The Breitling Watch Source Forums

Hi, Guys.

I've had an interesting offer on a NOS »old style« chronomat with a blue dial, white subdials and batton indexes on a leather strap.
Can't seem to find a lot of real life pics of such a combo, so if anyone can post some, I'd really appreciate it (doesn't matter if it's on a different strap or bracelet).
I'm really interested in how the blue looks, is it a sort of deep, royal-blue, or more flat blue? Are the sub-dials white or more off-white, silver-ish?
What do you guys think, please share your opinions, thanks.

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Super Avenger (Black, arabics, big logo, Pro II bracelet)
SuperOcean Heritage 46 (Black, Ocean Classic bracelet)
B-1 SuperQuartz (Grey, Fighter bracelet)
Chronomat B01 (Onyx black, Pilot bracelet)
SuperOcean Steelfish (Black, Diver Pro II, tang buckle)

I hope I don't seem nitpicky, but I'll offer a little clarification. The "old style" to which you're referring is the Chronomat "Evolution" or "Evo." Because the style of the Chronomat has changed so many times, the generic description of "old style" doesn't really nail down which version you're talking about. If you call it "Evo," everybody will know exactly what you mean.

As for your question, I haven't had many firsthand observations of the blue-dial Evo, but what I've seen of it, I liked. My opinion is the blue dial with batons is sort of an iconic look for Chronomats, so it's a good one to have. The baton dial on the Evo has a bullseye pattern, alternating matt and guilloche textures. My best recollection is the blue is a little less vibrant than a royal blue, but nowhere near a navy. B-Source's owner did a video review of the blue Evo on Pilot bracelet, which gives you a better view of it "in the steel." The lighting isn't the best, but it still might help you see if it's what you like.

You're right, it was a poor choice of words and too general. I thought about calling it the "Evo", but as far as I know, it was named that for a while, and then they went back to just "Chronomat".
That's why I posted the pic from the official website configurator (where this model remains, even though it can't be ordered anymore by ADs, at least in Europe).
But I agree with you and thanks for your input.



Thank you for your thoughts and detailed description!
I have seen that clip before, but the lighting there is really not good, it looks black for most of the film, so I'm really hoping that some owners will post pics, taken in natural light.

_________________
Super Avenger (Black, arabics, big logo, Pro II bracelet)
SuperOcean Heritage 46 (Black, Ocean Classic bracelet)
B-1 SuperQuartz (Grey, Fighter bracelet)
Chronomat B01 (Onyx black, Pilot bracelet)
SuperOcean Steelfish (Black, Diver Pro II, tang buckle)

That's exactly right. It started as the Chronomat Evolution, then reverted back to Chronomat. Still, if you refer to it as the "Evo," or "Evolution," people will know which one you mean, since that name still refers specifically to that design, whereas "Chronomat" refers to every Chronomat design since 1984 (and technically even before that, if you include vintage designs from way back). Since the Evo has now been discontinued, it's a little tricky to know what its name is officially. I suppose technically there is no Chronomat without further qualification in production any more (see below), so maybe the Evo will officially remain the "Chronomat" postmortem.

If you really want something to wrap your brain around, the current Chronomat started out as the Chronomat B01, named after the new in-house movement inside. When the name of the movement changed to the 01, the name of the watch changed to Chronomat 01. Now, they have a 44mm size and 41mm size of the watch, so the names are now Chronomat 44 and Chronomat 41. Many people still refer to the Chronomat 44 simply as the "B01." This still works, since even though the 01 movement is in other models now (the Navitimer, Transocean, etc.), only the Chronomat featured the movement when it was named the B01. Clear as mud, no?

True, it is a bit confusing. At the time I bought mine, it was still called the B01 so it's a limited edition of sorts.

Still can't get that blue/silver combo out of my head though, hope someone on here has it and will chime in.

_________________
Super Avenger (Black, arabics, big logo, Pro II bracelet)
SuperOcean Heritage 46 (Black, Ocean Classic bracelet)
B-1 SuperQuartz (Grey, Fighter bracelet)
Chronomat B01 (Onyx black, Pilot bracelet)
SuperOcean Steelfish (Black, Diver Pro II, tang buckle)

On the contrary, I find it crystal clear Jackson and a pretty detailed description of the Chronomat B01 44 or 41.

@David82 Driver8, one of our two mods here, has an experience with a blue faced and blue croco strap even though I think that his was a Navi. He might want to post any pics or give his opinion on the matter. If my memory serves me well though, he got to sell it because he found it to be not that flexible as far as wear combination goes, even though he did appreciate the watch a lot.

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

Thank you for the info.
I am concerned about the same issue, color combination. I know I can always put it on the Pilot bracelet, so the issue is just the shade of blue of the dial, how discrete (for lack of a better word) it is.

_________________
Super Avenger (Black, arabics, big logo, Pro II bracelet)
SuperOcean Heritage 46 (Black, Ocean Classic bracelet)
B-1 SuperQuartz (Grey, Fighter bracelet)
Chronomat B01 (Onyx black, Pilot bracelet)
SuperOcean Steelfish (Black, Diver Pro II, tang buckle)

My simple opinion is that while I don't like blue straps in general - limitations as stated previously - the watch itself looks amazing.

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Greg

That could be solved with a gold strap, a perfect combo IMO.

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

Found some pics of this combination at the link below. To anyone who has seen this watch live, are the pictures in the link a good representation of how it looks in the flesh (the blue appears very dark)?

http://www.blowers-jewellers.co.uk/imag ... _strap.htm

_________________
Super Avenger (Black, arabics, big logo, Pro II bracelet)
SuperOcean Heritage 46 (Black, Ocean Classic bracelet)
B-1 SuperQuartz (Grey, Fighter bracelet)
Chronomat B01 (Onyx black, Pilot bracelet)
SuperOcean Steelfish (Black, Diver Pro II, tang buckle)

Based on my recollection (whatever that's worth), the second and third pictures are too dark, and aren't an accurate depiction the dial's color. The first one is in the ballpark. I don't know if you've noticed that on Breitling.com, the 360 view of the Evo features a blue dial with batons. That is a fairly true depiction of the color - again based on my recollection.

I also forgot to mention, I have seen a blue croc strap in person, on a Montbrillant Olympus. It is VERY blue.

My photography is a long way from good, but I feel that this is a fairly accurate colour.

I agree in terms of actual color, but your lighting is subtle. My experience was that under brighter, more direct light, the blue "announced" itself more, even though the color was the same as what you show. Gorgeous watch, btw.

That's me - "subtle"

A big thanks for the help. Can't wait to see it live now.

_________________
Super Avenger (Black, arabics, big logo, Pro II bracelet)
SuperOcean Heritage 46 (Black, Ocean Classic bracelet)
B-1 SuperQuartz (Grey, Fighter bracelet)
Chronomat B01 (Onyx black, Pilot bracelet)
SuperOcean Steelfish (Black, Diver Pro II, tang buckle)