The Breitling Watch Source Forums

I would really love to hear the opinion of a Breitling executive on this thread and the other Basel 11 one, specifically...

1. Is there a coherent "direction" to the brand?
2. Are they aiming to reach new customers and just hoping to hold the traditional fan base?
3. Why kill some of the iconic lines instead of adding newer ones?
4. Why such rapid and seeming directionless changes?

We know they read the forum. Would they ever be brave enough to front up? Could be a smart (if slightly suicidal) move to placate some angry townsfolk. I know it'll probably never happen, but it's a wistful "what if?".
Greg

I voted #3. Clearly they're shifting their focus into new territories but there's nothing inherently wrong with that. The fact that I prefer a number of the older styles and models to a lot of the newer ones doesn't negate the quality of some of those newer styles, even if I may not personally like them.

I like that Breilting is regularly presenting in-house options now.I like that they're adding new styles and models to the existing; some have worked, some haven't and that's just part of the process. There are new markets they are no doubt attempting to increase market share in and those markets will naturally have different preferences to existing markets.

In all honesty what Breitling does or doesn't do doesn't affect or bother me in any way at all although I definitely understand and respect the passion that others feel for the Brand and I will remain brand loyal and appreciate the models I like, old and new.

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

Hello,

I voted #4, not so sure where Breitling is going...

If they want to be "instrument for professional", why there is still no more info about a new Pro and a specific Emergency line (perhaps also with night vision like the old B1), it's very usefull when you fly as a private pilot in a Cessna in Europe during VFRN...

Why so many "limited edition", so many colors? Perhaps the next clue will be get a "normal watch serie"

Regards,

Challenger_fr

Well put Tim. I agree 100%.

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Chrono Jetstream
Montbrilliant 1903
Aerospace E79362

I voted "4" because I think Breitling has been going the path of serving a younger affluent market for some time. There are a lot of people who dislike Breitling and wouldn't own one because they think it is too showy, too "blingy". I know some Rolex and particularly Omega devotees who feel that way. However, I think Breitling made a lot of money by going bigger and shinier, so they just keep going with it. Some liked the bling, others may have thought them a little flamboyant but appreciated the COSC testing across the board, and recent in-house efforts. It may be that they are now pressing the outer reaches of that market. Also, if there is indeed a trend towards smaller, thinner watches, Breitling is still a design cycle back from that. That said, they are continuing the trend of nice looking retro watches.

To me, Breitling seems to be going in two different directions. I think they are simultaneously going more faddish and more retro, depending on the model, but there is a middle ground, occupied by the Steelfish and the 43 mm Chronomats of the world, for example, which is being left behind. That, in my view, is a mistake, as I think fans of those watches, as well as the Navitimer line, form the core of Breitling enthusiasts and dependable repeat buyers.

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Scott

AP Royal Oak 15400, silver
Zenith Chronomaster El Primero Classic Cars
Vintage gold Corum
Rolex DJ 36 TT, oyster dial, oyster/smooth
Baume & Mercier Riviera 200m, silver dial/aquamarine bezel
Breitling Superocean 57, rose/stainless

That may be true, but I submit that if you don't like them, and don't want to buy them, that in some way you don't like the direction the brand is going, even if you're not offended by it. If Breitling's goal is to increase market share, then they either need to keep their core customer base while bringing in new customers, or bring in more customers than they alienate. I don't see alienating the core customer base as a smart move, personally.


In any meaningful way, it doesn't affect me either. However, when it comes time for me to buy a new watch, I may be "affected" insofar as some models I would really like to acquire may not be available any more.

I dont mind the GMT and I dont mind the Transocean O1 Chrono the limited edition O1s are excellent. The rest is very poor IMHO. I remember as a young university student, Breitling was always on the back of the leading Business magazines, for me Breitling was an aspiration, a goal. It took me a long time to get one, and I dont regret it, but the brand is no longer aspirational, indeed I dont see the link of instruments and professionals anymore. Its not a brand that you can look at the watches and aspire to "get one" one day, its just become another brand almost as bad as Tag Heuer. Its becoming a brand that is chasing the market segment and sadly its chasing a rather tacky one IMHO. Low image watches, low image professional instruments, all thats it got now of the original Breitling that I aspired to was the pricetag. Maybe, I have just moved on, maybe my time with Breitling is over and I should move on to another brand.

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Breitling Chronomat BO1 Riviera Blue Dial Stainless Steel Case and Pilot Bracelet

Amongst all the discussion going on here, I think your post sums up my opinion best. While I wouldnt go so far as to denigrate them to Tag status, I agree with your sentiments. I actually have the same memories of seeing them in magazines and thinking about how cool they were. I didnt really know much other than Rolex, but Breitling was the name I needed to own.

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-RJ

First pick up one of the remaining Evos for old times sake. Then move on. Worked for me.

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SHARKMAN

I have the same memories, although it was mostly GQ, rather than business magazines. Also, I remember Jerry Seinfeld's early '90s two-tone Chronomat on bullet bracelet that he wore on his show. He got it once his show had started becoming a success, and it was the first in a long line of Breitlings for him, and the one that got the most air time. That did seem like a watch to aspire to, and still does. The current offerings? Meh. I don't think it's because I'm jaded or have simply moved on from the brand. When I look at the Breitlings from the 90s and early-to-mid 2000s, I still get that feeling: what a great watch to own or aspire to. The new ones just aren't what I like any more. Given Seinfeld's well-documented enthusiasm for the brand, I have to wonder what he thinks of it now.

