The Breitling Watch Source Forums

I want a Breitling really, REALLY bad! I've been wearing a Citizen Eco-Drive for years and I want to step up to a really nice watch that makes a statement. I do have a couple of questions for you guys, though...

I don't really want to pay more than $2500 so I'm looking at the Colt Quartz (being on a budget sucks). I was looking at the price guide on this website and it says "Head Only." Does that mean you only get the head and have to buy the bracelet seperately? I like the white face with the steel bracelet...any opinions?

Also, would it be in my best interest to get the mechanical or the quartz? I worry about the maintenance and questionable shock-resistance of the mechanical but the quartz kind of defeats the purpose of getting a really nice watch, IMO.

I'll be honest, I don't know much about the style numbers and movements and all of the really intricate specifications. I just want a watch that says, "Man, this guy has taste!"

Can you guys help me out?

Head only means no strap or bracelet, although you rarely if ever buy a Breitling that way. Just check the price with the strap or bracelet you like and thats your price. $2500 is actually a reasonable budget. A breitling quartz is thermocompensated, so dont let the quartz factor alone dissuade you. I prefer mechanical, but see an SQ in my future since I already have a few mechanical B's. As far as mechanicals go, after discount you have the Seawolf, Steelfish, Colt, Superocean, cockpit (with strap), Colt GMT, and Superocean Heritage in your price range. All are good choices. Hit up a local AD and see what you like.

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-RJ

Thanks so much for your help! So, if most of the prices listed on this site are for "head only" where do I find the prices for the bracelet? If I go to an AD (authorized dealer?) and order a watch do I have to choose the band or will it come with the steel band its default pictured with on the Breitling website?

I also need some help about the pros and cons of the quartz vs. mechanical.

Any help is appreciated! Thanks!

Strap / bracelet prices are in the PDF pricelist - http://www.breitlingsource.com/download ... 6-2009.pdf

When you buy the watch you choose whether you want strap or bracelet. There is only one bracelet option for each model - with one or two exceptions it's Navitimer for the Navitimer range, Pilot for the Windrider range, Pro II for the Aeromarine and Professional ranges and Speed for the Bentleys.

In terms of straps most models will offer you the choice of calf, croc, Diver Pro, Diver Pro II or Ocean Racer. Diver Pro comes on tang, Ocean Racer comes on deployant, the other three give you a choice of tang or deployant.

In terms of advantages of quartz or mechanical, well I could write a book on that, but briefly...........

Quartz will give you supreme accuracy - 15 seconds a year, it will give you a ticking second hand and it obviously uses a battery which will need to be replaced. It will also eventually become a paperweight. Breitling have agreed to support quartz movements for 20 years after they are discontinued but eventually you will have an unrepairable watch.

Mechanical will give you -4 / +6 seconds a day accuracy, a sweeping second hand and a need to keep it wound if you aren't wearing it for a couple of days. It will require servicing every 5 years or so but if looked after will continue to run for hundreds of years. Many people will also say that to them a mechanical watch has 'soul' - the idea of a mini machine working on your wrist as opposed to a mini computer.

As always, Roff sums things up quite well.

One of the neat things about Breitling is that unlike almost any other watch manufacturer you get to purchase the watch and the bracelet/strap separately. This way, you can customize at the time of purchase, assuming you buy from an AD.

Having said that, I own 5 high-end watches now, and my wife owns 3, and none of them were purchased new. Buying used has allowed us to save substantial sums of money. A typical pre-owned Breitling in excellent condition goes for about 50% of list price, although this does vary for certain models in high demand. For example, you can get some very nice pre-owned chronograph models, like the Chronomat (auto), Skyland (auto), and Seawolf Chrono (superquartz) for under $2500. You could get a Chrono Colt for $1500 or less.

So if you are on a tight budget, this might be something you want to consider. However, be aware that you do need to take some time and educate yourself some more about the fakes that are out there, and impose some self-discipline on who you will buy from. There are a number of incredibly knowledgeable and helpful experts on this board who will help you authenticate any Breitling in the "Replica Breilting Identification" Forum. I could not (or would not) have purchased the Breitlings I did without their help. You also need to be patient and wait for the watch you are lusting after to come up for sale. Plus there is a awkwardness in making trips to your local AD and not buying anything.

