Happy to say that I just purchased my first Breitling, at, of all things, a police auction.
So I think I got a pretty good deal on it. It is a stainless steel Crosswind Special A44355, and I did a bit of internet research before pulling the trigger. I also took the watch to a jeweler in town who specializes in upscale watches and he told me that the watch appeared genuine or is the best fake he's ever seen.
Still, he's not a "Breitling guy," so here's some pictures:
[imghttp://content.propertyroom.com/listings/sellers/seller1/images/origimgs/breitling-crosswind-special-chronograph-watch-evaluated-by-independent-specialist--1_16320181331534592957.jpg][/img]
Anyway, allegedly "evaluated by an independent specialist," but the watch seems to check the blocks pretty well. It's definitely been used, so I intend to have it fully serviced and polished and made all nice. Strangely enough, I'm going to be in Switzerland, so I was thinking about dropping it off personally at the Breitling factory in La-Chaux-de-Fonds if that's possible to save on shipping (I live in the USA).
So, if I'm wrong and this is a fake, I can send it back. Also, am wondering if I should buy a (probably copied) manual on eBay or if anyone here has a PDF file of a manual that might work for me. Also, I am interested in a box to keep it in when I'm not wearing it. This is my first high-end watch, so my intent is to keep it nice.
Thanks in advance for the input!