The Breitling Watch Source Forums

Hi,

I am in the market for a pre-owned Montbrilliant, or possibly a Navitimer.

Looking at the available information here:
http://www.breitlingsource.com/watch_de ... nt_91.html

It looks like the Montbrilliant series got sapphire glass as late as 01/2009. Is this the case? Could there be exceptions in certain models or versions? I tend to find many listings where the seller (even shops) claim that their listing has sapphire glass.

How about the Navitimers?

Moreover, is it an expensive ordeal to have the glass changed to sapphire when I send the watch for service?

Looking at a watch, how do I know if the glass is sapphire or not?

Thank you.

the pre 2008 Montbrillant has mineral glass , the Navitimer Sapphire

due to the shape of the glass its impossible to replace the mineral with sapphire and the shape of the glass is the reason why Breitling choose to use mineral

_________________
"I spent most of my money on Booze, Breitling and Boats. The rest I wasted" - mostly Elmore Leonard

Well, sometimes Rene.

Montbrillant was indeed the last model to get Sapphire in early 2009, other models in the Navitimer / Montbrillant range have had it for longer. Breitling has started offering sapphire crystals as a service replacement on some models that originally had mineral, but it varies from model to model. An owner would need to check whether a particular model has the upgrade available ( I believe that the Montbrillant does) and what the cost would be.

Thank you both for your replies.

When exactly did the Navitimer get sapphire glass?

About the Montbrilliant versions, any knowledge on when the Datora went sapphire?

You would need to check with Breitling on timings, they weren't announced changes.

learn something new everyday

_________________
"I spent most of my money on Booze, Breitling and Boats. The rest I wasted" - mostly Elmore Leonard