There is certainly nothing wrong from buying from an AD, either. The advantage there, of course, is that you never have to worry about a fake, you get the 2-year Breitling warranty (which many ADs will add an extra year to), and you know that you are the only person to have owned the watch.

///M

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There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness." --Dave Barry

You can get a brand new Colt Auto II or Colt GMT for that money.

Go to www.ebay.it and then search for the shop Gioielli e Orologi di Marca or enter Breitling Colt and click on the second or third listings. They ship overseas with a company called Ferrari who are specialised in shipping valuable objects. Gioielli e Orologi di Marca is the ebay shop for www.gioielleriacappelletti.it who is an ex Breitling AD. I have bought two watches from them in the last couple of weeks, all with proper docs ect ect and have had both checked by the Breitling service center here in Treviso.

You can negotiate an extra 10% - 15% discount on the prices listed.

Sounds a lot like my journey. I still use my eco drive for water sports and general bashing around.

The guys above have pretty much summed things up. With that budget you'll have a greater range if you buy secondhand. New is new however of course and there are some good models in that price range I would certainly recommend taking a little time to educate yourself before making the plunge. A lot of the fun is in the selection itself and an AD will generally be more than happy to show you what's in stock the first time you express interest/visit the store. For the sort of money you're spending I would personally buy mechanical over quartz. Yes you sacrifice accuracy but mechanical watches are wonderful creations of craftsmanship and engineering. That is only my opinion however.

Most importantly good luck. Buy the watch that sings to you and all will be fine

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

Great! Thanks so much for your help guys!

I'm going to take a little more time to research what I want and, hopefully, buy one after the first of the year so I can have some time to recover from Christmas.

Thanks a lot and I hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving.

Let me stick my .02 in here, and i am probably gonna step on some toes here, but ohh well. i would buy a pre-owned automatic before I EVER bought a quartz breitling, its not the same.

you can get a fine auto in that price range, and somebody has already taken the depreciation hit.

+1

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"It's not how it's written it's how it's read"

if you by a Breitling almost everyone will say "Man, this guy has taste!"

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You know, the only drawback I can come up with when buying a used watch is that I'm afraid I'll buy a fake. The Breitling website says to avoid buying anything online (which I'm sure is in reference to replicas) but it still just makes me nervous. Plus, I've never owned an automatic watch and I would feel secure with the 2-year warranty from Breitling. It would be like buying a used Mercedes with no extended warranty (don't mean to offend any Benz owners). I'd be scared to buy something and get the screw-bob, ya know?

Don't believe the warning on Breitling's site. They're lying. There are lots of places to buy used. The sales section here and on timezone.com are great places to start. Always check out the seller first though. Also, you can often buy used pieces that are still under warranty if that makes you feel better.

Lastly, service on a non-chrono is about $350 and about $500 on a chrono. If you are patient, you can buy a used watch and then send it in for service. You'll know for sure it is real, and you'll get a watch back that looks brand new and has a 1 year warranty. I've done that with a couple of my watches and it works out really well.

Some might disagree, but for your first B purchase I would definitely suggest sticking with an AD. You get a brand new watch, good service, and peace of mind that your watch is genuine and covered under warranty. Sure, you can get most of that with a used B, but you have a long time to buy used ones later on when you learn more about the brand and become more familiar.

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-RJ

Oh, I dunno. My first Breitling was a Colt GMT that I bought used. There are no known replicas of that model, so it was fairly safe (I also made sure to purchase from a brick-and-mortar store that did business on Ebay, so relatively trustworthy as Ebay sellers go). I think it depends on the model you want. Steelfishes, Sklylands, Super Avengers, and Chronomats all have extremely good replicas, so with those models it's a lot more dangerous. For those I would only buy from a well-known member of this forum, or from an extremely reputable retailer, especially the first time around.

///M

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There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness." --Dave Barry