The Breitling Watch Source Forums

As I narrow down my next watch, I'm looking at the Chronomat B01 and the Blackbird.

The different fonts across the BB are IMO very compatible with one another. Looking at them, though for example the date and sub-dial fonts are different, they are close enough to not stick out like a sore thumb. There is consistency with the bezel font as well.

Looking at the Chronomat B01, the bezel is completely different from the sub-dials and the date, and the date is different from the sub-dials again. Not as different as the bezel, but IMO not very compatible.

Is this something that other people look at as well, or am I being picky? It may seem like a little thing, but in my career and life I am very detail orientated. For a watch of this caliber, which they argue is their flagship, why the glaring discrepancy? It seems me to be too major of a detail to overlook, which leads me to believe they did it on purpose. But why?

Appreciate the input!

I don't think you're being too picky at all. Someone less detail-oriented may not notices these things, or may be "put off" by the appearance of the face without really knowing why, but the thing is-- you're the one who's going to be wearing it, looking at it every time you want to check the time (or, you know, to just admire your timepiece, as we're all given to from time to time ) and if you're not happy with the appearance it really isn't the right watch for you.

Taste is a highly variable thing, even among the aesthetically inclined; from clothes to cars to jewellery, I am often amazed by what makes it into production, let alone bought in mass quantities. Personally, I don't mind the difference between the bezel and the face, but the sans/serif difference between the sub-dials and the date is irksome to me, too. Perhaps this is just a sign that this watch isn't for you-- aren't other in-house movements on the way? Maybe you should get the BB now and wait for something you like better to appear later...

I'm beginning to agree anez. As much as I want the B01, I don't think it will make it into the BB anytime soon as the big date is a significant difference movement wise AFAIK.

It has always been one of the criticisms of the Chronomat 01.

The fonts on the BB bezel and date wheels appear to be pretty much the same, and as you mentioned, the font on the subdials doesn't clash, even though it is not the same. All in all the BB is a fairly subdued watch - as subdued as can be given the size and styling of the Evolution-style models as a whole - and well of a piece with itself. Conversely, the 01 is, um, not subtle. The brushed bezel option tones it down a little bit, but the watch just calls attention to itself. I remain unsure if that's a good thing or not. Sometimes I find it striking; other times I find it garish. And I always wonder how well the watch will age; only time will tell.

As for whether you're being too picky or not, I'm not sure that's the right question. Some people will say you are, whereas others will say you're not. Rather, I think the question is, will the watch bother you? If it will, it's not the watch for you, whether you think you're being too picky or not. I can't tell you how many times I've found myself hung up on some minor detail in something, and have chided myself for being too anal about it, but so what? If it's going to bother me, it's going to bother me, and there isn't much I'll be able to do about that. I'm better off going with how I feel rather than fighting it and trying to convince myself I shouldn't be bothered by something. In the end, I'll be happier for it. I suspect you will be too.

Agreed Jackson. I couldn't try on the dial option I prefer so I couldn't fully evaluate the piece and make a well informed decision, and the person I was with thought I was being overly anal.

Well, one way of looking at it is a "glaring discrepancy", while another way of looking at it is a "conscious design decision". My personal take on it is that Breitling have obviously made a conscious decision here and it's never some weird oversight on their part. Never in a million years.

Now, whether you like it or not is a different matter entirely, of course. As Roff said, we all noticed the different fonts when it first came out, and I was a very vocal opponent of most things to do with the Chronomat B01...... pretty much everything other than the movement inside! But over time I've come to appreciate it in a way that I never thought I would, and now I think that the different fonts work very well together.

But as with everything to do with watches (and just about everything else in life for that matter), not everyone likes the same thing, and IMO that's a very good thing.

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Driver8

Site Moderator

+1. No way its an "oopsie".. For whatever reason, its there because they want it there.

To OP: I dont think your being too picky, but if it were a watch that I really liked, id let something so trivial (imo) slide.

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-RJ