The Breitling Watch Source Forums

OK so I have been in total love with my ROO, I am sure you could tell if you had read my post and up until a few moments ago I honestly thought this watch was flawless, but I just found a flaw!

I had the watch on the table and noticed that the chrono pushers where not aligned with the crown, odd! SOme research and a call later and I found out why.

It turns out that AP have been feeling the heat from fans due to their use of a third party calibre in their Offshore line, thing is the reason the ROO is so popular is that it offers a great iconic design with outstanding craftsmanship at a fairly competitive price AND with a popular 44mm design, compare this to the PP Nautilus and VC Sport models and you find that the value really is very good! If they spend the funds to develop a new calibre, retrain the watchmakers, maybe even retool their workshops they will most probably have to increase the prices to exceed the 20K price point.

So AP found a middle ground, they took the AP Calibre 3670 from the original Royal Oak and piggybacked a chronograph movement on top of it and stuck it inside the ROO starting 2005. Hence cutting down on development costs and maintaining their prices plus moving the ROO into the completely in house category.

Only issue is that since it is a piggybacked movement the pushers do not align with the crown, is this a huge issue for me? no. Would I prefer a dedicated chronograph movement? Sure, but I would not want to pay the price and although I do find that it does take away slightly from the status of the watch it is far from being a deal breaker. So I am taking down my rating from a 100 to 99.5

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Certified watch nut.

Interesting information, thanks for sharing. Glad it doesn't affect you too much. There's nothing worse than spending that much on a watch and then doscovering something that ruins it for you.

I have never been particularly taken with the styling of the AP's but after looking at yours a couple of times I'm starting to come around. For that price point though I'd probably look at something more along the lines of a JLC or IWC.

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

It's fairly common these days to create modular movements that can have chronos or other complications added to them - ETA 2892 is the most obvious example.

Is assume the chono module is made by AP, then?

Are there any functional downsides to the use of a module rather than a full chrono movement? I will say that the two chono modules I own (Bentley Motors and a Speedmaster [calibre 1141], both with 2982 base) seem noticeably more fussy than the 7750 and El Primero. But that could just be the 2982.

I still absolutely love the look of the Safari, though. I can't wait to see one in person.

///M

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

My AP ROO Chronograph is back in the blinking repair shop again, this time calibration!! It was loosing 20 seconds a night.

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

The Offshores have always had a movement with a chrono module. When they switched from the JLC 889 movement they put in the 3120 in-house movement from the RO as you stated and put a chrono module on it, making it the 3126.

True, not a huge issue but still, a dedicated in house movement would have been cool.

Thanks again for the info you sent me via PM MasterOfEvil!

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Certified watch nut.

Saw the AP Safari yesterday at the "Amsterdam Diamond Center" in Amsterdam. Great looking piece in real life although the cut-off numbers are a deal breaker for me with every watch. I was very curious to check out the leather band since you praised it in your review. I tried out a couple Breitlings for my next purchase but then my son (4 years old) had enough and wanted to move on.

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Groetjes Mike

Breitling Windrider Blackbird

That flaw sounds pretty serious Altair, don't know how you can deal with it. I think you should send the Safari to me and then "out of sight, out of mind" will help you cope, LOL!

Seriously, if that's a way to keep the cost more reasonable then I'm all for it.

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Chrono Jetstream
Montbrilliant 1903
Aerospace E79362