The Breitling Watch Source Forums

Hello everyone, long time lurker first time poster etc.

My father passed away in March this year. He had a number of watches that he left to the grandkids.

It got me thinking that I want a watch that I can leave to someone someday. I wear a poor mans Breitling these days but I will be purchasing something in the next couple of months.

I went to one of the AD's in Ireland because I had my heart set on the Aerospace EVO. How disappointed was I. So light, and didn't really have any presence. Plus the salesman also made a good point that if I was looking to buy a watch pass to a loved one in lets say 30ish years the digital service at that time may be obsolete.

So moving on to the Superocean 44. This seems to be the best option to me. Its a watch and tells the time.

I would like to get the watch engraved with my mum and dads names.

This is a one time purchase deal so I am open to suggestions around the Superocean 44 I or II.

Thanks

Nice sentiment and welcome to Breitling Source.

Personally I totally agree with the salesman that steering clear of quartz (and especially digital) is definitely the way to go if you plan to keep a watch for ever. In addition though I would suggest buying something that is either already a "modern classic", or something that will undoubtedly become one. With that in mind I'd steer clear of anything with a rubber bezel as those are very much "of the moment". For my money I'd go with something like a NOS Superocean Steelfish if you can find one. Alternatively (if you have the cash) then something like a Transocean Chrono or a Navitimer would be the best option for a future heirloom piece.

Having said that, if you are set on either a Superocean 44 I or II, then the II is definitely the way to go IMO. More classic styling of the two.

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Driver8

Site Moderator

(No doubt a mechanical watch will make a far, far better heirloom, so entirely agree with the conclusion of the post, but just to defend the Aerospace... it's made of titanium, with pilots in mind, and lightness is rather the point of the watch.)

I agree with Driver completely. I own a Transocean date, Transocean Chronograph, and a Steelfish. All 3 I plan on keeping for a long time. Another good long term piece would be a Cosmonaute. That's my 4th piece in the collection. I hope to pass them all along to the grandkids one day.


J

Definitely +1 on the Steelfish if you are trying to keep the spend on the lower side. You just missed a killer deal on a mint chronograph Steelfish in the classifieds here. If I hadn't just bought an Avenger I would have been all over that one.

If you want to spend more, you can't go wrong with a Navitimer World. A Navi is the "quintessential" Breitling in my opinion and will always be desirable. I can't wait to get one myself. Maybe next year...

Between Superocean 44 I or II:

Superocean I is one of the most sporty looking dive watches I have ever come across. It also looks more modern as compared to II. Superocean II looks more classic but also a bit generic at the same time. So it depends on what works better for you.

I find myself getting tiresome of Superocean after a while, not just because of design, but because it isn't a quintessential Breitling so you will just be getting it for the looks, and nothing else. You gotta ask yourself why you want to spend thousands to buy a Breitling. If I were you I would likely save up longer for more funding and buy an in-house Breitling, say a Chronomat or Navitimer.

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Breitling Chronomat 01 Limited Edition
Breitling Navitimer 01 46mm

What about buying a (better be careful here) vintage Breitling which was made in your birth year? Very much depends on when that was if viable (I was born in the late 70s when Breitling was struggling so not really an option), but would add an extra layer of sentiment if you could find one you liked.

If you were born in the late 70s, thats me knackered John!!!!

Thanks for all the opinions. Sure the Navi is essentially Breitling, but honestly I am not a fan, I could never warm to them. Plus they are way out of my budget.

I have narrowed it down to Superocean 44 I, II or steelfish with steel bracelet.

Whether I buy new or 2nd hand remains to be seen.

The other big question is new grey dealer like Jomashop or 2nd hand that came from an AD?

Thanks for all your advice so far.

Grey dealers aren't all alike so you need to do a little research before buying. That said, Jomashop, Prestige Time, Interwatch and Authentic Watches are a few that all sell genuine watches with the serials intact (nowadays at least). An intact serial number is probably one of the most important things as it means that Breitling will service the watch for you. The only real issue with "buying grey" is the lack of an official Breitling warranty (and I personally wouldn't trust a grey market dealers in-house warranty), so it's best to just assume you haven't got a warranty at all and if something goes wrong then you pay for Breitling to fix it.

Buying 2nd hand presents a different set of issues - namely condition, age, service history, and worst of all the potential for buying a fake. For info, both the latest Superocean and the Steelfish have exceptionally realistic fakes, so if you are planning to buy one of those 2nd hand, then be sure to post up pictures in the replica forum before buying so we can verify it's authenticity for you.

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Driver8

Site Moderator

Is that the number below the model number? I have seen a few online and that number is always clouded over. Someone like Jomashop has the Superocean for 2500, yet that same watch is nearly 3800 in an AD. I get the warranty from Breitling I know but massive price difference.

At the 2nd hand part I would certainly post pictures and links. What should I look out for here?

http://www.chrono24.com/en/breitling/su ... 685666.htm

http://www.chrono24.com/en/breitling/su ... 674855.htm

Yes, it's the tiny, more faint number below the model. I never could understand why people block that out.

If you're still looking for a Superocean 44, Jomashop just recently ran those for $1999 USD on eBay. I've seen a couple legit grey market dealers sell them for that in the last couple months on eBay.

Both of those Steelfish look good to me, but I'm not an expert. You really need a lot more pictures than that to be absolutely certain. There are a lot of tells to spot a fake. Some of them are a sunken date window that is not fully filled by the numbers, blotchy and misaligned lume dots, incorrect font on the Breitling text, misshapen B logo, shallow caseback and clasp engraving, incorrect subdial spacing on the chronographs, etc. Like the other guys said, though, the best way to be sure is to post pictures in the replica forum.

How much is that US sourced watch going to cost you by the time you've paid import duty and taxes on it? Highly doubt that the price difference will justify giving up the warranty.

I am in the U.S. 4-5 times a year so import duties won't matter to me.

The law will still require you to declare it. Of course what you choose to do is up to you........

Ohhhhhh so you are one of those!?