The Breitling Watch Source Forums

A dear uncle of mine passed away a couple of months go and was generous enough to leave me a small consideration in his will.

Clearly I could spend some of it on wine and women, but there's a risk that the rest of it might be wasted.

It got me thinking. As he was a Vulcan pilot (don't panic, he was a Vulcan pilot, he wasn't Vulcan pilot), might it be nice to put the money towards a Vulcan badged Aerospace if I could track one down?

Thing is that the Aerospace is quartz, and I'm thinking that might not be the smartest move for something I'd plan on handing down to my son at some point.

I'm happy wearing my quartz avenger - not having to reset it when I grab it to wear it is just great - but I've not really considered that to be something I'll keep to hand down so haven't considered long term support.

So what say you? Would an aerospace be a daft piece to buy for the long term, or is the movement just so common (popular) that in truth it'll be supportable for a very long time?

A very nice idea to keep the Vulcan connection, but personally I'd steer clear of quartz watches for heirloom pieces. There are quartz watches from the 80's and 90's that are effectively unserviceable already due to the fact that tech has moved on and no-one is producing the parts anymore. Mechanical is always the way to go for longevity as if the worst came to the worst, a guy with a lathe can always fabricate most parts for mechanical watches.

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Driver8

Site Moderator

Breitling is committed to supporting modern quartz for 20 years beyond the point where they stop using them, but after that you are on your own. Maybe worth checking with Andrew Michaels to see if they ever commissioned a mechanical Vulcan LE.

As far as I know, there was an aerospace Vulcan and a B1 50th anniversary version, but I'll ask AM just in case.

It's a great watch, if you can source one and in your case it would make a great heirloom piece. That said, you are looking at a 20 year upwards lifespan. If the connection is critical then go for it. It is often possible to find donor watches if the worst happens beyond its repairable life. Maybe your successors would still treasure a non-working heirloom. If it were me, I think I'd buy a mechanical piece to pass down. If there is a mechanical Vulcan then that's the way to go. Good luck!!

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Breitling B-1 1999
Breitling Chrono Superocean 2004
Casio G Shock
Citizen Eco Drive AT4000-02E (for gardening)
Seiko 5 SNZG15J1
Hamilton X Wind LE