The Breitling Watch Source Forums

I went to my local Rolex dealer today to try on a Rolex Steel/Gold Daytona, but the salesperson convinced me to check out the black/blue ceramic GMT II that was hiding in the vault. She was clearly excited and was trying to help me out in my investment. She also showed me a two-tone steel/gold Blue Submariner that was hiding in the vault. During the whole visit, she was insistent that the GMT II was the best value considering it was priced at $8,950 vs. $13,400 for the Submariner and over $15,000 for the Daytona. In the end, I left without even trying on the Daytona (it looked a lot smaller in person) and honestly, it was more than I was willing to spend.

The GMT II was stunning and my salesperson was very convincing that the black/blue one was very desirable, a collectible, and a great price at $8950. She is holding onto it for me until Tuesday, so I wanted to get everyone's opinion as I contemplate adding this to my collection of one (currently have a Superocean 42 heritage). I understand that they are produced in limited numbers, but how desirable and rare are they? Do they hold value very well?

The watch would be worn in rotation with my Superocean at work, which is business casual. I would also consider this to be more of my dress watch for weddings and any other formal occasions, since the bracelet is more subtle than my Breitling mesh one.

Any thoughts or feedbacks are appreciated.

While I think it's a little more difficult to find at ADs, I don't think it's that rare. It's still in demand now and prices from some of the bigger resellers on the Rolex Forums are still close to retail, but I don't think it's anymore collectible than any other modern Rolex.

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Justin
Please contact me via PM for the contact details for Govberg Jewelers
Govberg is an AD for over 50 fine Swiss and German watch brands.
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IMO among Rolexes the SS Daytona has the highest value considering the number of years since its launch. The Batman has one of the highest resale value for now and this could continue if Rolex continues controlling its production. You will often find Batmans for sale in forums, both new and used, all very close to retail. Many bought them from overseas and saved a little due to tax refund, and attempt to see if they can sell for a small profit, if not they will just keep the watch. Overall I would say they hold their value well, harder to find in ADs as compared to other Rolexes, but not really considered rare.

You should buy it if you really like the watch and not because of the resale because demand can change. Batman is my favorite Rolex because I love the color combo which has not been used before and this watch signifies a major achievement by Rolex to be able to implant dual colors on ceramic. Overall the aesthetics is very easy on the eyes and while it's very versatile, it looks exceptionally good with formal wear.

Good luck with yr choice!

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Breitling Chronomat 01 Limited Edition
Breitling Navitimer 01 46mm

..every single time.

On a personal level, the Batman GMT II would be my choice any day. To me the Daytona is one of (if not THE) most wildly over-rated watches out there. Even the "classic" aspect of it does absolutely nothing for me whatsoever.

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Driver8

Site Moderator

Personally I don't get the love out there for the BLNR - I just don't like black and blue together. (You're always told it's a wardrobe combo to avoid!) I love some of the other two-tone bezels such as the coke and the pepsi, but this one I don't get. But I accept I'm in a minority - it's very popular. Which gets us to the point that the other guys quite rightly make, ie, buy it (or something else) because you like it and for no other reason.

There's nothing rare about the BLNR, so you're getting a lot of sales pitch there. There is a waiting list at ADs for the SS Daytona but as above a lot of people find it underwhelming (and too small) in the flesh.

FWIW if I was looking at a new Rolex it would be the Sea-Dweller:

http://www.rolex.com/watches/sea-dwelle ... -0003.html

Rarer than the Sub, but not as expensive, chunky or (in most cases) pointless as the Deep-Sea; no cyclops; and brushed links - the centre links on the GMT are polished, which is incongruous I think.

Thanks for all of the great feedback. I do love the GMT and don't intend on selling it as an investment piece. I just like the option just in case my taste changes. Originally, I was looking at the two tone Datejust II, but it was just a little too much bling. The more I wait, the more I'm willing to spend on a nice versatile dress watch.

