The Breitling Watch Source Forums

A friend has just asked me to find him a watch, brand new in the price range of £500 - £1000.

The stipulations are: has to look sporty, around 40-44mm and have either a rubber/leather strap.

Help me find something good over the weekend please.

Cheers guyz.

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Currently:
Avenger Skyland(Black)
Super Avenger(White)

Moved on:
Montbrillant Legende(Silver)
Panerai 312
SOHC 125th Ann. LE(Silver)
Navitimer World(Pearl)
Panerai 441

I would have a look at the Oris Diver's collection.

* they're sporty looking diver's watches,
* chunky in size and there is some good choice in the 40-44mm range,
* go well with rubber straps and most of them come with rubber, you can also have them on bracelets
* I also believe you can get some extraordinary deals for new ones and thus they fit the price range your bud is looking for.

http://www.oris.ch/collections/collections.aspx?ln=en&collectionid=9

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Alex
Breitling - Navitimer
Breitling - SuperOcean
Breitling - Chrono SuperOcean

I'd say Oris too, but they will definitely be the high end of his range, if not outside it. For something at the lower end it's got to be Steinhart. Either of these will fit his parameters spot on (apart from being 45mm instead of 44mm). Incredible value -

http://www.steinhartwatches.de/index.ph ... l_ID=9#309

http://www.steinhartwatches.de/index.ph ... l_ID=9#239

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Driver8

Site Moderator

Or a new indie close to his high end - www.saswatchco.com


I agree Oris is going to be a few hundred above the price range.

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SHARKMAN

I'm impressed - you truly are becoming a WIS to have heard of them. I think that they have some interesting things coming as well, but that first piece is a great start and tremendous value for a 2824-2 diver.

I also agree with Driver8 that Steinhart is a good option, Oris is a lot of watch for the money, but there is going to be limited selection within that budget.

I've been watching the development of this watch for the last year. Unique case, rubber and bracelet, a sandwich dial. And they didn't rush it either - when they were slightly disatisfied with the case protoype they started over and hired a new company to make the case. When they found out the first manufacturer was trying to use their disgarded cases/design, they sued them.

I've come close to picking one up, but the size may be a factor - 44mm but will wear larger due to the "square-ish" case design. Though the lug end to lug end is 52mm (about the same as a Evo, Steelfish, or Skyracer) and the lug bar to lug bar is 48mm.

Plus I've only seen one for resale which seems a pretty good sign. Contrast that to the likes of Deep Blue - catalogue cases and bracelets and the For Sale boards are full of resales.

I am looking forward to their second model.

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SHARKMAN

I believe that there are some smaller ones in the works.

Thanks for the help there guyz. I've been hunting around the usual watchsites but somehow forgot about Steinhart !

I've found a few but you're right the difference/choice between £500-£1000 and then even just moving up to around £1200 is staggering.

Anyway I've been trawling around and came across the brand below. Never heard of them but love the look of some of their watches. Any opinions?

http://www.technomarine.com/Collections ... mm_-22.sls

Cheers again.

_________________

Currently:
Avenger Skyland(Black)
Super Avenger(White)

Moved on:
Montbrillant Legende(Silver)
Panerai 312
SOHC 125th Ann. LE(Silver)
Navitimer World(Pearl)
Panerai 441

Id say if he's willing to spend that kind of money, he probably wants a recognizable name with it (at least I would). Id be going for a Longines Hydroconquest (maybe even the chrono).

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-RJ

Nothing special about Technomarine, but the style is certainly different. You know that has a quartz right?

Yes I did notice that Roff. My friends not a watch man really he just want something a bit better quality than your average run of the mill Seiko, casio etc.

I know the issues regarding quartz and its longevity but not to sure its 'that' important in this case but I've looked at the link that RJRJRJ posted and that could certainly be an option.

Thanks for the hints and tips anyway guyz, much appreciated.

Cheers

_________________

Currently:
Avenger Skyland(Black)
Super Avenger(White)

Moved on:
Montbrillant Legende(Silver)
Panerai 312
SOHC 125th Ann. LE(Silver)
Navitimer World(Pearl)
Panerai 441

Yeah you could say that! That watch seems to have been in development for ever and a day. For a while I was keeping an eye on it as a potential beater, but the constant missed deadlines and shifted delivery dates put me off. Then Lum Tec came out with an ETA powered tungsten model (the M25 which I bought) and that was it for SAS as far as I was concerned.

Just on that topic, Andrew, Lum Tec might be another option for your mate to check out. (I should've thought of it before as I often have mine on my wrist these days!). The latest tungsten "M" series models are predominantly ETA powered, 44mm across, 24mm lugs and come with both rubber and leather straps (and a metal bracelet) as standard. And because they are rather "similar" to Panerai's, all the Panerai strap options fit as well. Plus the tungsten case means that scratches are a dim and distant memory. It's the hardiest watch I think I've ever come across in terms of scratch resistance : still not a single mark despite once hitting a metal door frame and a brick wall with it!

The European distributor in Slovakia is excellent to deal with too.

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Driver8

Site Moderator