I often see various comments, especially on YouTube, people putting down harshly on certain watches/brands, thinking that they could make their own watches more superior this way. Breitlings are quite commonly targetted. "Breitlings make the ugliest watches." "Breitlings are for rappers." "This is a gaudy looking watch and not even the same league as the Omega Speedmaster(example)", blar blar blar.....
Rolex vs Breitling has always been a popular topic. Frankly speaking, there has been no solid evidence to prove that a brand makes more durable or accurate watches than the other. There isn't any solid evidence even that a Patek, an AP, or a high brand makes more durable watches than Rolex or Breitling, except that the making process involves more human intervention and higher end polishing(which does not contribute to the watch being more functional or durable). Of course this comparison is assuming 2 watches with the same number and type of complications and same material used(eg, stainless steel).
It's really apples vs oranges because different brands focus on different aspects and it depends what appeals to you.
Rolex IMO focuses on durability and simplicity. No fanciful or complicated stuff. Just do what a watch is supposed to do, nothing more. Using the minimum number of components in their movements so that they cause potentially lesser problems and easier to maintain. In a way, they want to create the most practical mechanical watch you can ever find, and they spend a considerable amount of effort on the material of their watches(e.g, inventing ceramic bezels) to ensure that their watches are not only practical, but able to last. The attractive part about this brand is almost every of their model has a success story to tell, and have distinctive features that contribute to the identity of every model. In a way you won't go wrong buying almost any Rolex. They mass produce but they control production of their popular models to make them appear more valuable and desirable.
Breitling IMO focuses a lot on legibility and functionality, since their main aim is to produce instruments for professionals. Their pieces do more than just telling time and they want the user to use the watch not only to tell time, but for multi tasks like a high tech instrument. Many of their pieces are big and classic lovers dislike that, because they think they look gaudy and blingy and simply used to attract attention. Seriously, who would try to attract attention with a chunk of steel??? To appreciate Breitling pieces, you need to stand from a professional's (pilot, diver, etc) perspective. Many pieces are meant to be worn outside the sleeve and especially for intricate dials with plenty of information on the watches, the sizes have to be bigger to ensure that the info on the dials remain highly legible and easy to read. I love intricate dials because I like to see how the designer arranges all the information in such a small circle and the things they do to make every info legible for the user to easily read and obtain information, even in extreme conditions. I usually look out for details like how the minute/sec hands align to the hour/minute markers, how the hour markers are applied, how and why the chronograph sec hands are designed this way, etc.... all these contributes to the legibility of the entire piece. A lot of times the watch looks simple but if you zoom in to every detail in the dial especially, you will realize that it is not an easy task. The thickness and design of the hands, the type of color being used to contrast between the dial and markers in the dial, the type and size of the fonts being used and their arrangement on the dial, etc. Each detail must be precise to ensure the highest possible legibility. It takes a lot more effort and experty to design such a piece as there are so many details to consider, and they have to balance functionality with form. That is the reason why I love Breitlings because detailings is one main reason why I go into luxury watches. I do understand why many watch lovers dislike Breitlings. A lot of their pieces do not look nice with the first look and many even look cheap. However stand from a professional's perspective and you will start to appreciate their watches. I believe Breitling has no wish at all to make their pieces "valuable" like Rolex. They seem to try create the image that they are high tech and innovative and able to produce mechanical watches like Quartz watches, make difficult and time consuming tasks productive and able to complete in a smaller time frame, without compromising on quality. It's like they want to go high tech in this manner that most watch lovers do not welcome as that pretty much makes mechanical watches look cheap and less worth. Their invented industrial chain production of their movements is a good example. IMO they are indeed innovative, but majority do not like it. It's like nobody likes to spend so much on a watch that seems "easier to produce". And when they experience problems, many blame the cause on the production chain, simply because it has passed through many hands. Well, they do go through the same stringent tests so I don't personally see a difference in quality between a chain produced piece and a piece assembled by one man. One main characteristic about Breitling that I do not appreciate in the past, but do now, is that they tend to make more obvious cosmetic changes to every models' descendents while retaining the main iconic features to ensure that the model's identity is maintained. Plus the fact that Breitlings do not appeal to many, it's not that easy to spot someone else wearing the same watch as you out there and so it feels more exclusive having paid so much for a watch. Last of all, it is afterall a jewellery, and thus I like how Breitlings look on the wrist. Different from a usual luxury watch that often look generic. I have never thought Breitlings look blingy. In fact if I do not want to attract attention I often wear my Breitlings.
To me Breitlings are value for money and great for those who have intentions of keeping their watches forever. Take Chronomat vs Daytona for example. Chronograph with date function, higher WR, but a Rolex Daytona, without even a date complication, costs almost double the amount(I am comparing the older version with the steel bezel and not the ceramic one). For Daytona it's like you are paying almost double the price to buy an "insurance" that will allow your watch to hold its value.
I believe many classify Rolex as a higher end brand than Breitling because of their price points and more stringent discount on Rolex. Also Rolex uses precious metals and diamonds more commonly on their pieces than Breitling. As mentioned there is no solid evidence to prove which is more durable or accurate than which. In fact if you want to view it from another perspective, Breitling does complicated pieces like the QP and 1461, but Rolex does not. So you can even place Breitling a notch above Rolex if you want to compare that way. To me they are in the same league but focus on different aspects.
IMHO, no collection is complete without a Rolex. Breitlings are not for everyone. My preference? Breitling
Because I like to use my watch like a high tech instrument. But I still love Rolex.
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