I agree on the Daytona - I was underwhelmed with its size.

Decisions, decisions. I guess I have one more night to sleep on it.

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Absolutely correct, but it's a completely artifically created waiting list of course. Rolex churn out more watches than Breitling and Omega combined per year..........and yet models are still (apparently) "rare and hard to get hold of". It's that side of Rolex that has always irritated me, ever since being stitched up by paying full retail for a Sub LV many years ago due to them being "soooo rare", ....................right before their popularity waned and Rolex suddenly dumped quite a few on the market in one go.


Agreed.

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Driver8

Site Moderator

I haven't given much thought to the sea dweller since I confused it with the deepsea. At 40mm, it's a good size but I'm not sure I want another diver. I'm paralyzed with the options out there. Given that I will keep this watch forever (I hope), I'd like to make sure it is the ONE. Still much to ponder about and I'm sure I will be happy with any decision I ultimately make. Appreciate the input thus far. This has been close to five years in the making since I purchased my first Breitling and I'm excited that I have the funds to add to my collection - soon I hope.

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I guess there are some differences and similarities in tastes over here which is great because that's what forums are for. IMHO there's a difference in visual effect when the same color combo is applied on clothings, bags, watches or other accessories so it really depends. Even the same color combo on the dial is different aesthetically from having it on the bezel. I love red and black color combo in many aspects and think it looks great on running shoes, bags, caps, clothings, etc. I particularly love this combo on the dial because I think it makes the watch look sharp and technical with the contrast. However I dislike having the combo on the bezel because I feel it makes the watch too "visually harsh". It's like choosing a red Ferrari which compliments the sporty look very well but when you apply the same color on a big truck it becomes like a fire engine visually. Pepsi combo IMO is nice and a little on the "playful" side, however Rolexes' designs are generally classic looking, which includes their GMT as well so IMO their designs cannot really carry off the "playful" nature of the color combo. It's like trying to hang a Smurf poster in Obama's office, nothing wrong with that but the solemn nature of the office is different from the cute nature of the poster. Now if you hang the same poster in a baby's room the effect is completely different.

IMHO because of Rolex's classic design nature, the colors used for their watches should be easy on the eyes to compliment their classic look. Green is ok because it's their icon color. That was why I personally think the best dual color on their GMT is blue/black. Not only they are easy on the eyes, they have added meanings to represent day and night.

I used to hate Daytonas and think they are seriously over rated and look way inferior when placed beside a Breitling. However I am seriously warming to it over the years but not enough to make me want to buy one yet. It's really amazing how it manages to retain value so well ever since its launch. Even many ADs are still selling them at premium prices after so many years. Maybe the reason is because it's the only chronograph watch available in the entire Rolex range. I didn't like it because the tachymeter bezel is useless to me most of the time as compared to a timer bezel, the chronograph is not very legible, and the watch is a little small to contain the details. I prefer something flat and smaller for dress watches so that I can fit the watch nicely under my sleeve. When it comes to chronographs I prefer the watch a little bigger so that the details and readings on the watch can be better read. Makes more sense from functionality point of view as legibility is one of the most important elements for sports watches. IMO the Daytona is just classic looking, that's all, but I don't really see much attention to details for its purpose. The main point is that they are much more expensive as compared to an in-house Breitling but no obvious justification. It doesn't even have the date feature. Therefore I still cannot convince myself to get one when I can spend much lesser to get a similar quality Breitling.

The Deep Sea is nice but you need a bigger wrist to pull it off. The lack of cyclops is both a plus and minus to me. There are some minor legibility issues that I have faced having the cyclops but I feel the cyclops is one distinct iconic feature of many Rolexes that I will want to have on my Rolex.

I guess now I know what the "Rolex Bug" means. It's like you hate so many things about the way Rolex do things but ironically that's what many love about them as well.

