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Breitling Chronomat Evolution chronograph model B13356 Blue & Gold dial, Steel pilot Bracelet 2009

OR

Breitling Chronomat chronograph model with BLUE dial on bicolour Pilot bracelet 2002

Im thinking about buying one of the above but Im unsure which one to go for.
I would much prefer the steel & gold bracelet but I would be getting a older watch than the one with the all steel pilot bracelet.
Both come with boxes and papers plus a warranty and are also the same price at £2700.

Whats your view on which is the best to go for ? Gold bracelet or newer model ? Is there any other benefits over each other ?
Again is £2700 a fair price ?

Thanks

Well the B13355 is a Crosswind and the B13356 is a Chronomat Evolution (although it later dropped the Evolution moniker).

The main differences are the screw-down pushpieces of the Chronomat (compared to non-screw-down pusher on the Crosswind), and WR of 300m on the Chronomat as opposed to 100m on the Crosswind. Other differences are that the Chronomat is also 1mm larger at 43.7mm compared to 42.7mm, and the Crosswind has lumed roman numerals and subdial hands whereas the Chronomat doesn't.

Movement is the same in both cases, so really it all comes down to aesthetics (i.e. which you prefer) and condition of each watch.

Personally I think the Crosswind is one of the most proportionally beautiful watches Breitling have ever made, but the Chronomat Evo with roman numerals runs it a very close second. But then the Chronomat is newer and has better WR.

Not a lot in it TBH. Both are great IMO.

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Driver8

Site Moderator

Yeah, I'm following D8 on this one: the Crosswind is one of Breitling's greats. But both are nice.

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Another difference is the Crosswind has straight lugs, whereas the Evo has curved lugs. The straight lugs were an iconic feature of the older (i.e., pre-Evo) Windriders, which were done away with starting with the Evo. That said, they start to get impractical as the watch size increases, since they stick out more, so it makes sense that as the Evo was approaching 44mm, Breitling switched to curved lugs. Still, I miss the straight ones.

My personal preference is for the Crosswind over the Evo. It just has a more individual look that says "Breitling," from a time when the brand was in its prime. The Evo is also a fine watch, though.

I don't know if the watches you're considering have gold pushers; the reference number guide on this website says models starting with "b" have "steel bezel/case/gold riders," but says nothing about the pushers. At any rate, if the pushers are gold plated, pay very close attention to them. I have seen lots of older Chronomats where the gold has worn through on the pushers, and they look rather tacky.

I owned the B13355 two tone Crosswind with matching 350D bracelet. I absolutely loved the fact that all hands, Roman numerals and indices were lumed beautifully. Arguably one of the nicest dials ever made for any wristwatch, ever... I added a B70174 UTC module with matching UTC specific 358D bracelet to the CW and enjoyed that kit as well. The only reason I sold my Crosswind was because the blue dial, although beautiful, was IMO quite limiting when considering wardrobe. The watch simply was not getting the wrist time it deserved and the reason was the blue dial. I looked for an all SS, white dial/MOP subdial CW with matching white UTC module for years but hen's teeth were easier to find. If my CW had been a black or white dial I would have kept it whether it was two tone or all SS wouldn't have mattered. The crown and pushers were "rolled gold" and I did have all three replaced with new (quite pricey) because of wear. The SS was beginning to show on the ridges and that wasn't acceptable to me. BTW, the blue dial was also difficult to photograph well, at least for my limited skills.

I currently own the A13356 all SS Chronomat (Evolution) with matching 357A bracelet but added the extremely rare A70177 (discontinued 2006) module with matching 359A bracelet shortly after I acquired the Evo new in 2007. The slate dial on this kit works well with any wardrobe considerations and although the hour indices are sticks, if the dial was black with matching subs, I would have opted for the Roman numeral version, especially if the Romans were lumed. Too bad Breitling didn't do that on the Evo. The plated Roman's are nice but not nearly as nice as the lumed Roman's on the Crosswind IMO. I do prefer the aesthetics of the Evo's curved lugs over the CW's straight lugs but not by much. I somewhat prefer the slightly larger overall size of the Evo but not a deal breaker either way. The Evo's crown is slightly larger than the CW's and is perhaps a little easier to use. The lockable screw down pushers on the Evo are a nice feature but again not a deal breaker. The bracelet taper for the Evo is 22-20 whereas the CW's is 22-18 so a larger wrist may benefit from the Evo's wider bracelet but IMO isn't much of an issue at all. The pricing for two tone Pilot bracelets (and SS Pilot bracelets for that matter) has increased dramatically in the last ten years (almost doubling in retail price) so that factor sometimes becomes an issue when resale is considered.

Regarding the two pieces you're considering... if you're an ardent blue dial fan, either watch is a winner and both seem to be fair values. Almost a toss up I suspect, tough choice... A good friend bought my CW from me and he is a blue dial fanatic although he did sell the kit later on due to financial issues. (The only B he has left is a Reno Air Races SOH and I think it is a black dial IIRC.) He loved the two tone bracelet but had other B's with all SS bracelets as well. Personally, I don't think a two tone piece without the matching two tone bracelet has enough gold to balance the kit. That said, some wearers prefer just a "touch" of gold (crown, pushers, rider tabs, wings logo) on their B's. My mom's Callistino (now my granddaughter's) was like that.

Good luck with your decision. Below are a couple of pics for your perusal.....
Best,
Ron

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