The Breitling Watch Source Forums

I guess I'm somewhat of a noob - I got my Ling (BlackBird) about a year and a half ago after encouragement from my girlfriend that I needed a "real" watch - which led to months of research and browsing - both online and in-store.

So why did I decide on Breitling?

Its looks, its history, it's bracelet which distinguishes it from other watches, its flexibility in being able to wear it if I'm in a t-shirt and jeans or a fine suit, my salesman who was absolutely fantastic, and because all of my friends own Rolexes

So I'm just curious - what inspired you to buy your first Breitling? While I love my BlackBird, I can admit that I've done even more research since purchasing it and I have since bought several nice watches over the last year - with another to come - but my Ling is defintely my favorite,



Apologies if this topic has been discussed before.

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PAM359, Omega PO Big Size, 1951 Omega Seamaster, Rolex Sea Dweller

Hi All!

As for me I use to be in the watch business - use to sell lots of Casio's, Casio G-Shocks, and the Baby G's - all the cool stuff was grey market goods - I was a wholesaler to the wholesaler. I also sold other brands and electronic items including writing instruments i.e Mont Blanc's. However, I never sold anything that was high end such as Breitling or Rolex - never sold any "Swiss Made Watches" with the exception of the "Fish" made by Parallel Worlds. As a result I became familar with many brands - most of which I couldn't afford. Furthermore both of my bosses wore and had many Brietlings and a few Rolex's as a result I fell in love with Breitling. In addition they didn't own a Navitimer and thats why I bought a Navitimer and been in love with the Navitimer series ever since. My second watch was a Jaeger Le Coultre Master Date and I recently traded that for the 50th Anniversary Navitimer.


Well thats my story and I am sticking to it - lol!

Best Regards,

Enezdez

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IWC - Big Pilot 5002 - 01
IWC - Pilot Chrono 3717 - 04
Panerai - 183
Omega - Speedmaster 145.012 / 67
Rolex - Explore II (Black Dial) - 216570
Rolex - Explore I 114270
Blancpain FF 5015

What got me into my first Breitling, a coral SuperOcean, was the coral dial. I wanted a watch with some standout contrast and since then I'm caught.

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Collection: http://s540.photobucket.com/albums/gg32 ... mview=grid

Got my first, a Blackbird a few months ago because of the quality and looks. Of course there's many quality brands, but once I narrowed it down I just picked what i thought looked the best between 1k-6k.

I determined the Breitling look was what I wanted a few days in, but picking the right watch wasn't quite so easy. I jumped back and forth every day, but damn I'm happy I went with the BB because it would have been easy to get a very nice watch for less, but always feel like it was less. Since that buy, and following the B forums quite a bit I've really learned quite a bit what I like and don't like. for example.... So many people love the black steel SA... I hate it! I liked brush or polished, but not the black. Ok, hate is probably too strong a word because it is a nice watch, just not for me. Titanium is also a deal breaker for me, same as large numbers, and even worse large numbers that are cut off by subdials. Also, gotta be bracelet or black strap, have no interest in any others. Now if I had known all that, plus all the other little stupid things I like or dislike, it sure would have made shopping a whole lot easier. As picky as I might be there's nothing I don't like about the BB so it's a good ending to my first purchase of a B.

For me, it was their positioning as the watch for those in aviation.

Being an aviation nut, it was the only brand I ever wanted.

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http://f4buz.com/watches/breitling/fakes/fakes.html

The look of the Navitimer arrested my attention and started my interest in Breitling, which lead to me subsequently acquiring my 1903. I really love the busy dial of the Navitimer's and the look and functionality of the watch. I also like the fact that it's an aviation watch and includes a slide rule, something to my knowledge no other watch utilises.

At the time I was seriously into purchasing my first luxury watch I was between Omega and Breitling at the end but really could not go past Breitling. It was the best decision I could have made

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Happines is Good Health and a Bad Memory.
"Ingrid Bergman"

The Navitimer was actually the watch that brought me to breitling. I had seen it in many windows of jewelery stores which I now have come to know were selling them grey market. I would pass by them and see that particular watch all the time and just kept thinking some day I would buy one. Most people I know were into rolex, but I could never really get into them. No offense to rolex lovers, but to ME they mostly look the same and are (to my taste) over priced. I jst could never get into one. The funny thing is that I do have one that was my fathers, but I always thought it was small for my wrists. I guess thats what brought me to breitling. They offer models that are larger like my 6.75 and my super avenger They don't look like cheap watches with huge numbers which is something I hate. I see older people wearing them and while I understand why they have them I just hate the looks of them... The larger sized breitlings seem to fit my bill. I love them. While I love the looks of some other breitlings large size are for me. Some people say the super avenger is a monster size watch while I think she is perfect for my wrist. I don't even notice my baby sometimes. The way breitling makes the larger sized watches even though the watch and case is heavy they don't seem to wear that way for me at all. Basically for me my first breitling was an answer to my own question. That question was when do I take care of myself and not just work for my family. Lets just say I am extremely happy with my little collection. Both mean something special in my heart and I guess thats why I am a breitling nut now and love this site so much. It just hits me in the right spot. I hope I didn't take to much space here, but it was a question I could really get into so to speak.

