The Breitling Watch Source Forums

Hi there,

My wife has "twisted my arm" on a recent trip to Hong Kong to get another watch for my collection.
"Reluctantly allowed" is perhaps a more accurate term but I can assure you all, that it had absolutely nothing at all to do with the Cartier that I bought for her 3 months ago
A Navitimer has been on my shopping list fo some time now and this was the "now or never" moment as my dear wife is not normally in such a generous mood
I was all set on getting the Navitimer 01 until the dealer pulled out the Super Constellation LE from under the counter.
I am not a pilot but am a rather frequent flyer and have quite an interest in pretty much anything associated with aviation and it's history. This probably explains why in my humble opinion, Breitlings may not necessarily be the finest precision wise watches but are by far the best looking.
So, what followed was 2 agonizing hours of trying to decide between the Navitimer 01 or the Super Connie LE.
Should I go for the 01 with the new Breitling in-house B01 movement or the LE with the old ETA based one (still can not figure out why Breitling decided to put the ETA movement in the Super Connie LE in the first place).
Two hours later I walked out from the shop with a massive grin on my face, serious dent in my wallet and a Navitimer Super Constellation Limited Edition No 1026/1049 attached to my wrist with a lovely Navitimer bracelet. I'm not so keen on straps unless they are used to attach my wrists to the bed posts
The simple logic was that I can always get a Navitimer 01 or another model with the new B01 movement but it may not be that easy to get my hands on a LE Connie in the future.
I know we should always be driven by our personal choices but in your opinion Ladies and Gentlemen, should I have gone for the Navitimer 01 or did I do the right thing getting the Super Constellation?
Be honest and brutal

Cheers,

wessa



wessa

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Pictures, please.

Who are we to say what you like best ?

Congrats on the Constellation LE, it is a beautiful piece and it does seem to garner more "bonding" from it´s owners; though the production run is about half of the 01 LE I have seen almost none offered on the secondary market. I love the display back of my LE, so this triggered my decision, but like the Connie LE very much.

Hello wrangler,

Attached is the best I could do on short notice, hate flash photography at night. Too many reflections.



WatchFred, you are 100% correct, no one (other than Mrs wessa) can say what I like best.
A more accurate question to the forum should have been "What would you have done?"
Just curious, that's all.
The 01 LE is certainly a stunning piece that I would be proud to have in my collection. I can only say that I am glad the dealer did not have that one as well.
Not being able to decide between the two LEs, I probably would have walked out with both of them.
Not sure what this impact this would have on wessa's marital status

Cheers,

wessa

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"It is just a matter of time!"

Friends,

It is a small world after all.
There were 1049 of these made apparently. I somehow got one. Where are the other 1048 pieces?
Surely not stil in the dealer's hands where no one wants to buy them.
If you happen to have one, just let me know.

BR/wessa.

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"It is just a matter of time!"

Nice pic...and watch wessa. Even though a back pick would be more significant as it is featuring the magnificent Connie silhouette. As such it is more unique than the LE IMO.

Unfortunately, I find it a bit small for my wrist.

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

i love em, one of my fav navitimers

I can see why you had so much trouble deciding between them. I can't decide myself. I probably lean towards to 01 simply because of the display back. But i know I'd be thrilled to own either. Long years of enjoyment ahead!

Any excuse to post a pic of this magnificent bird!



The Lockheed model number was L1049 which explains the unusual number in this LE.

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For more information on identifying Breitling replicas, please visit my web site
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This is the one I saw at Oshkosh several years ago, not long after its restoration:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dn_t5eu0W5Y

The watch also came with a great book "The Legendary Constellation".
And here is also a shot of the back that F14D_Tomcat was refering to.

Cheers,

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"It is just a matter of time!"

Thanks for the pic wessa. I find it really special. I didn't know it was accompanied by a book though. Is it the story of HB-RSC ?

An even though it hasn't airliners.net quality, here's another pic of the bird taken at the Breitling Sion Air Show last September:

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

The first part of the book covers the history of the Super Constellation in general.
The second part deals mostly with the HB-RSC and how it ended up flying Breitling colours.

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"It is just a matter of time!"

where did you get the book? I've never seen it and I've sold em

The book came with the watch from the AD as a bonus gift
It was published by Editions Privat in September 2010.
According to the publisher's web site it can be ordered online for EUR34.50 plus shipping.

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"It is just a matter of time!"