The Breitling Watch Source Forums

Totally agree with you D8, especially with the last paragraph.

However, Breitling is not the only brand that is having its "Zenith Defy". It has happened before, and not only in the watchmaking world. And every time a traditional brand has tried something like this, the client basis, which is the most conservative part of the clientèle (as is the case here in BS), kicks arms and legs.

As Scott said, is a bad model cycle enough to toss the affection for the brand? No, as far as I'm concerned. But, that may not be the case for the majority out there. Of course, sale numbers will give an indication. But will they tell all the truth?

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- This is Ghost Rider requesting a fly-by. - Negative Ghost Rider. The pattern is full.

I know this is an old post but I'd figure I'd kick it up again to see if time has changed opinions, especially on the Chronomat 01? (Full disclosure, I own an LE and love it)! Buck Rodgers bezels et. al.?

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ROLEX Sea-Dweller (116600)
ROLEX Submariner (116610LV)
HAMILTON Stanley c. 1932 (19 jewels/grade 401 movement)

Some people like them more than when they first came out, some people love them, some people still can't stand them. To each their own, we seem to have got past the berating of people who have opposite opinions on them so I guess that's progress

If you like it then who cares?

Welcome to BreitlingSource.

Yes, the Chronomat B01 has grown on me like there is no tomorrow to the extend that it is the one that gets most of my wrist time out of all my watches, on bracelet, on calf, on croco (black & brown) and even on something that a few months ago I would not want to be seen dead with - rubber.
Having said all that however, I still think the Chronomat B01 would have received a much better reception if it had an "Evo like" bezel attached to it.

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"It is just a matter of time!"

I'm wondering if Breitling will go back to it or keep the current bezel? I think that they made such a big deal that if they change it (again) then it would turn more people off. They need to have more consistency...

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ROLEX Sea-Dweller (116600)
ROLEX Submariner (116610LV)
HAMILTON Stanley c. 1932 (19 jewels/grade 401 movement)

Well word from a Breitling rep to an AD this week was that it will change at Basel.

Therein lies the potential problem. I think it's clear that time has calmed things a bit. Personally I have gone from 'no way' to 'maybe if the whole package was right' with the bezel. However, if you read the post on 2014 Basel there is the suggestion of a "test" piece with a bezel more like the old one. If Breitling are considering a bezel change, the overall verdict on the present bezel is apparently thumbs down. Would those put off by the changes come back if Breitling changed it again? Would those who like the new bezel be disappointed and look elsewhere? Which would act in larger numbers? I still suspect the former. It's a quandry, but a bed which Breitling made. If Breitling is going to charge "big boy" money for their pieces, IMO they need to be more careful about styling changes. In fairness, the Transocean lineup added at the same time is very nice.

Arguably a bigger problem is the significant price bump with the B01. I understand in-house and why, but a $8-9K Chronomat and a $9-10K Navitimer still don't compute for me. Fortunately and unfortunately, the old resale bugaboo remains, so that I'm seeing B01 Chronomats now in the 4s. Navis are still up higher, though. For people just entering the expensive watch arena, they know nothing else. The rest of us, many who buy and sell a bit, remember it wasn't that long ago that Breitlings cost a lot less. These prices many of use equate with higher-level brands.


Where they really messed up IMO was in the lower dollar models still with eta movements. I personally didn't mind the Colt that much, but as a Breitling, no. I do like the SOH, but want a different bracelet option. I have a mesh I can use with it already. I'd probably choose a Longines Legend Diver for the difference in dollars. The present edition SO I have never warmed up to, in any iteration. Through pricing or style changes, Breitling and Omega turned off or left a lot of people at the $2-3K range. A few have stepped in. Tag is getting better, and personally I voted for Ball with my wallet, as have others here. Bremont costs a bit more, but the door was opened for them as well.

Right now my Breitling (I used to have more than one) is a traditional-looking piece, a Chrono-Matic SE which looks most like a Navitimer. fortunately they have exercised some care with the Navitimer style.

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Scott

AP Royal Oak 15400, silver
Zenith Chronomaster El Primero Classic Cars
Vintage gold Corum
Rolex DJ 36 TT, oyster dial, oyster/smooth
Baume & Mercier Riviera 200m, silver dial/aquamarine bezel
Breitling Superocean 57, rose/stainless

I pretty much agree with the above post. Although I'm new to this forum, I'm not new to Breitling. In fact, I sold my Sea-Dweller to purchase my Chronomat 01 LE. What I still don't get is the "supposed general" dislike of the bezel. I know looks are subjective but what are the main complaints?

