The Breitling Watch Source Forums

I've just got back from an event that my AD held at a really rather swanky 5 star country club today.

They had a huge number of watch and jewelery makes there, from Fabergé to Cartier, Breitling to Bvlgari, Patek to Rolex. Plus they also had the Breitling Fighter flight simulators set up which are excellent fun if you get the chance.

I managed to pick up the new Chronolog, and a couple of other goodies, which is nice, but what amazed me the most were <shock horror> some of the other watch manufacturers. Basically I was quite shocked to find out that Omega, Ebel and Bvlgari are now making full in-house manufacturer movements! The Omega one was quite grim looking but unique nonetheless as they have made a movement with the subdials in the arrangement of the Olympic rings across the centre of the dial.

However, the new Ebel is fantastic! It's called the 1911 Tekton Chronograph ( http://watches.infoniac.com/new-ebel-19 ... graph.html but the pictures do not do it justice AT ALL!), and it's a good 48mm across and has at least 24mm lugs - may even be 25 or 26mm. Full in-house movement, retrograde chronograph function and display back. It's a great looking thing. I was all the more surprised as Ebel watches have never appealed to me, but this really is something special, and at £5k not outrageously priced.

So there we have it - 3 more fairly mainstream manufacturers making in-house movements to join Panerai and Rolex. When will Breitling take the plunge?

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Driver8

Site Moderator

The ebel is 'unique'.

As for in house movements... will that raise prices?

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The pictures of that Ebel do it absolutely no justice at all. It's 100 times better in the flesh than that picture would suggest.

And yeah, in-house movements push the prices up A LOT. Chatting to the Bvlgari guy there and he was saying they've invested millions in the setting it up, and they can only produce 300 pieces per year of their in-house equiped models. Hence why theirs was just over £6K......

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Driver8

Site Moderator

The noise that Swatch group have been making about stopping supply of movements certainly seems to be having an impact, though I think many companies are still taking a wait and see approach.

I had heard a few noises about the Ebel, my AD also carries them, but didn't realise that it was that big, it's certainly a good addition to a collection, but not sure it would be many people's 'only' watch.

I agree that it's probably not an "only watch" watch, but it's a very cool piece all the same. I'd definitely have one if I'd exhausted the other Breitling pieces I'm after (! ) as it looked superb on the wrist. Very nicely built too.

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Driver8

Site Moderator

Why no pictures of this event and the watches. I guess maybe it's not cool to be the guy with the telescope lens camera, or maybe they aren't allowed? Sounds like a good time anyways.

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- Nathan
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Breitling Avenger Skyland (Black)

Good point, but there was a LOT of well-money'd people around (4 brand new Bentley's in the car park, along with a brand new Rolls Royce and 2 new Ferraris......, oh and I watched one guy buy his wife a £33K diamond ring right in front of me ), so you're right that I would've looked a little "uncool" walking around with my mobile phone camera snapping away!

But yeah it was a good event.

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Driver8

Site Moderator