The Breitling Watch Source Forums

I've been watching the new series of Bear Grylls' Born Survivor here in the UK.

He sometimes wears a Bremont Supermarine but he also often wears either a Coral or Yellow Emergency. The perfect watch for an explorer, etc, you may think. However, I always used to have issues with the lack of water resistancy with the Emergency. It actually put me off buying a second hand one offered to me at a great price from AMJ recently.

However, in the first program of his new series Bear was diving under ice in his Emergency and in last week's program he jumped about 3 to 4 stories high from a helicopter into the seas just north of Scotland. He then went on to swim and wade in deep waters in it.

Breitling clearly state in their manuals that a 30m WR watch should not be used for swimming, let alone diving.

Have any of you had any issues using you Emergency for swimming, showering, or even diving, etc?

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Forum Representative for Andrew Michaels Jewellers, UK

Please visit my Watch Blog at http://www.AndrewMichaels.co.uk

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I've often wondered this whilst watching this programme Ricardo.
Bear has worn an emergency across other, earlier series too and has given them similar punishment.
I guess its down to one of two things.
1. They are tougher than we give them credit for
2. A nice little sponsorship deal with Breitling and the watch is replaced/ repaired as and when needed.
My guess would be the latter, I wish it was the former as my emergency would really be the perfect holiday watch for me if I could wear it in the pool.

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Breitling navitimer super constellation LE
Omega Ploprof 1200m
Bremont supermarine
Rolex milgauss GV
Olivant and Botsford 40mm Gold edition

guys, i think option number 1...

actually i have swimmed, showered, beached and everything else with both my Emergencies and not a problem.

i have sent them to breitling for battery changes, overhaul and they have always told me it´s in great shape. but they changed seals and cristal every time.

i guess it´s better than we expected.

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Kiudog

Really? I wonder how much repairs would be IF it did go wrong and leak?
Super quartz movements can't be THAT expensive....can they?!

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Breitling navitimer super constellation LE
Omega Ploprof 1200m
Bremont supermarine
Rolex milgauss GV
Olivant and Botsford 40mm Gold edition

Old Bear was at it again on last night's Born Survivor.

Whilst wearing his yellow Emergency he parachuted into a river, withstodd an hour in a contrived 35mph rain storm and jumped 50 feet into a lake.

If the Emergency can withstand all of that then it would definitely be good enough for me.

I wonder how we can find out if Bear's Emergency is a standard over-the-counter Emergency that he simply sends off for service when the battery is flat.

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Forum Representative for Andrew Michaels Jewellers, UK

Please visit my Watch Blog at http://www.AndrewMichaels.co.uk

******Our new Pre-owned watch site www.amjwatches.co.uk is now live*****

Perhaps a word in the ear of Andrews Breitling rep?..

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Breitling navitimer super constellation LE
Omega Ploprof 1200m
Bremont supermarine
Rolex milgauss GV
Olivant and Botsford 40mm Gold edition

I mentioned this in my thread about Man vs. Wild last year and still wonder the same thing!

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

What drives me crazy is this....someone like Bear Grylls is the perfect person to wear an Emergency (right?), with the situations that he puts himself into. His face should be on this watch, it is meant for intense situations, per what it does....YET, it has 30m WR!!!!! WFT?

Make an Emergency for Nautical People dammit!(That would be bad ass!)

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

If military pilots were supposed to rely on the military Emergency as a last option, then ditching over water would theoretically render it useless, if the official 30m WR was adhered to.

My guess is that it has better WR than we think.

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Oyster Date '78, Blackbird chrono DLC '10, Blackbird chrono' 02, Navitimer Fighters '02, Aerospace Evo , Seamaster Chrono Diver 300' 02, Carrera cbm2110

It's not the transmitter that's the issue, that actually works BETTER in water according to my instructions that came with the watch.
It's the watch itself that has the water issues.

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Breitling navitimer super constellation LE
Omega Ploprof 1200m
Bremont supermarine
Rolex milgauss GV
Olivant and Botsford 40mm Gold edition

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An ever changing collection.....

Having flown for the last 30 years to include many SAR flights while in the U.S. Navy, I think you guys are putting way too much faith in the Emergency's ELT. I do not believe the transmitter has the power, range or battery life to be very effective. Further, 121.5 is no longer monitored by any of the satellite or automated systems and is a dying ELT freq. I'll admit that it's better than nothing, but it's not much and I would never depend on it. To me, the Emergency is just a gimmick watch and I've never seen the appeal of it, yet alone wanted that much bulk on my wrist. But to each his own.

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Breitling Montbrillant Olympus
Breitling Navitimer World
Breitling Chronomat
Breitling Colt GMT
Omega Seamaster GMT "Great White"
Omega Speedmaster X-33
Rolex GMT Master IIc
Bremont ALT1-ZT

It was never designed to be a stand alone rescue device, just to compliment the other on board equipment.

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Breitling navitimer super constellation LE
Omega Ploprof 1200m
Bremont supermarine
Rolex milgauss GV
Olivant and Botsford 40mm Gold edition

I remember the thread and it still bugs me to this day as well. Bet his watches are really hammered.

Perhaps someone who's very friendly with BUK can ask about the service history

Not sure about the 30m regular E, but I have the 100m Emergency Mission and have gone to pools, oceans, and even extreme water parks (closest to jumping from a chopper into water ya know... ) wearing it without ever a problem.

Personally I wouldn't hesitate wearing a modern 30m rated watch swimming. If you dive, pressure at 30m is quite intense -- can't imagine recreating such forces from swimming at the surface to worry about overcoming the seals.

Then again, I've always had problems believing the need to "interprete" WR ratings... If Casio can mass-produce virtually indestructable G-Shocks for such little money, can't imagine why Breitling's fine-precision instrument that says 30m WR wouldn't mean exactly that?

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a few Pams...