The Breitling Watch Source Forums

Have to agree with Robert even though the heritage issue is subjective and how you look at it. New factory, new machines, new staff, new management, just buying the name over, doesn't necessarily makes the brand smaller or takes away its heritage. If that's the case then I believe many brands out there would have lost its heritage too. Instead it adds more story to the heritage IMHO. A brand that died off, revived by a pilot, adds new life to the brand(eg, Chronomat, Emergency, etc...) while not forgetting to revive the essence of its history(eg, Navitimer). All these form part of the history book of Breitling. It has progressed and evolved into the Breitling that we know today. Some are happy, some prefers the old Breitling and hope that the modern Breitlings have never ever happened. But if people ask me how old is Breitling, I will still say without a doubt, "Since 1884". Be it a form of marketing tactics, or some form of gimmicks, but we still see its heritage and linkage of the brand to the past. If it had not been so, we would never had been able to see models like Navitimer and Transocean on the catalogue, since 1979.

Buying a watch that suits your wrist and what you like is of utmost importance. However IMHO it should never be the only criteria for choosing what you want to buy. It also depends on yr financial status. Well, if you are super rich, go ahead and just buy what you like. Just buy another one if you get tired of it one day. However at this point, you wouldn't know when or whether you will ever get tired of it one day. Therefore, if you only have the financial means to just get one, or you are not rich enough to just causally buy another whenever you like it, then you need to spend time thinking through. There are a lot of models that I like and I believe it applies to you too. Therefore to choose the ultimate one, there are many things to consider other than just purely the asethetics alone. It's like buying an abstract painting. Many art lovers spend tons of money to buy arts that don't makes sense to people. They don't just consider the asethetics of it, but they also consider the artist and the history behind the painting.

That is also the reason why we get mechanical watches. Aesthetics, design, function and features, heritage, originality, detailing, durability, etc. You gotta appreciate the watch from many aspects in order to truly understand why you are spending thousands to buy it when you can just spend less than a hundred to buy a watch that is more accurate than what you are getting. That is also why I have never regretted or get tired of any of the watches that I had gotten. The only factor I never take into consideration is the resale value, else I would never have gotten a Breitling.

While heritage doesn't necessarily is my main concern, the "story" behind the watch means to me. I don't necessarily need to buy a watch that has a long history, but I want to buy watch that creates a specific milestone to the brand, something that will be added to the history of the brand, better still, the horology industry. This is the "long term value" of the watch to me, not in monetary terms, but more of the sentimental value of it, that many years later when you sit down and look at yr watch one day, while you appreciate and look back how you chose and bought watch, you also look back and appreciate how this watch was created and how it adds a major milestone to the brand, like reading a history book. That is also the reason why I only go for iconic or flagship pieces because normally iconic or flagship models best reflects the philosophy and spirit of the brand and have the elements I want.

Back to OP, there has been plenty of negative feedbacks on the regular Chronomat. Therefore my suggestion is to spend time reading them and see if you would change your mind. If they fail to change your mind, chances are that it is the right one for you. If u start to hesitate after reading them, then you might want to review your choices again. Hope it helps.