronoliner and Navitimer, but these watches are pretty cool. I prefer the traditional styles because I find them more timeless – pun intended.
From Breitling:
An exceptional chronograph
A black steel case, yellow dial, tried and trusted sturdiness and a high-performance Breitling Manufacture movement: the Chronomat 44 Blacksteel Special Edition by Breitling is the epitome of boldness.
Breitling vintage-style Chronoliner gets re-vamping in Blacksteel, making it a much different looking watch. Its certainly not really looking like the Breitling Avi that it was modeled after, but has its own sense of personality, while inheriting some of that military stealthiness that seems to pervade every Breitling model that is coming out these days.
From Breitling: Black firmly at the controls
The Chronoliner by Breitling is ready for takeoff in a new version teaming its high-tech ceramic bezel with a black steel case, along with a matching dial and rubber strap. A technical and elegant uniform for the authentic flight captain’s watch.
