The Breitling Watch Source Forums

Very interesting insider's view Thomas, thank you for sharing.

IMO you're totally right on the reasons of Breitling's independence, otherwise it WOULD have been part of a larger group by now. Of course, being independent permits them to be more flexible and are able adapt to the market more quickly or even guide it as you say.

I also agree with you on the differences between Breitling and brands like Rolex, for ex., for which adapting is much more difficult because they are too conservative due to their customer base.

But maybe that is also the reason (conservatism) of why members around here found it difficult to "digest" the new direction Breilting is adopting. As I said before, we should give Breilting some more time. When the B01 first came out, reception was also cold, if not negative, but now, almost two years later, opinions are starting to change. Slowly but steadily.

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- This is Ghost Rider requesting a fly-by. - Negative Ghost Rider. The pattern is full.

When you say "more time," do you mean we should see if our opinions of given models change over time, or wait to see what Breitling will do in the future? If the former, I can understand the rationale, since sometimes a person's opinion of a given piece can change over time. Ironically, my opinion of the B01 has actually gotten worse than when it first came out. There was a time when I was considering getting one, but that bezel font has only gotten more annoying with exposure; plus, the more I look at the dial design, the more I have the feeling that it will end up looking dated sooner rather than later. Now that Breitling has insisted that all Chronomat variants have a Buck Rogers bezel, it's really put me off all of them. Having said that, I accept the possibility that my opinion of a given model could change for the better, however unlikely.

If you mean give Breitling more time to see what they do in the ensuing years...well, what else are we going to do? I can't change what they're doing now, so all I can do is wait to see if they ever start making watches again that I want to buy. If they do, I'll certainly consider buying one. But for now, they're not making any I want, so I won't be buying any new models. I don't see that as being impatient so much as logical.

I may not be an expert like most folks on here, but I think that tentatively we can all agree on that and I think its a damn good point. I hadn't realized it until you said it. Any of the new 2011 Breitlings that are on their site (except the TransOcean) have something in common and can be recognized and the look is constant across the new line. There is indeed a common theme. Very interesting. Now I can see some of you coming out and saying that the "common theme" is ugly. But all joking aside it is a very interesting point. Perhaps that explains why most people don't like the new line because they simply don't like the "new theme". Nothing wrong with that either, that is why we have lots of choices out there. Thank god for that, and we are free to select a brand that we like and go with that. Who knows maybe the theme for 2012 from Breitling is kickass and we all come back to the brand...its what makes it fun

Having said all this, I went back and looked at the new SOC which got a lot of negative heat because of the loud colors I guess. I made one to measure that is a bit more sober and here is the result. Of course, nothing to do with the other limited editions with the red bezels lol the upside if you don't like them is that they are limited

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Alex
Breitling - Navitimer
Breitling - SuperOcean
Breitling - Chrono SuperOcean

That is the point and thrust behind the poll and this thread. There is a direction shift (theme if you will) and what we are commenting on is - "what do we think of this new direction?"

The heading to the poll from the OP – “What impact do the new models have on your confidence in Breitling and their direction as a company.”

My personal opinion – I don’t like it. Some do. Most here do not.

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SHARKMAN

Indeed, an interesting question to ask is how long will this "theme" last? Could it change as quickly as next year at Basel 2012?

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Alex
Breitling - Navitimer
Breitling - SuperOcean
Breitling - Chrono SuperOcean

If they change direction that quickly they would be admitting this new direction was a huge failure. Don't expect a change at next Basel, that's ludacris to even suggest. Accept the fact that this is the new Breitling for years to come; either embrace it or move to a new brand. I for one have moved on and no longer consider Breitling my favorite brand or an option when I walk into an AD.

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"I don't own any watches, I just lease them"

If they sell more units I doubt in their eyes they'll consider it a failure.

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Alex
Breitling - Navitimer
Breitling - SuperOcean
Breitling - Chrono SuperOcean

OK, I'll admit, that's a lot better than the yellow tinged thing that we saw last week. Now, if you can find a way to make the bezel ceramic on the made to measure thing I'll be sold.

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"Leave the gun, take the cannoli."

Yeah, that configuration isn't too bad. I still like the previous CSO better, but if they'd put a ceramic bezel on the new one, the all-black version would be a respectable offering. With rubber, though...no thanks.

If they sell more units, they probably won't change it. The only reason for an abrubpt change would be if it didn't sell well, but changing so soon would basically be an admission of failure - something they likely wouldn't want to do.

I agree, this version is very good looking. It's one of the nicer watches I've seen in sometime. I've never felt the rubber bezel but if it has a tacky surface than I don't think I'd like it. If it's a hard smooth rubber than maybe I'd consider it. I'd go as far as saying, at least from the picture, it's better looking than the previous generation.

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Regards,

Peter

BREITLING for Bentley Motors T & Mark VI, Aerospace
ROLEX Submariner Ceramic116610LN
OMEGA Plantet Ocean 8500 42mm Orange arabics
OCEAN7 LM-3

I've changed my mind! That IS one hot looking Omega.

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SHARKMAN

You know, you're right. Every time I see that picture, I have an almost subconcious recognition of looking at a Speedmaster (or maybe a Chrono PO), but it wasn't until you said it that I realized it.

Exactly what I was thinking, that is a PO!

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Al

“Quis custodiet ipsos custodes"

Actually, I would say both. Thing is, if new models sell well, the latter will be irrelevant because what counts at the end of the day is numbers. And if they're high enough, Breilting may even go further down the same road they're taking now.

Who'll need a market research then?

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- This is Ghost Rider requesting a fly-by. - Negative Ghost Rider. The pattern is full.