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ROLEX Sea-Dweller (116600)
ROLEX Submariner (116610LV)
HAMILTON Stanley c. 1932 (19 jewels/grade 401 movement)

What I don't like is the style of the numbers on the bezel. They look like they came from a bad sci-fi movie of the 60s or 70s overly stylizing numbers from old LCD fonts to suggest the future. Relatively speaking we are now in that future, and the numbers look like a dated caricature. I'll never understand why Breitling did that. Some others don't like the large lume pip or smoothed out and integrated rider tabs but they don't bother me. The oddball numbers on the bezel of a watch they want to sell me for 8 grand, that bothers me.

Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk

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Scott

AP Royal Oak 15400, silver
Zenith Chronomaster El Primero Classic Cars
Vintage gold Corum
Rolex DJ 36 TT, oyster dial, oyster/smooth
Baume & Mercier Riviera 200m, silver dial/aquamarine bezel
Breitling Superocean 57, rose/stainless

Scott you could argue other brands have seen more drastic appreciation. Rolex easily out paces breitling in new model costs.

And sales growth........

The issues that people have with the new one are well documented in numerous threads here, the font is clearly the biggest concern, not just for the dated look but also for the multitude of different fonts that are going on with the watch. The square on the dial is also a common complaint, although as a design element that started to appear independent of the in house movement.

I do agree that the fonts look outdated and can cheapen the look if not positioned in the right place. Luckily the fonts are not used on the dial as it will spoil the entire look! However IMO Breitling managed to adopt the fonts brilliantly on the bezel. I often look at my Chronomat 01 LE and thought through the negative comments about the bezel fonts, the multiple fonts on the dial and the centre square on the dial. I even went crazy at times and tried to find reasons to hate it. But the more and longer I looked at it, the more I discovered the subtle details of the watch that impressed me and made me love the watch even more.

The usage of a 70s style font on the bezel to create a futuristic impression is polarizing but great IMHO because it projects the history while brilliantly connects the future as a bold way to make known that it is a timeless icon of Breitling spirit. It also symmetrically balances the aesthetics of the centre square on the dial, where it gracefully creates a "cyber and futuristic" effect when visually obvious. I really love how the centre square is invisible in low light, and subtly appear as it exposes itself to a brighter environment. The brighter the environment, the more obvious the centre square becomes. Not to mention how the hour markers have been machined to sharply compliment the square.

I have imagined Breitling removing the centre square and changing the bezel back to the CE rider tab bezel. Well.. Very safe, very classic and timeless looking, won't go wrong. Just like the very classic look of a Daytona. A design that possibly pleases everybody. That's all. But it will look "just another chronograph watch" that is conventional and traditional. Sure...you can't get more original than a Breitling who was responsible for the look of a modern chronograph watch that every watchmaker is copying today. But Chronomat 01 is such an important model to Breitling, that they call their flagship. I personally expect more than just a safe looking watch.

The current Chronomat 01(44) contains such great attention to details that "transform" subtly in different situations, from dark to bright environment, that really amazes me everytime I look at it. I think Breitling has machined, crafted, polished the entire piece so sharply that it just looks very high-end and not cheapened by the bezel fonts. Instead IMO because of it's high end finishing and look, it made the fonts look very original and legible that tells me that Breitling has considered both aesthetics and functionality in the process and they have perfectly balanced the 2.

I feel the multiple fonts on the dial are all rather classic looking and similar that don't mismatch in anyway. They compliment well with the bezel to perfectly create a classic but yet modern look, especially the sub-dial fonts as IMO the fonts used on the sub-dials of the previous Chronomat Evolution are a little dated looking and unsuitable. No offence... I even saw some of the old windriders and felt the dates on the dial looked horrible and totally mismatch aesthetically with the entire dial. So I think the present fonts used in the current Chronomat dial are most suitable and classic looking.

I think I am one of the very few who is sad to hear the news about Breitling's intention to change the bezel back to the old rider tab style. I foresee the centre square might be removed too because it will be meaningless to keep it with the bezel change. All the unique subtle details of the watch will be gone Maybe it will bring many old timers back to the brand, but I'm afraid it might also drive plenty away as most consumers prefer consistency and no major aesthetic changes, as a symbol of timeless.

