The Breitling Watch Source Forums

Ironically, the comparison makes me feel a little better. When I first saw the latest BB, I was worried this was actually Breitling's vision for a new version of it. It's now obvious it's nothing more than a lame attempt to make use of some old parts laying around.* Plus, because it's a limited edition, hopefully it won't be around that long. It's no less insulting in its way, but at least it still leaves open the possibility that some time in the future - perhaps when the company has pulled its head out of its ass - we really will get a great in-house Blackbird. That said, I would have been happier if they'd left the old one well enough alone.

*Hey Breitling: maybe if you didn't keep discontinuing perfectly good models all the time, you wouldn't have so many leftovers you'd have to foist on us with lame limited editions and half-assed hybrids. Just a thought.

what bothers me most is, actually when looking into a chronolog i need to search for a model that i entirely like,in the good old days, every page i flipped i loved every single piece, it was so difficult to choose...

and whit this buck rogers bezel fever...getting harder and harder

i kind of like the new chronomat gmt 44 but look at the bezel and that lume

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Breitling Chrono Avenger Black Dial whit Pro II Ti, Diver Pro I
Breitling BlackBird Big Date brushed whit SS Bracelet, brown croco
Breitling BlackBird Blacksteel 528/2000 Whit Dp2 Deployment
Omega Planet Ocean Chrono 9300 Co-axial Ceramic on SS bracelet

I like the bezel. No s&*t, I could have a BB today without it, and after owning my Chronomat 01 LE, new bezel or nothing. The new bezel is that awesome.

I don't mind the bezel really. That's not what kills it for me. I'll hold any further opinions until the real one comes out next year hopefully. This is, after all, just an LE. But I'm not holding my breath.


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SHARKMAN

Im with you Sharkman!

I don't mind the brushed Chronomat 44 bezel. It was part of the original B01 design, and complements the styling of that watch. It has actually grown on me quite a bit. But with the Blackbird, as with the GCII, Breitling isn't creating a new design. Instead, they are cannibalizing past favorites, and that bezel is a key element in the cannibalization. To make the GCII, they took an Evo, brushed the surfaces, and stuck that bezel on it. The bezel makes no sense in terms of the overall design, and doesn't go with the rest of the watch. Sticking a Blackbird dial and movement in it doesn't change anything - the bezel still is incongruous with the rest of the watch. They took what was essentially an upscale tool watch and turned it into something silly looking. Instead of coming up with interesting changes in direction, Breitling is just playing musical parts with what's lying around in the bins, and charging multiple thousands for the results. If you like it, go for it. I'm staying far away.

Now, the Flying Fish on Pilot, on the other hand...that one I like. (See, I'm not a total hater. Just don't insult me with stupid, recycled rehashes of watches that were way better in their original incarnations.)

I agree with the bracelet etc as I said earlier, I don't think anyone here feels this is a new BB. In fact, I'm with Shark in hoping this is just an LE pushed out the door for Basel, and the "real" new BB will be out soon.

I'm with Justin, the bezel on my Chronomat 01 LE is pretty sweet, font and all. I REALLY like the new Chronomat GMT LE. Big, brushed, and a real GMT bezel....... I see one in my future........

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An ever changing collection.....

OK, I'm still having trouble understanding why liking a diver or 24-hour bezel, designed to go with the watches on which they are incorporated, has a bearing on what you think about a compass bezel stuck as an afterthought on a different kind of watch. It's like you're dreamin' about Gorgonzola cheese when it's clearly Brie time, baby.

IMO, the BB should have a compass bezel. It had one before, so why not now? I think the bezel is appropriate, simply a remake of the previous bezel, done with the newer font, and inter-rider tab design, which alone makes the older bezels seem dated to me, which I believe to be far superior to the finishing and design of the previous generation.

I guess I am saying, this is the bezel it should have, IMO.

Edit: I think what you might be saying is this new BB bezel does not have the Chronomat inter-rider tab design, and if that is the case, I am pissed about it!

I don't know what "inter-rider tab design" is. Care to explain?


I guess we can agree to disagree. In my opinion, though, the "neutral" font of the older bezel numerals will age much better than the Buck Rogers font, which I think has the potential to look dated more easily. Also, the older font goes with the essentially utilitarian styling of the BB. The B01 line is more "glitzed" up, so the Buck Rogers font works with it. I find the Buck Rogers font to be incongruous with the styling of the BB. It's like taking an air force pilot and giving him a spray tan.

The inter-rider tab design is the piece that goes between the rider tabs that actually has the numbers written on it.

I'm going to steal a pic from Andrew Michael's blog as they are affiliated with the site and the least likely to complain I stole a pic, and hope they don't take offence to illustrate what I mean.



As you see, it is notably different than the old bezel.

I guess the neutral font would resist being dated (though to me it already is, part of the reason I don't wear my Colt Auto II anymore), I would argue continuing to use the old font on bezels for the new models in the Chronomat line, which on the website the BB now belongs to would cause it to be incongruous with the model line.

I see what you're talking about (I think), but I thought the rider tab was the piece with the number on it. Depending on how you look at the newer bezels, they either have completely done away with the rider tabs, or they have modified them to an extent where they don't really look like rider tabs any more. Is that what you're referring to?

I'm not suggesting they should use the older font on the new models. The "new" Blackbird is not a new model, and, in my opinion, it is inherently incongruous with the rest of the Chronomat range, irrespective of what bezel they put on it. In fact, at this point, it shouldn't even be in the Chronomat range any more. Until now, Breitling has shown their intent with the Chronomat line is to make it fully in-house, and all current Chronomats have similar styling: the redesigned case with longer lugs, the modified endpieces on the Pilot, the newer bezel with no rider tabs (or heavily modified tabs), and the square-in-the-middle dial. Why they should now just slap a Buck Rogers bezel on an ETA-based model, with the old Evo case, the old Evo Pilot, and an older style dial, and call it a Chronomat makes no sense. When they did that with the Evo, they called it a Galactic. Why is this Blackbird now a Chronomat and not also a Galactic? It's silly. Breitling is so caught up in its own marketing BS, they can't even keep their own lines straight any more.

What's not to understand? The new GMTs have GMT i.e. 24 hr bezel. When I look at a GMT dial, and then the GMT hand, I want it to point to a bezel that has a time reference. The current Chronomat GMT has minute reference that you would use in diving. I actually use the GMT function because I travel, and my kids live on a different coast. My eyes can't see the tiny numbers on the dial, so hour markers on the bezel make it so much easier to see a second time zone, and if needed a third time zone.

I know you know this, so why question the logic?

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An ever changing collection.....

OK, help me with this logic: what has your preference for the GMT bezel (or the Chronomat 44 bezel, for that matter) got to do with whether or not the compass bezel on the new Blackbird is a piece of crap?