The Breitling Watch Source Forums

I stopped by my AD today to see if they had any of the 2011 models in, and that they did.

I checked out the SO Abyss, SO 44 and the SO Chrono II. They also had the TransOcean chrono and man, that thing looks good!

Anyway, here are my impressions of the SO's after checking them out in the metal:

SO Abyss:
- Rugged look. Less toy-ish than in pictures. Wears a little on the small side considering the case diameter mainly because of the colored inlay that takes some space from the dial. The inlay looks good, though.

SO 44:
- It seemed a lot bigger than I imagined. Very spacious and easy to read dial. The two lone numbers on the dial might need some getting used to, though. Nice heft.

SOC II:
- This is the one I liked best. Very nice heft, good layout and nice detailing and accents. It struck me as visually having a better overall balance than the other two. As I've said in an earlier post: this just might be my birthday present to myself.

General impressions:
The rubber inlay on the bezel looks nice in that it gives the watches some contrast. How it stands up to everyday use, only time will tell. The brushed finish on the two 44 m.m. models is in my opinion better suited to these sports/diver watches than the polished finish on the abyss. Bezel ratchet action was sturdy and nice on all three and they all seemed to hug the wrist very comfortably.

Well, that concludes my impressions and opinions on the new SO models

Cheers!

_________________
"Either this man is dead or my watch has stopped!"
- Groucho Marx

Would like to see both the Abyss and SOH 42mm with brushed cases.

_________________
Chrono Jetstream
Montbrilliant 1903
Aerospace E79362

Yeah, for me the sticking point of the new SuperOceans (apart from the bezel) is the number font on the dial. I think they look nothing short of terrible.

Good call.

_________________
SHARKMAN

what color was the soc?

I think the black rubber and brushed steel bezel with sawtooth edge is a refreshing update to the dated bezels on the prior Steelfish and Superoceans. Makes the 44mm size wear larger too which I feel is nice. I really like a 44mm watch that wears larger instead of smaller.

I'm obviously biased though;)

_________________
PO XL 2500

Tread carefully

_________________
SHARKMAN

I know, I know treason possibly....but please all, look at the watch profiles the next opportunity you have

_________________
PO XL 2500

Anyone know the difference in thickness of the SOC II and the SO 44?

A couple millimeters of rubber.

_________________
SHARKMAN