Well, a Chronomat years ago is still very recognizable as a Chronomat today as some of the core DNA(eg, sec hand) were still retained, except that Breitling wanted to make the 01 more obvious to highlight their first in-house piece. But now to do a major face lift to their first in-house piece in just 5 years is a complete disaster to the brand IMO. It's like announcing their acknowledgement of their failure that was supposedly their greatest achievement of all time. I personally feel their mistake was not the design but they have over massed produced the model within a short time. It made the watch too easily available that supply is way above demand. Morever the price is way higher than it's predecessors. Would you prefer to pay more for a watch that you have to wait mths or even years for it or a watch that is easily available and displayed all over the AD windows? This is something that Breitling should learn from Rolex. Humans don't normally treasure things that come to them too easily. This also affects the resale value of course. Plenty of new pieces, even used ones.

From business suit to t-shirt with jeans, whether smart casual at clubbing or a singlet with shorts at a beach, the perfectly balanced aesthetics of the Chronomat 01(44) can ruggedly or elegantly fit any attire. Actually several models(eg, Sub, GMT, Navi, etc) can do that. But what amazes me about the current Chronomat 01(44) is that, whether pilot bracelet, leather strap, croco strap, diver pro, ocean racer, of any colors, even mesh bracelet... It is able to aesthetically match any strap for any occasions. I tried very hard to think of another watch that possesses such versatility but couldn't. I don't think I will ever get tired or bored of a watch that is so versatile and fun. I might have purchased all the straps available if I had the money, so that I can change them for different occasions everyday. However I think the pilot bracelet will still end up on my wrist most of the time.

Well on the positive side if they change the bezel back to the old one then my piece will become a limited of the limited model. I will see also lesser people wearing the same model as me, which I do welcome that. I will surely keep my Chronomat 01 LE and this will remain as my grail, as there is typically nothing I can complain about it. But bye bye Breitling, I don't think I want to continue buying from a brand that is inconsistent with their designs.

Lastly, a tribute to IMO the best timepiece ever made(I say again, IMO;p)

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Breitling Chronomat 01 Limited Edition
Breitling Navitimer 01 46mm

The Buck bezel has grown on me over the years, to the point where I have genuinely considered getting one - admittedly only certain models such as the Frecce Tricolori, but then they went a stuck rubber in the bezel numbers, so that one was out as well. But then I'm not sure I can convince myself to buy a watch that has taken me over 3 years to even start to like. If it wasn't a Breitling I wouldn't be entertaining it.

Basically, like everything in life, time tends to mellow things a little but "that" bezel is still deeply polarising, and if Breitling are indeed planning to change it at Baselworld, then I certainly won't mourn the Galactic bezel's passing.

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Driver8

Site Moderator

Well it's just like the cyclops on a Rolex piece. Imagine if Rolex did not have it on their watches in the past and only do now, I believe tons of people will be complaining. Even up till this day, once in a while I will still see a few haters describing how the cyclops destroy the clean look on the dial. I believe it is after many years with Rolex's consistency with their design that the cyclops started growing on many people, and even like it. I personally like the cyclops so much that I wouldn't have bought my Batman without it. It's adds unique and identity to the piece that differentiates itself from the lower end brands that try to copy it.

IMO as long as Breitling gets consistent with their design more and more will go "Buck". Of course there will be some who will never. I don't mind major face lifts from ETAs to in-house pieces, to differentiate them, but once in-housed they should stay consistent. More importantly especially for their flagships, they should never over mass produce them until to the extend that you can find tons of them easily at any ADs. As I mentioned above, human beings don't tend to treasure things that come to them too easily.

IMHO those who value the old rider tab bezels can always go for Avengers. Instead of making major face lift to the current Chronomat, who already have it's own group of supporters, Breitling should create in-house for their Avengers. So that those who value the old style bezel, and the 6-9-12 sub-dials layout have an alternative they can turn to. In this way they are able to cater to different tastes while maintaining their identity. By changing the bezel back to the old one, the chronomat will look somewhat similar to the Avenger which seems abundant IMHO.

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Breitling Chronomat 01 Limited Edition
Breitling Navitimer 01 46mm

Bottom line is, the 'new' (now not so new) look is simply not driving sales. Just look at the COSC numbers for the last few years, which for Breitling equates to production numbers, and you can easily sell that Breitling is losing market share at an alarming rate. The last year that we have COSC numbers for is 2012 when Breitling production was 33% lower than in 2008 - the year before the financial crisis and the in house movements. All of the other players have more than recovered from the financial crisis and are well above 2008 numbers.

Whether each one of us likes the look or not, it's not working where it matters for Breitling, and no surprise to me that they are supposedly changing it.