The Breitling Watch Source Forums

Recently I have had a wandering eye towards some of the Cockpit pics, and threads, and I must say I am really liking the simplicity and wear-ability (Specifically with a dress shirt cuff for work purposes) of this watch.

I have always been interested in adding a white dial face to the regular rotation, and MOP dial w/ gold rider tabs and crown might be a nice change from the black/white of the Navi.

From what I can gather....The watch had a dial change from the batons w/ roman XII to the square guilloche w/roman XI,IX, and XII. The new dial might be a bit dressier, but this is JMO, as both are very understated but appropriate for everything.

Regarding the Pilot bracelet option....I like the idea of a bracelet that isn't pure sport i.e. Professional, but is the 20mm size too small? Also, anybody have experience w/ the TT bracelet option?

No it's not too small. The Cockpit is an ideal dress watch. I am so sorry to see it go in favor of the Galactic 41.

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SHARKMAN

I've said it before, to me the Cockpit is one of the most flexible watches in Breitling's range - equally at home with a suit or jeans.

I couldn't agree more. IMO, it was the last non-chrono Breitling to be used for dress purposes. I wanted to pick one up on a croc for those days I pretend to be a real life professional. ...and then it was Galactifified.

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Steelfish GMT LE (white)

Seems like there are plenty of positive things said about the model, and the big date is sort of the icing on the cake.

It may be a bit of a treasure hunt to come across the model I have in mind, but that is all part of the hunt I guess. Not like it is a LE or anything, so...

Anybody know what finishes were offered on the SS case with gold rider-tab/crown versions? Was the SS case polished or brushed? What about the bezel?



So I am guessing that all the praise for the 22mm Pilot bracelet apply to this one as well?
Obviously a brown croc would also be standard issue, but I really want to give Breitling's bracelets a try.

Both the 22 and 20 pilot bracelets are great bracelets. You will love it.

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SHARKMAN

In my opinion, the only thing that really messes up the Galactic is the silly Buck Rogers bezel. It's unfortunate they did away with the classic Cockpit/Chronomat bezel. Otherwise, I think the dial on the Galactic is actually an improvement over the most recent Cockpit dial; all those Romans made the Cockpit dial a little junky, imo. Plus, since I like black dials, I appreciate the black date wheels on black-dial Galactic, which were white on the Cockpit. If I were to try to hunt one down, I might see if I could find the older dial Cockpit, which only had the Roman at the 12:00 position, and had the round bullseye pattern, rather than the square guilloche. Either that, or I'd wait for the time Breitling finally has the stones to admit they F'ed up the bezel and give us the option of the Cockpit/Chronomat bezel on the Galactic and Chronomat 01. That time is sure to come eventually, although it may be a couple years down the road.

OK Jackson, I wouldn't want to hijack this, but...

I fully agree with you on the Galactic bezel and guess what, I totally disagree on the B01 They should have kept it unique to it.

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

Anybody have a Ref # for the old bulls-eye style model with white or MOP dial and gold accents?

It seems that the older dial looks a little larger due to the batons, but the pillow insert on the new dial adds a bit of refinement. Any preference by owners?

I have read some other threads stating that this model is becoming harder and harder to find, so if anybody has a line on an AD that might have one of these they are trying to unload let me know.

Gonna be an interesting hunt.

I own neither, but I'm a longtime Cockpit fan and, after having sampled one at my AD, a Galactic fan as well. As someone else noted, the dial face is a bit more refined, and I know I'm in the minority but when I saw it on my wrist I didn't dislike the new bezel at all.

I love my Cockpit - tt's a beauty. I have the "square plopped in the middle" version that came before the Galactic switchover.

Went pefectly with the suit I was wearing at a wedding on Saturday, and it went equally well with the jeans I wore going out after the wedding.

EDIT: A shot of my watch

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“The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once.” - Albert Einstein

You've seen it in person, so you've got more insight than those of us (like myself) whose opinions are based solely on pictures.

Don't misunderstand me here, obviously I do not dislike the new bezel, I just think that they should've come up with something else when they decided to refresh the Cockpit. That was too easy.

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

It really is a great looking watch, and I already have my saved search function on ebay hard at work for me.

Great looking watch Ian...I was looking at your cape cod thread las night just for the pics.

Was this piece considered a bit pricey when it came out? Getting a second hand option makes it look like a value, but I wonder if the new price might have had something to do with this model not being well received.

My impression is that the price is a bit steep for a watch with a standard "three hand" layout. The asking price is not quite entry level (i.e. Colt) and I don't think these pieces are at a huge premium (i.e. Bentley).

I think you get a lot for your money. High water resistance (300 m), big date, a lot of Breitling's major styling cues, and versatility.

Still not 100% sure why it was never a big seller, but it might have something to do with the price. The other issue might be the flip side of "versatility", which is that the watch might just not have enough identity for people to consider it.

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“The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once.” - Albert Einstein