The Breitling Watch Source Forums

...raised chimney in their case design? I was just thinking that none of my other watches have this feature of the chimney...the raised ring between the bezel and crystal. This area, once scratched or dinged, is very hard to polish yourself. Do any other watch brands utilize this design?...just curious.

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18k Rolex Datejust / Breitling Crosswind Special / Patek SS Nautilus / Bvlgari Diagono Chrono / Bvlgari Scuba / Omega Speedmaster Professional / 60s Omega Constellation

I'm not sure about other brands, but Breitling took out the chimney on the new Aerospace EVO. I personally likes the shiny part against the grey titanium but that's just me.


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I think the chimney was introduced as part of the 81950 Chronomat. I could be wrong.

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This is a Rochefoucauld, the thinnest water-resistant watch in the world. Singularly unique, sculptured in design,hand-crafted in Switzerland.
In Philadelphia it's worth Fifty bucks.

So I guess it's unique to Breitling. I kinda wish they didnt have it, as this slightly raised part scratches and dings up rather easily, but is hard to clear up when damaged.

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18k Rolex Datejust / Breitling Crosswind Special / Patek SS Nautilus / Bvlgari Diagono Chrono / Bvlgari Scuba / Omega Speedmaster Professional / 60s Omega Constellation

I posted this in another topic on the new Aerospace EVO, which has no chimney...I hate the chimney. It is on every titanium watch that Breitling has ever made, scratches and dents easily and as diNYC wrote, it is very difficult to fix. Take a look at the CA or Emergency models listed for sale in the classifieds or on Ebay; they mostly all have banged up chimneys. My CA Sixty-Nine has a stainless case identical to the titanium CA and no matter how careful I am with the watch, there are still marks in the chimney. I recognize that it is there to protect the crystal and it may make sense on a SO for example, but if you hit something hard enough to damage the crystal on a watch w/o a chimney, that same impact will positively wreck the chimney...the funniest thing is when you look at a Breitling for sale that is described as mint or immaculate and the chimney is invariably beat to hell...

Agreed. In many cases, if there's damage on the chimney, you have to have Breitling replace the middle case too, as the chimney is part if the case. I'd rather have a damaged crystal and have them replace that instead of the middle case. However, Breitling continues to utilize the chimney on several other watches like the SA II and Chronomat line.

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18k Rolex Datejust / Breitling Crosswind Special / Patek SS Nautilus / Bvlgari Diagono Chrono / Bvlgari Scuba / Omega Speedmaster Professional / 60s Omega Constellation

For me, the polished chimney with the brushed bezel and rider tabs are what gives Breitling the look that attracted me in the first place. (well, except for Navis which stand on their own). I hope they never change that more than they already have. Ever own a watch with a fixed polished bezel like, oh, a Panerai? Talk about scratches and dings.

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SHARKMAN

Ever own a watch with a fixed polished bezel like, oh, a Panerai? Talk about scratches and dings.[/quote]

My Tag has a fixed bezel and that thing scratches if you breath on it wrong!!

I've owned a SS Rolex Daytona with the fixed polished bezel, and never had a problem cause it sits lower than the crystal. The chimney, however, sits over it.

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18k Rolex Datejust / Breitling Crosswind Special / Patek SS Nautilus / Bvlgari Diagono Chrono / Bvlgari Scuba / Omega Speedmaster Professional / 60s Omega Constellation

You guys would hate my watch. My daily sees all kinds of stuff and gets dings all the time, eventually they all even out but it makes it my watch. I fix equipment with it and wear it out. Sometimes I take it in the shower and clean it, sometimes I don't. But it's my daily, has been for the last 7 years. gets serviced and never a mention from BUSA of changing the crystal or fixing this or that, or polishing....

It runs like a clock even after a round of golf, I love my watch and all its dings. Its a tool and it does its job admirably

to be fair, I have other watches that I wouldn't wear to work. I enjoy them too, but my daily is special in its own way.

I guess it depends exactly on your definition of a Chimney. Heres one that sort of meets your criteria, but it might be a bit too left field to be taken seriously and is nothing like a Breitling. There is no bezel on the outside of the chimney (if it can be defined as that of course), but its certainly rasised up, with the glass recessed half the height of the chimney thingy.

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Jim

"You have Control".

I guess that is sorta like a chimney design. Thanks for finding one.

As for enjoying the dings and scratches on that part...to each his own. I personally don't enjoy looking at them, and always try to polish them out. Still love the watch...guess nothing's perfect.

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18k Rolex Datejust / Breitling Crosswind Special / Patek SS Nautilus / Bvlgari Diagono Chrono / Bvlgari Scuba / Omega Speedmaster Professional / 60s Omega Constellation

Yeah, I was drawing a long bow there.

I have not dinged this one yet though. The PV finish I am not a great lover of, I think this will be harder to mask damage than stainless. It will ding if impacted, dispite any assurances that its harder to do. As for scratches, oh boy, I think they will be worse and stainless.

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Jim

"You have Control".

Lots of watches use that design cue but I believe it was made popular by the original chronomat. Personally its a pretty useful piece for several reasons not including toughness and I wish more sport Rolex's had them. on another note, who cares about scratches, it isn't a ferrari. It's more like a range rover, something meant to be used and even then have you seen tracked ferraris? they dont look great but man they are fun.

Scratches I don't really care about cause I usually can buff them out...it's that the location of the chimney makes it real tough to do that. Dings are even more of a problem. I realize that it's just a watch and not any exotic car (I don't own an exotic, but do have a Sports car for weekend fun, and I don't care that it gets a little scratch here and there...even a ding), but I don't like scratches and dings on my watches thank you. Just a preference.

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18k Rolex Datejust / Breitling Crosswind Special / Patek SS Nautilus / Bvlgari Diagono Chrono / Bvlgari Scuba / Omega Speedmaster Professional / 60s Omega Constellation