The Breitling Watch Source Forums

Professional in my 30's with an active and mostly casual lifestyle looking to purchase my first Breitling.

I certainly have large wrists and would think 46mm or bigger so could some of you folks weigh in. So far I have been leaning towards at B4B 6.75.

Is there a proper first Breitling to buy?
Is B4B seen as something different than a traditional Breitling?
Is there something that is similar to the 6.75 that I should be considering?

I understand a watch that a person enjoys is the right watch. But when unloading big stacks it is nice to see what people in the know may think.

When buying a ling from an AD is there any way of specifying a strap, or are you stuck with whatever is on the watch? Lets get me going here guys cause I want to make a purchase and join the club in the next 30 days.

And if there are any Canadians out there who know a great Breitling dealer in Vancouver let me know. I think there is a La Suisse store somewhere downtown.

All the best folks, glad I found this forum.

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Navitimer World - White Dial

This is just my own personal opinion but a first ling shouldn't be a B4B unless you absolutely love them more than anything else Breitling makes. Since you're looking for a larger ling I would reco the Navitimer World at 46mm. A Blackbird is also a great first ling but a touch smaller at 43.5mm. The new Chronomat B01 LE has also starting growing on me and it wears larger than its size. Since it has an inhouse Breitling movement that would be an awesome entry into the world of Breitlings!

When buying a watch a good AD will allow you to get whatever strap/bracelet you want and pay the difference in price...you're not stuck with whatever is on the watch unless they don't have anything else in stock....but they should be able to get inventory in fairly quickly so you can have whatever ya like!

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"I don't own any watches, I just lease them"

I LOVE THE 675. Its my favorite ling, if you have big arms like me, its the best. love the double date window, the wheel on the back, i love it so much i bought 2!

I think any Breitling is a good first. Every single model is high quality and accurate, so it really just comes down to looks and price. Pick the one that works the best for you and buy it.

B4B isnt really seen as different. They are less common because the cost a lot more money.

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-RJ

My main beef with Breitling for Bentley is I don't want to wear a watch that constantly reminds me of a car I do not drive and cannot afford. Otherwise, I can't think of a reason not to go with them, if you like them and can afford them. They are seen as sort of the "deluxe" Breitling line, but as RJ pointed out, all Breitlings are well made, well finished, and all are certified chronometers, so they're all accurate (or should be).

Yeah, there are 5 ranges in the Breitling brand - in ascending order - Aeromarine, Professional, Windrider, Navitimer, and Breitling for Bentley. There is some overlap in price between the ranges at the top of one range and the bottom of the next range.

At 46 or larger in the Aeromarine are the Heritage 46 and Super Avenger. In the Professional range is the Chronospace. Nothing in the Windrider range. In the Navitimer range are the World, Chronomatic, and Montbrillant Legend. And then everything in the B4B range except the Mark VI and GT.

I’d start out with a first Ling in the Aeromarine. The Super Avenger is an extremely popular watch and has plenty of bling and size at 48mm. Not to mention it will cost about ½ of the Bentley you are considering.

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SHARKMAN

One thing I will mention that nobody else has as of yet is that if you do any activities with your current watches that involve swimming, etc. you will definitely want to look at something other than the Navitimer line. If you have large wrists, there are some choices in the Aeromarine line for you as the poster above has mentioned.

Agreed, can't go wrong in the Aeromarine line
Some thoughts:
B01 would be a good place to look. Very versatile and comes in many versions. Whatever you choose most would advise to buy with bracelet and purchase strap if you so desire. I would concur.
SuperOcean Steelfish and SuperOcean Chrono are sharp durable and great value. Also NaviWorld in the Navi line though no watersports allowed with that choice.

Narrow choices on the Breitling website using the configurator and then go to your Authorized Dealer to see in person if possible. Buy from an authorized dealer.
Have fun and good luck
OB

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B-1, SuperOcean, Avenger Skyland

I think it comes down to both wrist size and if it's going to be your daily wearing watch.

