The Breitling Watch Source Forums

Hello there. I'm new here. I've been lurking for a long time, getting very jealous at all of your lovely watches. I have a fascination with watches, but unfortunately do not have the money to follow up my fascination into a collection.

I am, however, looking to make my first purchase now. I am torn between the Galactic Chronograph II, Navtimer World and the Montbrillant Datora. They all retail for about the same, and I think they should all fit comfortably on my wrist (7' in diameter). I am wondering if anyone has any experience with these watches or advise/opinions they would like to share?

Also, when a friend bought his Breitling, he was able to negotiate a discount on the purchase. What sort of discount should one look for when making a purchase?

Many thanks.

Hi and welcome! Any of those would be a good choice I'm sure and at the end of the day it's probably down to personal preference. If I understand rightly from other posts there's a new Datora coming out, which looks really nice, but the Navi World is also lovely. I was going to get a Navi World until I realised how big it was - too big for my puny wrists, but you'll probably be fine. Look forward to seeing pics of whatever you get.

Discount wise, people seem to be getting around 15 - 20%.

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Breitling Navitimer 01

In most parts of the world 20% should still be the minimum discount.

If you are concerned about water resistance than the Galactic is the way to go.
If not and the Navi style is the one you like, my choice would be the Montbrillant Datora.
I think the 43mm size would suit your 7" wrist better than the 46 navi world.
But that is just my opinion. All three are beautifull and well made watches and your best option is to go go to an AD and try and see what looks and feels best to you on your wrist. It is a lot of money to spend based on others opinions only to think later "I wish I bought ..... instead".
Now, discounts vary from country to country and AD to AD. Use your friends discount as a benchmark.
On the other hand based on my experience and what some members here report, 20-25% seems quite common but do not take it for granted. Anything more than that, you are doing well in general.
Good luck with the deciding and shopping and take your time as the worst decisions are the rushed ones.

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"It is just a matter of time!"

i love my silver(more cream in color) dial navi world. ive owned it for 3mos now and here are my impressions...

love the look, love the look... oh did i mention i love the look? it is a noisy movement, not that it ever bothers me but it is there and i hear the wheels spinning occasionally when all is quiet. i find manual winding to be a pain with the crown position flush with the case as it is not screw down. doesnt wind as smoothly as my skyracer which has a screw down crown. the rotating bezel is also not nearly as smooth as my skyracer. these issues may be unique to me and perhaps more knowledgeable members can chime in... but im holding out on having BUSA look at the watch until i get closer to warranty expiration so that i can have another year of warranty, post service.

with a heavy bias, i vote navi world!

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FW

Crosswind Special, White
Chronomat 44 B01 LE
Navi 01 LE, Vapor Silver

My opinion of the Galactic Chronograph II: it's a hack job. Breitling took the well-loved Chronomat Evolution, brushed it, slapped a Buck Rogers compass bezel on it, and called it a "new" model. However, they did not update the styling of the watch itself, which means it is stylistically incongruous - you have the more classic Evo dial opposite the 01-based bezel font. Adding insult to injury, Breitling saw fit to jack up the price. Many Evo fans would have loved to have a brushed option, since Evos were only ever made available in a polished finish. The GCII was not what these fans had in mind. To me, it represents Breitling at their worst.

Of course, if you like it, that's all that matters. However, perhaps an awareness of the cannibalizing involved in the design might help you look at it somewhat differently.

FWIW, I think the World and Datora are nice - personally not my cup of tea (the Datora, in particular, is too busy for my tastes), but well representative of Breitling at the top of their game.

I'd just get a chronomat evolution for the reasons that Jackson mentioned. My AD is expecting their last shipment of evolutions in the near future and there should be just about every dial available. If anyone is looking for an evolution, send me a PM and I can confirm what dials they're getting.

I still prefer the evolution to the busy dial on the Navi World.

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Justin
Please contact me via PM for the contact details for Govberg Jewelers
Govberg is an AD for over 50 fine Swiss and German watch brands.
Visit them on the web at http://www.govbergwatches.com or call 800-528-8463

Thank you for all the replies. It is a decision I want to take my time over. When I went to an AD recently he showed me the Galactic and it did fit nicely on my wrist. He kept talking about a new movement for the piece. I will admit I thought I knew about watches until I came here. Seems I need to do some serious reading.

Also, I'm a left-handed watch wearer, I'm hoping this won't be an issue with the winding mechanism on the edge of the watch. I'm swaying Datora at the moment. I have tried to search for this new one mentioned, but cannot see anything. Does anyone have a link?

Thank you.

The Glactic Chronograph II does not have a new movement, it's the tried and tested calibre 13 based on the Valjoux (now ETA) 7750.

Go for the Montbrillant Datora - it's the only Breitling I own. Pure class and at 43mm the size is perfect.

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Rolex Daytona Panda Dial 116509 40mm
Breitling Chronomat GMT Limited AB0412 47mm
Tag Heuer Link Chrono Auto CJF2110 42mm

You mean this one?

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=40752

Not so much a new Datora as such, more just a dial rework. I like it though.

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Driver8

Site Moderator

Perhaps he meant in reference to my friends Super Avenger. To be honest a lot of what he was saying did go over my head. Didn't help that I had someone with me with a Breitling so they were 'talking shop' for quite a while.

Driver8 -- Is that the one on the Breitling website? Looking closely the hands look different. But cannot see any other differences?

Actually, I see that there's two versions of the black dial. Assuming the one you link to is the newer then.

SA and Galactic Chrono have the same movement.

The one that Driver8 showed is the updated one on the website, earlier versions had 'busier' dials, see here - http://www.breitlingsource.com/watch_de ... r_108.html

Breitling did introduce a new, in-house movement in 2009. It first appeared in the Chronomat B01 (now called the Chronomat 44), which was the direct successor to the Chronomat Evolution, which as I said was retooled into the Galactic Chrono II. So, in that sense the Chronomat line in general did get a new movement, even though the Evolution/GCII did not. It's possible the AD was referencing that in some capacity, and you didn't fully understand the context. Ultimately all we can do is speculate.

I think you're smart to take your time. Some people are fine buying watches in blissful ignorance, but if you're the kind who likes to know about what he's getting, then there's a lot to learn before plunging into such an expensive purchase. You might also be surprised how much your preferences change as you continue to find out more about these watches.