I recently got my Mission back from BUSA for an overhaul and have been contemplating whether or not to sell it for months. I am glad that others here have recently touched on the idea that the new model might or might not be worth acquisition on the basis of Breitling's recent design aesthetics. That has been a concern of mine for a while now, just as it has been for many. I like the looks of the current Emergency and Emergency Mission and like many of you I am curious to about how the new model will look.

The other thing for me however is that I'm still not convinced about the technology factor (121.5mh vs 406mh). I have seen the claims of many reliable people that they have intelligence from industry sources that the new Emergency will operate on 406. The benefits of 406 are both many and significant; however those benefits are reliant on the source signal reaching directly to a satellite (in space). One of the main reasons why 406 replaced 121.5 in aviation purposes in the first place is its ability to significantly reduce "false calls". Let us remember that the original purpose of the Emergency was not to be capable of speaking to satellites, but rather to supplement an airplane's existing distress systems. This "supplement" is the 121.5 signal’s ability to facilitate rescue services. While 406 is far superior to 121.5 in satellite signal initiation, 121.5 remains superior (to this day) to 406 in homing down here near the Earth's surface. This is one reason why airplanes worldwide continue to monitor 121.5 while operating - for homing. Triangulating 121.5 is how Search and Rescue (SAR) find their target. This was the original intention of the Emergency watch. Is this going to be the purpose of the new Emergency? This is also why civilian PLBs nowadays carry both 406 AND 121.5. Why else would PLBs need both?

Long story short is (and I hope I am wrong) that I don't predict a transmitter that is capable of reaching satellites miles and miles above Earth fitting into a wristwatch in the next year or two. Let us not forget that the current run of Emergency ended because of Dessault discontinuing it's transmitter production, NOT because of the technology itself.

Will we see a new aesthetic on the same technology, or a truly and completely new Emergency?

The 406 beacons work nicely, when they have the GPS locator function. They'll find themselves, and transmit their position with the signal. It's a great combination for a Personal Locator Beacon, but might make for a rather large watch.

I hear it will be rather large, 49mm.

I was talking about a combination of GPS locater and 406 beacon. Will the new watch have that?

Having 406 on new emergency I wonder how the battery life will be when the beacon is activated since 406 send signal to satellite

Using GPS on my iPhone drain battery real quick so how will it work on a wristwatch


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk