The Breitling Watch Source Forums

Hi everyone, it has been like a few years since I got my last Breitling (Superocean) and now I am feeling the itch again LOL.

I am thinking about getting a chronograph and am currently eyeing the chonomat 44 (SS bracelet with blue dial) or the navitimer 01 (SS bracelet with Black dial) . I like the dark face with the contrasting white smaller subdials. Both are about the same list price so TBH, it might be a little time before I pull the trigger, unless my wife wants to surprise me (yeah right).

Anyways, my question is which of the 2 would you guys consider the more all around town, everyday kinda watch. I will NOT be getting both, so thank you very much for that option...

I'd like a watch I can wear to sleep, shower, beach, pool, (No deep diving though), work, movies, cooking, etc..
HELP! So hard to decide and at that price point, I want to be as educated as possible before my purchase. I have tried them on in the store and they both look good.

Also, do you guys find that unscrewing and screwing the buttons to use the chronograph functions on the 44 to be annoying?

TIA!!!

If you want to swim with it than that's an easy one. The Chronomat. The Navitimer can't be submersed and is partly the reason I got rid of my world. I also think the chronomat is a more rugged everyday watch, and would compliment any attire.

Wow thanks for your quick reply. yes I do want to swim and am surprised by that. I did read/heard that the navi world isn't water resistant at all, but I thought the navi 01 is 3 bars water resistant? What does 3 bars water resistant mean?!?!

http://www.breitlingsource.com/articles ... ance.shtml


This kind of sums it up, the ratings have a lot of things that can effect them, i.e. running water, rapid movements, ect. You can search the forum as well and find a lot of info on this topic. I think the Chronomat is a great range, and the 44mm is the perfect size. Well for me anyways. Hope this helped!

Water resistance ratings are based on static water pressure, as soon as you bring motion into the equation - swimming, under running water like a shower, etc then you can easily exceed 3 atmospheres (the equivalent of 30m static water pressure). As noted, Navitimer is definitely not an option if you want something to swim in.

I went thru a similar dilemma. Years ago, I actually liked the look of the Navi more than the Chronomat, so I bought the Navi. I learned soon that 30m water resistance was not enough for me if I wanted to swim with it on vacations. Ended up buying a Crossind Special (100m rated) cause I like the tricompax layout of the subdials more than the Chronomat Evo, and I don't like the Chronomat 44 bezel look. Take it with me on all my vacations and swim with it. Oh, and I don't have to unscrew my pushers when using the chronograph.

In your case, I think the Nav 01 looks way better than the Chronomat 44, but you can't get it cause it has such a low water resistance rating. I'd personally consider the Blackbird with the large double date.

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

Thanks guys! Well the navi is definitely out for me then. Im gonna have to check the BB vs the 44 next time I am at an AD. dlNYC, ur making me drool with those pics! I have to admit that I prefer slightly the older bezel over the new. I swear, each day is like a different feeling lol

While the navi can't get wet, it is a great watch for casual everyday wear. Of you have a super ocean the next watch might not need as much WR.

I'd personally go for the Navi 01, and then swim with your superocean that you already have
Navi is a stunning watch, and a timeless classic. Also a lot more subtle on a strap than the bling of the Chronomat.

As noted if swimming in it is an absolute must (although I'm not sure why it needs to be), then the Navi is instantly out of the running. Alternatively, just consider taking it off before swimming and it's instantly back IN the running! IME Navis are absolutely fine as everyday watches provided you don't swim in it.

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Driver8

Site Moderator

http://www.breitling.com/en/models/prof ... automatic/

Breitling Chronospace Auto.

Navi Style, Slide rule, 200M Wr

Winner!!!!!

It's easy to just take off the watch if you have a pool at your house, but I was worried about public pools at resorts or beaches.. I couldn't feel comfortable to take my watch off and hide it in my shoe or something. That being said as noted you could just wear the super ocean on the days you were planning on going for a swim. Supra had a great alternative, the Chronospace Auto is a very cool watch. I would love to get another Navi at some point, just not sure when that would be.

You won't go wrong with either 2, one is a all time classic and the other is a legend which will likely also eventually become a classic many years down the road. Navi 01 looks more iconic and different while Chronomat 44 looks a little generic from far, like any chronograph watch that you see everywhere, but walk a little closer and it's very recognizable as a Ling and Chronomat 44 with the iconic bezel and the centre square. You don't see the centre square all the time except in a bright condition, depending which variation you have too. But still, you don't have to walk close to recognise it's identity.

If I have to choose one I will personally go for Chronomat 44. But I would prefer a brushed polish as that would make it's wrist presence just right. That would mean LE or the Flying Fish for me. Sure, Navi has plenty of history to it and a model you must know first before you can say that you know the brand, "Breitling". But there are plenty of pieces out there with rich histories, look good, but have the WR that you desire. Sub is one good example although I am not the greatest fan of it actually. Therefore you might wanna consider those too. Despite agreeing that Navi is good looking, the slide rule function is rather abundant IMO that doesn't really come in handy for your everyday life, therefore it becomes purely decorative and just acts as a form of displaying it's heritage and looks busy for the sake of it. Ya nothing wrong with that, but personally I prefer every detail in the watch to be useful and practical. Maybe I knew Breitling only in the recent years so I lack the passion that many old timers have in it's heritage. IMO Chronomat 44 is worthy of an "if you could only have one watch". As what you mentioned, you want to do almost everything with it. It is versatile and can match any outfit. I am personally impressed by it's extremely high legibility, the primary feature that a sports watch should have. Every function on the watch has been useful to me. If I have to point out the most useful feature, I would have to say it's the bucks roger bezel that many hate. A lot of times I need to time events where precision is not critical, therefore instead of using the chronograph, I would use the bezel. One good example is whenever I drive to a destination for an appointment and need the time taken for the journey(for future time management purpose), I would use the bezel for this purpose. A lot of times I would peep at my watch in the midst of driving to know how long I have taken, it's dangerous to do that actually so my focus have to return to the road within a sec everytime to minimize any risk of accident. The bezel with the highly legible numerals allow me to retrieve the elapsed time within a split sec everytime. I personally appreciate the lack of rider tabs in between the numerals as that would distract the user from retrieving the information in the shortest possible time. One of the reasons for recommending a brushed finish is because it ages better, a full polished finish might not suit you when you grow older, provided by then you have already passed on the watch to your child.

You can find many watches with rich histories but I don't think you can find many watches like Chronomat 44 that is born in our era that will eventually turn into a classic many years later. To me it's the first "head to toe" Breitling watch, the descendent of the legend that brought the Breitling name back to life in the 1980s. It's like a legend that belongs to our era. There are certainly good reasons for it being Breitling's flagship IMO.

Sorry for the boring post because I forsee 90% of the posts will be blasting the Chronomat and encouraging you to go for Navi 01 or something else. So I thought of posting a different view. As mentioned, IMO you can't go wrong with either one. I am a sucker for in-house movement so I personally suggest that you pick one with in-house, even if you decide to choose something else. Good luck and do post pics of your baby after u get it;)

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Breitling Chronomat 01 Limited Edition
Breitling Navitimer 01 46mm

If water resistance is a must have that eliminates the Navi. But since you already have a super ocean, is water resistance really a must?

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The chronospace does look great but at 46mm it is too big. 44 is just right as the 42 of my super ocean feels just a tad small. The reason WR is important to me is because I might not be keeping the super ocean. A lucky nephew of mine might get it when the time comes hence I wanted a watch that meets all daily activities. Also I just showed the pics above to my wife like a minute ago and she preferred the chronomat look.
Thanks for all the replies!