I have a 7.5" wrist, and own a Blackbird, but would love to have a Bentley and my wrist is probably a good size for both. Having said that, if I only had the one watch I probably would chose the BB because I'd prefer to not notice it as much. I also have a Super Avenger so know what it's like having a chunk of steel on my wrist.

At some point I might sell my BB to get the Bentley, but not for daily wear. If your wrist is 8" or over get the Bentley!


46mm would probably be ideal for me but there is nothing that screams my name.

What a great time. Enjoy the process of selecting your first Ling.

I side with Serg on the B4B not being a standard 1st Ling,but if you love it get it.

The SA seems like it would not play as well in a professional environment, and the B4B might be a bit flashy.

At 46mm the SOH on bracelet would be a great addition for both work and weekend. As my first Ling it was a great intro to the Breitling brand. Price point, heritage, WR, and uniqueness were all boxes I checked off whenI purchased mine.

Good luck

There is a La Swiss in Pacific Centre Mall and also Time and Gold at 565 West Georgia between Seymour and Richards. There is also an AD, Golden Tree Jewelers I believe out in Langley somewhere (but that’s east of main so I ain’t headin’ way out there, haha)

I bought my Steelfish at La Swiss and my Navi World at Time and Gold. In my opinion Time and Gold is a much nicer experience. The staff is friendly and very relaxed and not pushy in the least, they will be more than happy to let you try on anything they have in stock. When I picked up my Navi World they took all the different colour straps out so I could seen them against that watch and as others have said you can pick whatever one you want. You should be able to get a discount of at least 20% from them, maybe a bit higher.

I was actually at both La Swiss and Time and Gold late last week, Time and Gold has a huge amount of stock at the moment, so it would be a good opportunity to head down and try a few different models on, La Swiss did not seem to have as much stock as they usually do for some reason, I believe both had the 6.75 in stock and Time and Gold had a white dial Navi World as well and I think La Swiss has the black dial.

At any rate, good luck, let us know how you made out.

S

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Steel Fish (Blue Dial)

Thanks to everyone for all the great information and thoughts. Some very good points raised by each and every post. It looks like I will be trying on a few watches and see how they feel. Looking online the bling really catches you, but I think once I get in the store most are right, that something in between flash and dull is most appropriate for a first ling. A guy could always buy two right? But seeing how much everyone enjoys these watches it would be fun to go through this process every year or two picking up a piece.

Thanks all, and I will update.

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Navitimer World - White Dial

And thanks for the AD's Sparwood! I will be in Vancouver in 12 days and check out both.

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Navitimer World - White Dial

And it begins. Haha even thinking that you will stop at one is almost laughable. Not that you couldn't find a great all around watch to meet all your needs, but saying no to future watches is the hard part.

I agree to an extent in regards to "less common". Allow me to explain.... When I was having my heart wrenching debate between the 6.75 and the Navi World I was doing to pros and cons of each (as hard as that was). I understand that the Navi World is popular since they are always on back order however, I really do not see them in public. In fact, I can't tell you the last time I saw one on someone wrist in the last year(honestly). On the other hand the 6.75 is more expensive yet I see them all the time when I travel to Atlantic City or just go out to a nice bar. Two weeks ago I went to Staten Island to visit my fiance's friend for a birthday party. A young guy walks in the room and my Fiance turns to me and says, "hey isn't that the watch you are looking at?" I turned to her and said, "It WAS(past tense), and that is the reason why I chose the World!"

Don't get me wrong I love the 6.75 and I believe it truly is a great watch, but it would bother me seeing people with the same watch as me every now and then when I go out. I'm weird like that I know.

Plus the World is just so classy!

JUST MY TWO CENTS.

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Past: BlackBird, Navi World, SA, Rolex DJII, IWC Yacht Club
Present: CE, DSSD
Future: Changes daily