The Breitling Watch Source Forums

Hello all,

I am a 22 year old student from Belgium and I'm a fan of watches ! When I was 17, I bought myself a Tag Heuer Formula 1 chronograph which I still wear today, but now I think I am ready for a new one ... So my parents will spare me some money when I graduate to buy a new watch! So I went to the jewelry and I fell in love with 2 watches:

- the Navitimer Montbrillant Datora, with a "croco" bracelet and "havane" dial


- the Breitling Bentley GMT, with a steel bracelet and "brownish" dial (can't remember the name of the exact color, but it was very beautiful, kinda like the color of chocomilk with LOTS of milk in it lol, I also couldn't find a picture of it ...)


I also liked the Navitimer Montbrillant Légende and the Chronomat B01, but I haven't seen those in real life (only in the catalogue ...)

Now here is my problem: I really like the Bentley watch, but I'm only 22 years old ... Is this watch suitable for someone of my age? It's my first real luxury watch, my first Breitling ... The price difference between the Navitimer and Breitling is significant ... Is the Navitimer more appropriate for my age? What was your first watch? Your first Breitling? And at what age did you buy it?


Please help me out!
Thanks in advance!

Kind Regards,
Phil

Welcome aboard Phil.

Personally I don't think there's any minimum age requirement for any prestige watch, and especially Breitling which manages to capture appeal for both younger and older buyers.

If you can afford the outlay and are confident that you can carry it off on your wrist, then there is no reason at all for you not to have the Bentley GMT if you like it. If anything, the Navitimer has a much more traditional appeal, but plenty of young guys wear those too.

Which model you choose will also be dependent on intended usage. Navi's for instance are more "fine" in their construction and not enormously waterproof, so that's something to consider if you want a "watch for all seasons".

Personally, my first "prestige" watch was a Seamaster Pro back in 1996/7-ish (I was about your age then), with my first Breitling coming along in around 1998/9.

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Driver8

Site Moderator

agreed, i mean im 19 and i have a omega hour vision.... not really a young persons watch

My first breitling was my seawolf and i bough it when i was 18, but my 1st watch, like you, was a tag F1 - lovley watch!

I would go for the navi evrey time!

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Pain is only weakness leaving the body.

I received my first, and still only, Breitling as a 21st birthday present. It is an original Blackbird. I've worn it just about every day since I got it (almost 10 years) and it has held up incredibly well. Really it only had surface swirls and scratches, 99% of which were removed during its recent service (one ding on the bracelet right next to the clasp was apparently too deep to polish out).

I would suggest that which watch you get should have more to do with how often you plan to wear it and what you will be doing while you wear it than how old you are. The brushed case and bracelet of the blackbird make for a great daily use watch because they show a lot less damage than would a polished finish. Also there are no worries about dirt or water which you would have with a leather or croco strap. The sporty (as opposed to dressy) look of the blackbird also makes it very easy to wear on a daily basis as it works with casual clothing as well as dressier (although a dressier watch surely would better compliment more formal attire).

As for the price, most people who know what a Breitling is still probably wouldn't know the price difference from model to model (learned denizens of this board excepted, of course). Of your two choices, the Bentley seems like it would stand up better to more frequent and rigorous use, mainly because of the bracelet, although the polished finish (it is polished, right?) will show scratches.

If this is meant to be an occasional use watch (But why would you ever do that with your only Ling?) then I would say you could go with either one.

At the end of the day you could surely wear the Navi on strap every day if you wanted. You really can't go wrong with any Ling for any purpose, its just worth taking a few moments to consider how your use will affect the watch's aesthetics over time.

Either way, enjoy!

-Henry

Hey Phil,
You present some really tough q:s. There´s no right or wrong here, more so just matters of opinnion. I think your choises shows mature taste. Especially with the brownish colours. That´s beside the point though. The most important thing is that you feel comfortable with it and enjoy wearing it. It´s also about style and attitude. It has less to do with age. If the wach fits your individual style and with the right attitude you can get away with almost anything.

