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Hello everyone! Long time Breitling fan with a Colt GMT, first time poster! I'm delighted to see Breitling is finally releasing a titanium Avenger II (the Bandit; I hope they will soon add a bracelet) and it got me thinking: what 'luxury level' is the Avenger meant to be, even as a tool watch?

For example, the Colt seems to be entry-level, while on the other hand the Chronomats are far above with in-house movements (but maybe still regarded as below Breitling for Bentley models). Maybe the Avenger is in-between? Any thoughts or comments?

Regards,

Nicolai

in my opinion there are 3 level to breitling.
entry - colt
kick ass - avenger, chronomat, navi, professional
collector - anything gold, like a transocean, the new mono-pusher one, etc.

Just my opinion, but here's how I see it (without regard for case metal):

Colt and superocean are entry level
Avenger, Superocean Heritage, and ETA Bentleys are intermediate
In house Navitimer, Chronomat, Transocean, and Bentleys are the standard bearers of the brand
Mulliner and the pocketwatch are crazy!

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Breitling Navitimer 01 LE

Breitling's "luxury" levels are a bit hard to pin down, because they involve a combination of finishing and movements, which sometimes cross model boundaries. For instance, both the Galactic 44 and Galactic Unitime have Chronomat-level finishing, but the Unitime's movement is in-house, whereas the 44's is ETA, which technically makes the Unitime higher on the luxury scale.

Then you have situations like with the new Exospace, which uses an in-house Superquartz movement housed in a watch aimed primarily at functionality, which is only available on a rubber strap. Where does it sit relative to the Galactic 44 on the luxury scale, which is not in-house, but is mechanical and has higher-grade finishing?

And then there is the Bentley range, which I just ignore: I have no interest in paying inflated prices to wear a plate on my wrist that continually reminds me of a car I cannot afford.

But I digress. In answer to the OP's question, I would say the Avenger is closer to the Colt than the Chronomat on the luxury scale. The prices alone indicate as much:

- Colt Chrono Auto on bracelet: $5300
- Avenger II on bracelet: $5850 (titanium will no doubt bump the price up)
- Chronomat 44 on bracelet: $9,060

Aesthetically, the Avenger shares more design cues with a Colt than a Chronomat, and comes on a Pro3 bracelet, same as a Colt. The Avenger and Colt also share the same movement.

It is extremely hard to cut the sortiment into different levels of luxury. Still if I have to do it I would make only two groups: one with the mechanical in-house calibers (B01 and offsprings) the other all the others, regardless of carats of metal and diamonds. I would not rate Bentley as a higher grade of luxury as (as told above) you pay the premium for the name and design elements of Bentley (a good example is the price ratio of the Bentley GT and anything else by Breitling with ETA 7750, both steel on steel bracelet). And I would not rate Superocean Heritage higher than Superocean - designs are somewhat different but equipment and price range is the very same.
Just my opinion of course.

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Chronomat 41 BEB, Steelfish Chrono BEB, 2x Grand Premier, Chrono Cockpit 39 mm, Aerospace Avantage 79362
IWC 3706, 3705, 376706, 371928
Sinn 103 plexy
For sale: Sinn 356 II, Porsche Design Titan Chrono Valjoux
Wanted: Breitling Blackbird 13353 on bracelet

If Breitling gets to a point where they are consistent with their movements per range (i.e., higher-end ranges are all in-house, lower-end ranges are not), this would be a fair mode of categorization. The problem is, Breitling isn't there yet. Prime examples are the Galactic 44 and Transocean three-hand models. The Galactic 44 is the only Galactic model to have all the trim characteristics of the Chronomat Airborne - same case style (slightly thinner), same bezel, and same hinged endpieces on the Pilot bracelet. It is, for all intents and purposes, a three-hand Airborne, except that it has an ETA-based movement, as opposed to in-house. The same goes for the Transocean line. The Transocean chronographs are in-house; the three-hands are not. Regardless of movement manufacture, there is no question in my mind that these models are in a higher luxury bracket than ranges like Colt and Avenger; the three-hand models in these ranges are certainly closer to their in-house brethren on the luxury scale than to those lower-end models, non in-house movements notwithstanding.

That said, these would seem to be the outliers in Breitling's lineup. Increasingly, we are seeing alignment between range stratification and movement stratification. For instance, as I said, the Galactic Unitime features Breitling's first in-house non-chronograph movement, and it would not surprise me if we saw versions of it "trickle down" to the other higher-end three-hand Breitling models, to the point where all higher-end three-hands are in-house. If or when that happens, your binary categorization based on movement manufacture will be apt. Until then, I believe some recognition has to be given to these "in between" models.