The Breitling Watch Source Forums

Just found out some interesting facts about the Emergency II via an AD who attended a presentation this morning with one of the development team (apologies if these have been detailed elsewhere) -

Firstly, a PVD or DLC version will be announced later on this year, apparently looks V. V. cool!

Watches are still awaiting "type approval" by COSPAS-SARSAT ( the people who operate the monitoring system ) ,this should hopefully be completed by June, then be delivered 1-2 months after that, so expect AD's to have them from August onwards.

The watches will be "tagged" with a country code, so if say for example, you are visiting the UK from the US and wish to buy one, then unless you can register it to a UK address, you have to send it back to the nearest relevant Breitling service centre to have it re-programmed with a US country code.

The rechargeable battery (only used for the transmitter) needs to be replaced every two years. On the first one after purchase, this will be free of charge. After that, expect the cost "to be roughly that of servicing a mechanical chronograph". The AD got the impression that the bespoke rechargeable battery was one of the main reasons for the much higher price of the Emergency II vs. the previous version, as the 406mhz signal requires a relatively hefty 5W of power to transmit, whereas the 121.5mhz transmission only requires 30mW. It is recharged when sat in the dock, which is recommended at least every two months, and there are three contact points on the 9o'clock side of the case that enable this, which I hadn't seen in photos. It also has to follow a regulation that requires it to be fully operational at -20 degrees, which also requires more from the battery.

The LED at 12o'clock will bleep green when attached to the charger/testing unit, but if there is a fault with the rechargeable battery or transmitter, then a permanent red LED will show, so if you are offered one with a red LED showing, look elsewhere!

The little "knob" on the antenna when it is deployed is to enable it to switch between the different frequencies when transmitting. On the 406mhz, it requires a shorter length, whereas on the 121.5mhz it requires the full 30cm, so there is a small circuit built into the antenna to cope with this.

The reason the Emergency II was equipped with the previous Breitling 76 and not with the later Breitling 78 calibre equipped with the backlight function was to keep the thickness down, but at 51mm in dia. , I don't think this would have been a massive problem!

The AD said when compared to his Aerospace it made his watch look like a ladies piece! But apparently it looked amazing on, and DEFINITELY isn't a watch for the timid!

Hope these points are of interest to some people, and as I said before, if these have been made before, I apologise

Ah, forgot one other point, the 406mhz transmission sent to the satellite gives a location of roughly 15 miles in radius, the searching team then use the 121.5mhz frequency as a more accurate guide to pinpointing the wearers location. And as before, the wearer has to be out in the open with a clear view of the sky. I asked about whether being under the canopy of trees, say in jungle terrain ( I know, but I had to ask! ) would affect it, but the AD wasn't sure, and said he will check.

Very useful info (I'm even curious about the blacked-out EII ) thanks! Just wish your AD friend has an info that says "price will be reduced..." Lol!

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a few Pams...

As I said before, replacement of that battery every two years, and for the cost of "roughly that of servicing a mechanical chronograph", means that the E2 is going to be an expensive watch to own even after the initial purchase.

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Driver8

Site Moderator

The EII is unquestionably a remarkable piece, but given its gigantic size and now with this added servicing expense, it definitely is not something that I'll be adding to my collection . . . ever.

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Chronomat 01- Sierra Silver/Steel
Navitimer 01- Limited Edition #1337/2000

Did you expect the AD to say anything else?

The Emergency II is a clown watch which is barely fit for purpose. I really dont know who would wear it? And at £12k...

As for DLC/PVD - another fashion fad that does nothing but cause extra depreciation.

As much as I love Breitling, this is yet another very bad watch decision.

Admittedly I've just got back from 6 hours at a superb beer festival today, but I have to agree whole-heartedly with this post.

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Driver8

Site Moderator

Battery technology is moving at a fast clip, due to electric vehicles and mobile devices.
I doubt the battery they are using now will be the same one used as a replacement in two years. It will probably either be smaller, or better capacity.
Clown watch? Only on someone who wears a tie.

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Chrono Avenger M1, Ti- yellow dial, on Pro II Ti bracelet.
Avenger Code Yellow LE, on Diver Pro II strap, w/arabic dial.