A sensible suggestion, but saddening. Like breaking up with a woman with whom you used to have such great times, but are now no longer compatible.

Can someone show me, a newbie, what the difference between "old shchool" brietling is and "new school" breitling? Is it a Navi v. everything else? I liked a watch and bought it. Does it really matter what other models are out there? If I buy a BMW 7 series or a 6 sports coup, is one better than the other? Or is one better for me than the other models out there?

Waiting to get flamed....

Mike

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No it's not Navi vs all else. It is merely the concept of brand. The concerns here have to do with branding - what is the direction of the brand. The reason there is an entire website devoted to Breitling is a result of how Breitling established a definable and coherent brand. Some do jot believe the last two years have effected the brand. Some do. Some people develop a Passion for a brand. Some just a single model.

I would hazard a guess that most BMW enthusiasts would have issues if that brand came out with a Ford Focus.

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SHARKMAN

I'll let someone with more history of Breitling ownership than I try to give a complete answer to the above. I have my own ideas, which I alluded to above, and a lot of it deals with a little too much polished flash, some funky new bezel designs and materials, and in many cases going larger for larger's sake.

Lest things get too dour around here, I still aspire to some of the Breitlings, especially the Navitimer. Never had one yet, and ironically that's the watch that attracted me to Breitling in the first place. It's just that I will likely find more of what I want on the used market, and if a lot of others feel that Breitling is going a little too far, that market could get tight.

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Scott

AP Royal Oak 15400, silver
Zenith Chronomaster El Primero Classic Cars
Vintage gold Corum
Rolex DJ 36 TT, oyster dial, oyster/smooth
Baume & Mercier Riviera 200m, silver dial/aquamarine bezel
Breitling Superocean 57, rose/stainless

As a James Bond fan, I'm still recovering from the fact the first car Daniel Craig ever drove as Bond was a Ford Focus. But I digress...


Mike, I don't see why you'd get flamed. If you bought a watch and you like it, that's great. Liking one watch, though, isn't the same as developing a passion for a brand. To those of us who have, it's more than about just liking a watch. I was attracted to Breitling by a specific look, specifically Chronomats and similar models with rider tab bezels. To me, that look is Breitling. Seeing that look get redesigned out of existence is a bummer.

Defining what is "old school" Breitling isn't easy, since Breitling's styles have evolved more or less on a continuum. Personally, I consider the pre-Evo Chronomats to be old school, since they are designed in a classic, defining style that isn't available any more. However, others would point out that the style we currently recognize as being a Chronomat only started in 1984, and isn't really that old. Indeed, one of my favorite Chronomat variants, the Crosswind, started in the late '90s, and only stopped in 2004, so "old" is a relative concept. In my opinion, the pre-2010 Superocean models were also classic styles, especially the CSO and Steelfish. They too are now relics of the past. As such, I already see them as old school, but again, that's a personal view.

I don't think all is lost, though. While I don't envision ever warming up to the current SO models, my beef with the current generation of Chronomats mainly has to do with superficial things like the bezel and dial styles, rather than with the essence of the watch itself. (An exception is the absurdly large case of the new Chronomat GMT.) I actually see the introduction of an in-house Chronomat 41 as a good thing. If Breitling would put a classic dial and rider tab bezel on it, I think that could be a really great watch, and a return to form, assuming they keep making it available on a Pilot. Until Breitling comes to its senses, though, I'll enjoy my CSO as a reminder of what I liked about the brand, and when the time is right, possibly try to scare up a Crosswind on the aftermarket. Either that, or move on to Rolex, which is a brand that knows better than to fix what isn't broken.

The nature of forums like this is that they tend to cater to enthusiasts rather than casual buyers (if you can use that term with a multi thousand dollar watch). Many of us here would consider ourselves watch enthusiasts rather than specific Breitling enthusiasts, but Breitlings brought us here to start with.

When the brand moves away from what made us enthusiasts of the brand in the first place there is bound to be some 'angst' and that's not new - as I have said before, I am sure that the same feelings occurred in 1984 when the first watch that the modern Breitling came out with had one of the two iconic Breitling names (Chronomat), but looked nothing like what people understood a Chronomat to be.

What appears to be different this time is that what attracted many of us to Breitling in the first place is close to totally gone - there is virtually nothing left of what people consider to be iconic Breitling designs since the 1984 relaunch of the brand. The only traditional design cues that remain are in the Navitimer line, and those go back to the original Breitling.

For me it's disappointing that the brand will so willingly turn its back on everything that it has represented for almost 30 years, but that is their right, what I don't understand is what the new direction is - to me it seems at odds with the market demographics of rapid growth in Asian markets (there are some smaller pieces, but conservative designs tend to fare better there), and it seems at odds with the direction that the industry is going.

Maybe it will prove to be a storke of genius and in a few years everyone will be turning their back on ceramics and embracing colored rubber, that there will be competition to put as many different fonts on the same watch as possible, etc - I just personally don't believe it.