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Breitling Chronomat 01 Limited Edition
Breitling Navitimer 01 46mm

Indeed Driver and very much agree: an artificial thing and very irritating. The stuff some Rolex salespeople come out with is laughable.

I've never shopped for a Rolex, just looked at lots online. If it was me, it would be a budget decision and I'd go for the GMT II, plus I think it looks sportier, but nicely understated compared to the other two with their gold highlights.

In order of preference:

GMT II
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwcF9Tr7N1c

Submariner
https://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view;_ylt=AwrTcYBDzaVVNqMAFL0unIlQ;_ylu=X3oDMTIzMThjYTV1BHNlYwNzcgRzbGsDaW1nBG9pZAM0Nzc2YjIxYzFhNzM5NGNjZTg1YWQ3MmI2NDYzMDA3OARncG9zAzUwBGl0A2Jpbmc-?.origin=&back=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fyhs%2Fsearch%3Fp%3DRolex%2BSubmariner%2BSteel%2Band%2BGold%2BBlue%2BDial%26fr%3Dyhs-mozilla-004%26ri%3D272%26hsimp%3Dyhs-004%26hspart%3Dmozilla%26nost%3D1%26tab%3Dorganic%26ri%3D50&w=1632&h=1224&imgurl=www.ukspecialistwatches.co.uk%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2FIMG_4190.jpg&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fukspecialistwatches.co.uk%2Fshop%2Fgents-rolex-watches%2Frolex-submariner-date-steel-gold-blue-dial-16613&size=777.7KB&name=...+Watches+have+a+%3Cb%3ERolex%3C%2Fb%3E+%3Cb%3ESubmariner%3C%2Fb%3E+Date+%3Cb%3ESteel%3C%2Fb%3E+%26+%3Cb%3EGold%3C%2Fb%3E+%3Cb%3EBlue%3C%2Fb%3E+%3Cb%3EDial%3C%2Fb%3E+%E2%80%9316613&p=Rolex+Submariner+Steel+and+Gold+Blue+Dial&oid=4776b21c1a7394cce85ad72b64630078&fr2=&fr=yhs-mozilla-004&tt=...+Watches+have+a+%3Cb%3ERolex%3C%2Fb%3E+%3Cb%3ESubmariner%3C%2Fb%3E+Date+%3Cb%3ESteel%3C%2Fb%3E+%26+%3Cb%3EGold%3C%2Fb%3E+%3Cb%3EBlue%3C%2Fb%3E+%3Cb%3EDial%3C%2Fb%3E+%E2%80%9316613&b=0&ni=392&no=50&ts=&tab=organic&sigr=13a8hlha3&sigb=1562r34hk&sigi=11tes1d73&sigt=13i7rka5s&sign=13i7rka5s&.crumb=1vlYPPcs.xk&fr=yhs-mozilla-004&hsimp=yhs-004&hspart=mozilla

Daytona
http://keepthetime.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=101


If I had the budget, this is the Rolex I would purchase:
Yachtmaster 116622
http://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=280736
A nice review of the Yachtmaster and the sunburst blue dial.



dams-r-us

So the dealer is holding the watch until Friday, so I will have the opportunity to look at it again and bring my wife as well. The more time I have to think over it, the more I want it so we'll see what happens. The only thing holding me back is that my wife is not impressed with the photos I've shown her online. She prefers the datejust which I something I was interested in a year ago, but I'm sure she'll change get mind when she sees the GMT in person. Anyways, I'm excited.

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Very cool, BLNR is a beautiful GMT! Good luck at the AD, maybe your wife will like it more in the flesh. It's really a great piece!


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Quick update: My wife still preferred the datejust ii over both the two tone blue submariner and the BLNR, but she was supportive with any one I picked. So here it is!
I'm loving the weight and comfort of the bracelet compared to my mesh bracelet on my SOH42. Can't wait to travel and use the gmt feature.



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That's an incredible piece, congrats! I love the blue GMT hand against the black dial. Wear it in great health!


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