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Battery technology is moving at a fast clip, due to electric vehicles and mobile devices.
I doubt the battery they are using now will be the same one used as a replacement in two years. It will probably either be smaller, or better capacity.
Clown watch? Only on someone who wears a tie.[/quote]

I agree w/ the battery technology part of you response; however, the clown watch idiom is absolutely true. Admittedly I wear a tie five days a week and the new E would look absolutely preposterous near any shirt cuff. More impotantly, the size of the new E makes it a dent magnet for any other activity from mountaineering to mountain biking to flying. That large mass on the wrist will be both uncomfortable as it bounces along, impossible to fit in tight places and will get battered as it hits rocks, cockpit insides or virtually anything else...I have had almost a dozen Emergencies and am extremely careful not to whack them off of door frames, table saws, car engine bays, etc. IMHO, the increase in size of the new E makes that task herculean. Sorry but it is a clown watch...

Hm.. Really? Isn't most GShocks nowadays are 52mm & 55mm & THICK??

The EII size by itself doesn't deter me (the opposite actually). It's the OUCH!! pricing for a quartz watch...

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a few Pams...

actually most g shocks are considerably smaller. my son has about a dozen and a Riseman measures at only 45mm and 15.9mm thick. only very slightly larger than my emergency professional. similarly, the Mudman is 46mm and 16.3mm thick. most importantly, they are plastic and relatively cheap, so if you crash one into a rock, the pain of impact is extremely momentary...try that with your significantly larger $16k watch...

Just because a watch is big for some, it might not be big for others.. If I had the money is be rocking that E2 in a heartbeat. I've wore Oris that were bigger than that and were actually surprisingly comfortable. I think most people are more off put with the price tag than the size. Everyone can say what they want but until they try it on than maybe they shouldn't knock it.

Seems everyone is focusing on the sheer size and very little to the important details.

As battery technology continues to evolve, it is highly doubtful that this will allow the owner much more time between service intervals... why?... this watch is intended to be used to save your life, should the occasion arise. The liability involved with the watch's sole purpose alone would preclude Breitling from wanting to have one out for 4, 5, 6+ etc years between service intervals. Imagine if something other than just the battery failed because it hadn't been sent back in for service in a real life emergency situation... can we say "lawsuit waiting to happen"?

Lets talk about size... at 51 mm, this is undoubtedly a larger watch. To house 2 transmitters, it has to be. But since it is a titanium watch, it is quite light. For a point of reference - Chronomat B01 weighs in at 128 grams. The E2, being titanium, weighs in at 140 grams. These numbers represent only the case itself. Adding the bracelet, as a general rule of thumb, adds the same weight overall and therefore doubles the watch's weight. However, titanium is 56% as dense as SS. I'm sorry I don't have exact weights for the bracelets but using general accepted weights for bracelets and materials, yields the following:

Chronomat B01 128 g + bracelet 128 g = 256 grams total
E2 140 g + bracelet 78 g (140g x 56%) = 218 grams total

So the net on weight is, IMHO, as follows - watch is ginormous in size but pretty darn light.

This may not be the watch for everyone but it is quite unique. As a everyday wearer, probably a tad much for the $ compared to other Breitling options. But in a real life emergency situation, this is a helluva watch which is dirt cheap by all standards. If I were in a situation where death was highly probably, $15-$18K is nothing to pay for my well being. Now if you ask my wife, she may have a different answer such as... you already have too many damn watches!



Above and beyond all that, should you ever activate the watch in an emergency, Breitling will give you a brand new one... I'm thinking back country skiing

Flaw in the math there because the 140g case is already titanium so you can't assume that the bracelet only weighs 56% of the weight - that's double counting the weight saving. However, more relevantly to the discussion, whether it is too big or too expensive is a decision for each person to make, but what would appear to be inescapable is that the price and the size mean that the pool of potential buyers is smaller than for the original Emergency.

I am sure that both size and, to a certain extent, price are dictated by the technology, and I am sure that Breitling are well aware that sales will be lower than the original. The watch itself is still a great looking thing that shows evolution of the design in a way rarely seen of late, and the technology is undoubtedly very cool.

Agreed. I did (and still do) think it's a great looking watch, but as Roff correctly said, both the price and size will make it an absolute no-go for me.

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Driver8

Site Moderator