The Breitling Watch Source Forums

Hi there I've been a long time lurker, I almost bought a Flying fish a year ago but ended up with a Pam 312 and a Zenith El Primero striking 10th instead.

Now I got the Breitling bug again (I think it never went away) and I would like to add one to my collection and my choices are as follows

1.- The original Breitling Blackbird Ref. a44359 with brushed bezel. Since this is now a discontonued model it might be hard to source one out where I live (Mexico). This is one that is calling me strongly.

2.- Blackbird Blacksteel, I love the look of this model but I'm afraid the DLC might rub off. Have anyone had their blacksteel coating rubbed off on you before?

3.-Chronomat Blackbird 2012-2013 the limited edition one with the buck rogers font and oversized N,S,W,E on the bezel. I like it, but not as much as the other two.

4.-The last one is a model that I recently saw and it has grown on me. The 2012 Chronomat Frecce Tricolori LE. Love the colours and the abscence of the square on the dial. But I dont know if I might get tireed of the Frecce Tricolori branding.


Well thats it guys, I hope you could help me out with this tough decision, after all the watches acquisitions last year Breitling is calling my name again!

Thanks,
Jorge.

Hello! I would go with the original Blackbird, if you can find it. If your worried about the DLC rubbing off however on the second choice, it's not likely to happen very easily. There is a chance if you bang it against a hard surface you could scratch it, but overall that finish is strong. These two options I think you will enjoy for years to come and are unlikely to become bored with either choice.
It's your choice, but again I would go with the first choice first, and the second choice second. Good luck on your quest, hope you find the one you truly love and will cherish it for years to come.

If I were you I would choose between 1 and 3. Black Bird Black Steel is unless u you already have a lot of classic steel watches in yr collection and want something different. For Chronomat Frecce Tricolori 2012, unless if you are a die hard fan of Frecce Tricolori or they mean a lot to you, else I won't enourage you to get this cos you might get tired of it easily. I am a great fan of the Breitling logo so IMO you should get one with the classic wings on it. Btw why stopped looking into Flying Fish? If it had been one of your choices I would have voted for it. Nevertheless it's best to try on them at an AD and see which looks best on you. BB was one of my top choices when getting my first Ling but surprisingly it didn't look good on my wrist when I went to try it. Good luck with yr choice;)

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Breitling Chronomat 01 Limited Edition
Breitling Navitimer 01 46mm

Hola Jorge,

Good luck with your choice. Its what makes you happy that counts. Your reasoning is good though, so I think you will make the right decision in the end. For my part, I think the Blackbird Blacksteel.

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Jim

"You have Control".

If it was my money I'd go for the 2012 Chronomat Frecce Tricolori LE. Yes it's got the Buck font which I'm not the worlds biggest fan of, but I still think the Frecce Tricolori LE and the Flying Fish are the best versions of the Chronomat 01 yet seen, plus the in-house movement is a big draw for me. And it's a very tastefully done limited edition.

The 2007-2011 Backbird would be my second choice, but I've always found it to be one watch that I prefer in pictures to in the flesh for some reason.

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Driver8

Site Moderator

Ya I have personally tried on the BB and still pondering over the reason why it doesn't look that good on the wrist as compared to the photo. I am with D8 on the choice of the Flying Fish if you are willing to broaden yr scope of choice. I am a sucker for in-house movements too. IMO Calibre 01 is the best looking movement I have ever seen, sorry to say, even better looking than many Geneva Seal movements. It has that "raw" look that isn't over decorated until to the extent that it looks fake, plus the beautiful structure and superior polish of the entire movement gives me the "Back To Basics" aesthetic appeal. But erm... before you get convinced the Flying Fish doesn't have Transparent Caseback for you to admire the movement, which IMO is a real pity. You might want to consider Chronomat 01 LE or Chronomat 41 LE where the looks are similar to the Flying Fish if you want a transparent caseback. For the Frecce Tricolori LE, I don't recommend personally simply because I prefer to have the Breitling Logo on the dial instead of the Frecce Tricolori logo, unless if you are a big fan of the Frecce Tricolori.

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Breitling Chronomat 01 Limited Edition
Breitling Navitimer 01 46mm

Gracias for your comments!,

Driver8 and Chronomat01LE thank you for your replys, I think the reasoning behind your statements are very similar to mine, I think I've narrowed it down to the original blackbird and the frecce tricolori. I saw a video on youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hKRfk8m7NE where the new tricolori looks very nice. However this is my first ling so I would like to have the Breitling logo also. decisions decisions! I'll let u know which one I purchased in the end
Meanwhile more comments are welcome and appreciated!

Oh and one more thing, what do you think about the durability of the rubber inserted numerals of the Frecce T.?

Original Blackbird for me........you can find them used like new if you look around for it.