The Breitling Watch Source Forums

Some interesting facts about prices. I bought my SS Chronomat Evolution in Spring 2007 (before May price increase) when list price on Pilot bracelet was $4835 USD. (bracelet list was $1000 USD at that time, croco straps $400 USD without deployant) The optional factory diamond bezel listed for another $4500 USD. Total list price (US dollars) for the piece on bracelet was $9335 USD. The A70177 UTC module had just been discontinued and I snagged the last black dial module (Grenchen redialed it to slate for me from parts holding) which had a list price of $850 USD. Probably would be well over $1000 list if still in production today. In late May of this year, the list price of the Evo (now just "Chronomat") on bracelet had increased to $5840 USD. The Pilot bracelet by itself had increased another $100 to $1100 list. The diamond bezel had increased from $4500 to $6320 in a little over a year, a jump of more than 40%. Total package price for my Evo (not including the UTC module) had increased from $9335 USD to $13010 USD in one year, an increase of just under 40%. Having received a fair discount from my AD at the time, I feel very lucky to have snagged the piece before the phenomenal price increases. Actually, it was a 60th birthday gift from wifey and she insisted at the time. LOL. Point is, I'm not sure the huge price disparity when compared to aftermarket bezels is commensurate with quality. The factory bezels utilize perfectly matched Top Wesseltons which are VVS in clarity and D-E (colorless) in color meaning they are near flawless and the settings are perfect as well but for the price difference with aftemarket you could buy a new Avenger Skyland with the money saved...
Cheers,
Ron

Ron, I'm glad to see I'm not the only old fart on this forum. It's really staggering
how much prices have jumped -- and a little scary. Though I'm not a fan of diamonds
on men's watches, I've got to say your Evo is beautiful. Enjoy.

Steve

Some interesting facts about prices. I bought my SS Chronomat Evolution in Spring 2007 (before May price increase) when list price on Pilot bracelet was $4835 USD. (bracelet list was $1000 USD at that time, croco straps $400 USD without deployant) The optional factory diamond bezel listed for another $4500 USD. Total list price (US dollars) for the piece on bracelet was $9335 USD. The A70177 UTC module had just been discontinued and I snagged the last black dial module (Grenchen redialed it to slate for me from parts holding) which had a list price of $850 USD. Probably would be well over $1000 list if still in production today. In late May of this year, the list price of the Evo (now just "Chronomat") on bracelet had increased to $5840 USD. The Pilot bracelet by itself had increased another $100 to $1100 list. The diamond bezel had increased from $4500 to $6320 in a little over a year, a jump of more than 40%. Total package price for my Evo (not including the UTC module) had increased from $9335 USD to $13010 USD in one year, an increase of just under 40%. Having received a fair discount from my AD at the time, I feel very lucky to have snagged the piece before the phenomenal price increases. Actually, it was a 60th birthday gift from wifey and she insisted at the time. LOL. Point is, I'm not sure the huge price disparity when compared to aftermarket bezels is commensurate with quality. The factory bezels utilize perfectly matched Top Wesseltons which are VVS in clarity and D-E (colorless) in color meaning they are near flawless and the settings are perfect as well but for the price difference with aftemarket you could buy a new Avenger Skyland with the money saved...
Cheers,
Ron

Ron, I'm glad to see I'm not the only old fart on this forum. It's really staggering
how much prices have jumped -- and a little scary. Though I'm not a fan of diamonds
on men's watches, I've got to say your Evo is beautiful. Enjoy.

Steve

Very interesting info, Ron..... and also slightly worrying how far prices have risen over and above inflation. Apart from being a slave to OEM stuff anyway, I have to say I have never seen an aftermarket diamond bezel that looks quite as perfect as the factory set up. Yes, I know they are WAY more expensive, but if I ever went down the diamond route I would have to go for a factory bezel. If I didn't, I just know it'd bug me - like really wanting a Breitling, but buying a Tag instead!

Hi, Driver. I admit that I am also a slave to OEM stuff for the B's even though there are some pretty darn nice accessories available for them, particularly in the area of less expensive straps. That said, even though the OEM "stuff" may well be overpriced in comparison to aftermarket, it does seem almost sacrilegious to go with non OEM parts on such an iconic brand and I'm not certain there are any accessories as nice as the originals in terms of pure quality and build. I certainly take no issue with those who do opt for aftermarket, however. Actually, I do have one non-OEM accessory, a military "Bund" style strap I attached to my display back Cossie for a short time. I didn't buy it, I won it on another forum with a photo contest entry. I think the Bund is one of the few non OEM accessories which seem "appropriate" for a specific Breitling piece, eg., the Cossie. Even so, the quality of the strap (KHS "Raptor") comes nowhere near an original OEM strap. Examples below...
Cheers,
Ron

Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but how easy is it to change the bezel on a SA?
Is it DIY or would you need to take it to a dealer?

I'd like to have a diamond bezel when I get my SA;)