At 25 I fell in love with the Navitimer (a mature piece). Couldn´t afford it at the time. At 32 I bought the Skyland Avenger (a youthful piece).

All your choises are very good ones. The thing is, it doesn´t matter which advise you get. You need to go try them on at an AD and essentially the watch will choose you.

Ive gotta agree with the others here...I think the Bentley range is more suited for a younger person than the navi. This is coming from a youngish 26 year old. You cant go wrong either way though, and ive been thinking about a navi for a long time as well.

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-RJ

I'm not sure that your youth is really relevant - the same advice applies as to anyone else - buy the one that appeals to you the most.

The advice about considering the practicality is definitely relevant - the water resistance of a Navi may be an issue for one of you young uns as you do seem to like doing all that spoty stuff

Try them on, consider the limitations and buy the one that speaks the most - you'll know.

Besides, it's only your first

pff

wear want you like , age doesn't count ...
the navitimer is more a dress watch and younger is normally more sporty so ...

Ya I bought mine when I was 20 and financed it through my parents; 0% interest. Best kind of interest. It was an Emergency. I'm on my second now and never looked back. Me personally the Navitimer has always been a favorite of mine. Its a classic Breitling and that Havana dial spills "class" all over the place. One thing I really enjoy about the navitimer is it fits really well during all occasions be it casual or formal.

Answering your question though either one is just as appropriate. Just pick whichever one you personally like more.

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Collection:

Breitling Ti Emergency Blue Dial
Citizen Sky Hawk Blue Angels Ti

Upcoming: Breitling B1/B2/Airwolf

wish I had one at that age, good luck. Wear both, I would have either. The daytora is one of my favs, but much less readable than the GMT. I love the GMT more personally. Its a large watch, so ideally it suits med to largish wrist &/or broad shoulders. You cannot go wrong with either.

I just bought the Montbrillant Datora a couple weeks ago and could not be happier with it (27 year old by the way). That said I would echo some of the considerations mentioned above. How active is your lifestyle? I do a lot of yacht racing, and the Navi really would not really work out for me there, but maybe you are more of an indoor guy. As mentioned above, there are a lot more rugged watches than the Navitimer range. The other thing I would consider is how confidently you could wear a particular watch. The Bently range is pretty "blingy," but if you have the confidence to wear something like that comfortably then go for it. I know if I am the least bit reluctant about my ability to pull something off something I'll never end up wearing it.

Bottom line, wear what you want, it's your watch! The good news is, it's hard to go wrong with a Breitling!

Well, I'd say it totally depends on your personality and style ... but go for the Bentley!!!! I think it suits younger guys.

Since you also live in Belgium, the biggest joke on the planet, I would advise a Breitling most suitable for our political situation : the EMERGENCY

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BREITLING EMERGENCY + UTC CORAL DIALS
BREITLING AEROSPACE TITANIUM PROF (SOLD)
ROLEX SUBMARINER BI-COLOR BLUE DIAL
LOUIS VUITTON TAMBOUR DIVERS
PANERAI LUMINOR

Couple of thoughts

1. You could own/wear this watch for 50+ years so your current age isn't that important.

2. Like the 806 Navitimer, the Datora will still look a classic design in 50 years time. Not sure if the same can be said about the Bentley GMT.

3. You can always wear a G-Shock (or maybe a Colt) for sports etc.

4. Finally, let your heart rule - it's YOUR watch.

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http://f4buz.com/watches/breitling/fakes/fakes.html

Hello Breitling fans,

After months of discussing and thinking I finally made up my mind! It wont be the Datora or GMT, but with 99% certainty, the Bentley Motors T Speed (new edition) with a black velvet dial ... (And about 1% chance I'll take the Navitimer World, I now prefer that one over the Datora, cause it is bigger.) I haven't seen many people here with the Motors T Speed? I can only find pictures online with a bronze dial, but I've seen it with a black dial and it's absoluty gorgeous !!

But I still have to wait two more weeks before buying my baby ... Pictures will soon follow then.

Greetings,
Phil