NOW SOLD...off forum.Gentlemen,
Please form an orderly queue...
Up for grabs is a Breitling Colt 44, the SuperQuartz A74387. This is the 500m Depth Rated (2011-2014) version, without the rider tabs, as opposed to the later alternative A74388, which is only rated to 200m. It's heavier than its successor and has a deeper case. It's one of the later ones, originally sold in April 2014.
I picked this up in October last year, and after a quick inspection and tidy by my watchmaker, it's been sat in the safe and not been worn since - it's got caught in the 'too nice to wear' paradox... It's still got almost 11 months left on the original AuthenticWatches 3 year Warranty, so I figure it's time to find it a new home (and someone who might actually wear it...).
I know that the previous owner did wear the watch, but very sparingly, so while it's not totally mint, it's in super condition - see my detailed comments below.
The watch has an anti-reflective treated Sapphire Crystal, which appears immaculate, even under magnification.
The Dial, Hands, Crystal (and Anti-Reflective coating) and Crown are all immaculate. Lume is terrific. Timekeeping is scarily accurate.
It's the 'Volcano Black' Dial, which has a subtle 'starburst' graduating lined finish to the first and third quarter sections. The Breitling logo and wording is in applied steel. The matching Chapter Ring has a minute marker track, with arabic numerals at the 5 minute increments. The dial markers are 3/4 completed with an applied luminous treatment, while the oversized arabic numerals are in applied steel. The Hour and Minute hands are large lume-filled steel spears, while the Seconds hand is a steel needle, with a hollow red arrowhead pointer and a long counterbalance. There's a steel-framed 'Quickset' Date window at 3 o'clock.
The unidirectional bezel has a nice resistance, and turns smoothly with 120 ratcheted clicks. The brushed-steel insert has the traditional Diver's elapsed time markers (in the cool 'Space Invaders' style font), and a large lumed 'pearl' at 12.
It's mounted on the terrific Breitling Professional III steel bracelet, which is sized for an 8.5" wrist at present (so it's either original full size, or one link short - it's got 6 removable links - so will fit most wrists up to 'gorilla' rated). There's a couple of holes left for micro-adjustment on the clasp too. The End Links code is 157A, and the bracelet production date code is W-3613 (so manufactured in early September 2013). It's in the more subtle satin-brushed finish. Condition is excellent, especially since my watchmaker gave it a gentle rebrush - I'm really struggling to find any marks at all, and there's no stretch or looseness. The double-foldover clasp is equally good, and works as it should. The engraved Breitling wording and logo appear immaculate.
It's a 44mm Steel Case - it's got a terrific Satin-Brushed finish to the upper surfaces and bezel, a High-Polish finish to the sides and caseback. With the crown, the watch actually measures around 48mm across, and it's deep too, at 14.2mm, so it is a big beast, and will suit a larger wrist. Again condition is excellent - even on the high-polish sides, I really can't see any marks, or even the inevitable hairlines. The satin-brushed upper section of the bezel looks pristine too.
The caseback has some very faint hairlines as you might expect, but no major marks or scratches, and the manufacturer engraving is clear and legible, including the laser-etched serial number.
The watch runs on the Breitling Calibre 74 SuperQuartz, COSC Certified (thermocompensated ETA Thermoline 955-652 ebauche), with accuracy to within 10 Seconds Per Year. Fitted with a lithium battery (with an expected 8 year battery life and EOL indicator). As I said, I got this in October last year - it's lost about 5 seconds since then - not bad over 7 months!
The full Breitling Reference for this specification model is: A7438710/BB50/157A There's some useful specs and extra info here:
http://www.breitlingsource.com/watch.../Colt_252.htmlIt's the full Box & Papers set: 'Rivet' 2 Piece Outer Box; Inner Leather Case and Display Cushion; Black Leather Document Wallet; New Style COSC Certificate; User Manual; AuthenticWatches.com Warranty Card dated 24 April 2014 (3 Year Warranty); A Certificate of Authenticity (AuthenticWatches.com); Bezel Protector; even the original caseback sticker is still present! All Boxes and Paperwork are in very good to excellent condition.
I've been over this with a loupe. There is a negligible 1mm horizontal hairline scratch on the clasp to the right edge, about halfway up (not showing in photos, it's very faint). There's a pinhead scratch mark to the front of the lower left lug (you can just about see this on the close-up photos).
The only other 'issue' I can find is that the seconds hand doesn't hit the markers exactly all the way round - it seems fine in the lower half of the dial, but slightly ahead in the upper portion - not a problem for me, but may trigger the the odd twitch in some of our more OCD-afflicted members...
I think I've covered everything - the watch really is is exceptional condition, and could pass for a few weeks old - I've seen more marks on AD display models!
Measurements: Width (without Crown): 44mm (48mm with Crown). Depth: 14.2mm. Lug-to-lug: 52.75mm. Lug Width 22mm. Weight (on bracelet) 190 grams.
When discontinued in 2014, your friendly Breitling Authorised Dealer would have been asking for £2,280 for one of these (and the latest incarnation is £2380 despite the lesser depth rating). Mine is in exemplary condition, and has clearly been worn sparingly (with the peace of mind of nearly 11 months outstanding warranty), but it has to go - how does
£1350 sound? That's more than a grand less than the current version, which isn't as nice! My price also includes Next Day Special Delivery for TZ-UK Forum members - it's a heavy package (@1.4kg when packed).
If you're overseas, I'm happy to get a specific quote for shipping to your region - as a guide, Europe will be around £18, the rest of the world around £25.
I reckon that's an extremely good deal for someone out there, so the price is firm. I'd prefer a straight sale on this one, but happy to listen to trade offers - Breitling/Omega are my weaknesses...
I've loads of Feedback on here, I'm a 'Top Rated' e-bay seller (3800+ deals, 100%, username 'goonermike'), and I've got plenty of Feedback on TZ-UK (username 'BigBird'), so there are no worries there.
I'd prefer a Bank Transfer for payment. PayPal if absolutely necessary, or for overseas, but I cannot accept PayPal Gifts (my account just won't accept them, and I get charged even on gifts). So if you want to use PayPal, it'll be via the 'official' route, and you'll need to add 3% to contribute towards Fees.
If I've missed anything, you'd like more info or pics, please feel free to PM me.
Cheers!
Mike
Lots of pictures follow, spread over several posts....enjoy!
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