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Breitling Bentley 6.75
White Baton Super Avenger
Rolex DSSD

1st generation 806. It spoiled me for anything else and it's only recently that I have evolved from a Breitling nut to a watch nut.

Aviation for me too, wearing the navi just feels like your carrying around a little piece of modern history, AOPA welcomed the watch with open arms in the early 50's, and as a member of AOPA, there was simply no other way to go.

At first it was the aviation thing and that my granfather had one when he flew. Unfortunately that watch was stolen from our home a long time ago.

When I finally purchased the first, it was because of the history and the fact that I could wear it whenever I wanted without consideration for the environment. Going on 4 years with my CA as an everyday and I couldn't be happier with it. I also enjoy that it is a bit out of the ordinary and larger than most watches.

It was 1995. I was in Greece on holiday and fell in love with the Aerospace. Never spend money on watches and the price, believe around $1000 that time, was "absurd" high in my eyes for a watch.
However, the damage was done, the watch was burned in my memory cells. In 1997 I received my PhD and as present I asked money from my family and friends for a watch. The Aerospace became reality!
2009... I now own 6 Breitling watches and love them all. My Aerospace had a total overhaul a few months ago costing $700 almost the price of the whole watch but for the first love that never let me down this was "peanuts".

Pedro

The really cool Breitlings just have that combination of chunkiness and complexity. Breitling is the King of contrasting sub-dial chronographs...and the larger models with a whizz wheel like the Bentlies & Chronomatic don't have any serious competition for that look. A look I like above all others.

I didn't always like them when I was starting to get into watches about five years ago. But once I played with a few, Rolexes and Omegas just didn't cut it. Now that I know much more about watches, sure there are plenty of other brands that I really like – particularly IWC & JLC. But they tend to cost twice as much.

At the other end, there are also cheaper watches with comparable quality – Oris and Fortis make some nice pieces. But I’m yet to see a watch I like as much as my Bentley GT in that price bracket, and immediately above too.

As a young teenager I worked part time for a watch repairer in the neighbourhood (this was in 1973 or thereabouts) to earn some extra pocket money, and one day I picked up a Breitling catalogue he had. My heart was instantly set on an 815. I worked and saved for 6 months to have that watch. I got it for a very special price of £48 (plus quite a lot of my free time) . For me personally, it is still the most beautliful watch I have ever seen, and my most treasured possession. So when I wanted a new watch to celebrate my half-century, naturally I looked at Breitling. And exactly at that time they brought out the SOH which I liked a lot but... after a few months searching for something that could match the 815, the SOHC came out. That was it, history repeated itself, and my heart was instantly set on a black SOHC on mesh.

I chose Breitling because I wanted to live deliberately. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life. To put to route all that was not life, and not when I came to die, discover that I had not lived."

Just kidding. (Kinda)

I never really was into high end watches until a couple of years ago. Up until then I had been happy with a Casio or Timex but my wife had her eye set on a Tag for her birthday to replace her Rolex and it was during my purchase of this that I started looking at upgrading for myself. At that time I had of course heard of the other popular brands such as Tag, Omega and Rolex but I really don't recall ever hearing much about Breitling. My first exposure to the brand actually was by my business partner whom had owned a 1461 Jours for about 8 years. I always thought it looked pretty neat, and I've always been into gizmos. The more buttons in a car or on a HIFI the happier I am. So it was easy for me to be attracted to the 1461 with the slide rule, lunar calandar, etc. When I really started searching it just seemed to me nothing else really caught my attention like the Breitlings so I started with a Steelfish. (The water resistance attracted me more than the gizmos.) I thought at the time, that was that. That Steelfish would last me the rest of my life and I would be happy with it alone. I was - until I stumbled upon this website.

Being a dive watch nut that only desk dives and own a Rolex 16613 U series sub and a Omega SeaMaster, thought the next logical think was to get a SuperOcean. Putting this watch side by side i feel the Breitling is a better made timepiece and now i'm off to find a bigger piece and hope the Avenger Seawolf (in steel) will fit the bill!

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TREVOR