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I have been contemplating treating my self to a in-house Breitling, be it a long way down the line, however visiting a AD today I was shown the Evo and the "newer Evo" which was basically double the price of the "older" Evo, that been 4k and 8k.

I love my Evo but the double the price thing has me bothered.

So Evo and 01 owners, how do you feel and what are your options ?

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Breanach78

A Few Breitlings.

By "newer Evo," do you mean the Chronomat 44? There was only one generation of Chronomat Evolution (despite it being renamed multiple times), so to refer to the 44 as the "newer Evo" might generate some confusion.

I had an Evo for three years. Finishing and quality is excellent, and on the whole it is a very nice watch, as I'm sure you know. That said, I just found it to be too damn big. The diameter was only half the problem: while 44mm is a bit too big for me, if the watch had been thinner, I could probably have handled it. The real problem for me was the thickness; 17mm is a thick watch. Moreover, a good part of that thickness is out the back, meaning the case sits up high on the wrist, rather than flush. This made it flop around a lot - something that is not comfortable with a watch this heavy. (On Pilot, it weighed over half a pound.)

Regarding the 44, I've only tried one on once. I thought attention to detail was excellent, and it looked pretty nice, except for the somewhat tacky looking dial design. The bezel actually didn't bother me as much as I thought it would, which in brushed finish looks surprisingly attractive - it's still not my first choice in bezel font, but I don't hate it. The 44 case seemed to sit more flush on my wrist than the Evo, although I'd need to try it on again to be sure of that. I forgot to pay attention to the lug length, to see if they stick out too far from my wrist; the lugs on the 44 are longer than those of the Evo. The new endpieces on the Pilot are very nice - much nicer than the endpieces on the Evo Pilot. The upgraded clasp is nice, too.

Personally, if price weren't a concern, and the 44 fit me OK, I'd probably be inclined to go with the Flying Fish on Pilot over any Evo model.


If you love your Evo, and you don't like the thought you'd be paying double for a 44, then why is this even an issue for you? Seems like a no-brainer...stick with the Evo.

P.S. What's up with the pricing in Ireland? In the US, a SS 44 on Pilot retails at $8960; a SS Evo on Pilot retails for $6500. That means the 44 is only 37% more expensive here than an Evo.

Chronomat 44 with the B01 movt is one of the best looking watches Breitling makes. Hands down.

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"I became insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity."
2012 GShock 5I Mudman
2012 Breitling Colt 44
2011 Breitling Transocean chrono mercury silver
2011 Rolex Submariner 14060M
2010 Omega Planet Ocean XL
1979 Rolex Date Just two tone

End of discussion.

All the new Chronomat 01's including the 44 just look wrong with the square shape in the dial, although the B01 in house movement is a great step forward for Breitling I prefer the older Evo which these days is excellent value for money considering what I see them selling for pre-owned now. If you want the best of the lot then look no further than the Blackbird.
if you can still find one.
.... I guess it's not 'end of discussion' after all.

Well played, Sir.

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Chronomat 01- Sierra Silver/Steel
Navitimer 01- Limited Edition #1337/2000

I have never owned an Evo, but it was the Breitling I was lusting after for years prior to obtaining a Chronomat 44. My wife actually picked out the 44 on her own and bought it for me as an anniversary present. Had this not been the case, I probably would have bought the Evo at the time, as I was not nearly into watches then as I am now.

That being said, knowing that I have an in-house movement on my wrist is meaningful to me. I don't dislike the looks of the 44 as many seem to. The font is not ideal, but I do like the square in the center. However, if you are one who hates the look of the 44, then you should definitely get the Evo instead.

If you visually like both of them the same, I think your decision point needs to be around how important it is to have an in-house movement. I don't plan to sell any of the watches I buy, so I won't let a few thousand dollars stop me from buying what I really want. Over time, the enjoyment I get out of having the watch I really want without any regrets far outweighs the price premium. That's just me, though.

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Chronomat 01- Sierra Silver/Steel
Navitimer 01- Limited Edition #1337/2000

IMO, the new Chronmats do nothing for me. I can get over the square motif on the dial, but don't like the way they changed the bezel and the bracelet being non-integrated with the case now. The watch overall just doesn't look like a Breitling to me. If I were to spend the extra money for an in house movement on a Breitling, it would be on a Nav with the B01, not the Chronomat.

Given your choices, I'd keep the Evo. I have watches with in house movements (eg. Rolex Datejust and bought my dad a Patek Nautilus..both brands obviously with in house movements), and to be honest, I find the whole in house thing overrated, as the watch I think looks the coolest and best on my wrist is my Crosswind Special that has an ETA chrono module inside. I don't care if it's in house or not...it keeps great time, which is all I care, and looks great while doing it. IMO, the Evo looks more Breitling than the Chronomat 44. Just my 2 cents.

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18k Rolex Datejust / Breitling Crosswind Special / Patek SS Nautilus / Bvlgari Diagono Chrono / Bvlgari Scuba / Omega Speedmaster Professional / 60s Omega Constellation

Ditto. I'd be even more inclined to go with a TOC, although I'd still like to see it on a proper bracelet (NOT a Pro 3).

I also agree with you that in-house movements are overrated. I know to some people in-house movements add to the overall mystique of the watch. In fact, Driver8 has openly said he won't even consider a luxury watch that is not in-house. To each his own, of course, but I can think of a lot of great watches I would be perfectly content to own that are ETA-based (not just Breitlings). In fact, there are more ETA-based watches I covet than in-house.

"New Evo" and "Old Evo" was sales talk I was feed but I just bit my tongue and replied Really?

I just wanted to get a feel for peoples opinions on the two and was the price difference a problem for them Like it is for me.

May be a difference of 20% or even 30% I could live with but a near straight 50%.....As they say in Dragons Den...I'm out!

Oh and what's up with pricing in Ireland, well it sucks and a VAT rate of 23% don't help either

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Breanach78

A Few Breitlings.

That's even worse. Silly salespeople.


I don't blame you, although double is actually an increase of 100%

Of course, its double the price and as you stated that equates to 100% differance

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Breanach78

A Few Breitlings.