The Breitling Watch Source Forums

I really like the Mosquito, I think the color scheme plays well with the brown strap. A ceramic bezel would’ve been preferred but the DLC doesn’t look too shabbby.

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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

Nice and classic looking avengers. However I thought it would have been a better idea to create an in house movement with 12,9,6 sub-dial layout and launch it on the avengers series, as a form of achievement and symbol on the model rather than just launching new versions(moreover so many IMO), for the sake of it. I understand that creating new movement involves hefty costs. However I thought it's necessary in this case and they shouldn't have rushed into launching the model just like that. Avenger series are quite popular to my understanding so I wouldn't make this series a budget model if I had the choice.

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Breitling Chronomat 01 Limited Edition
Breitling Navitimer 01 46mm

No probs Fred - I'll sort it out tonight when I get home.


I remembered it being discussed on here a few years ago how the B01 was allegedly capable of being configured as a 6,9,12 movement, but as we've seen nothing to indicate this is the case I'm starting to wonder if it was a somewhat apocryphal urban myth. Personally I'd love to see that happen as it'd give a different look to the B01 (plus avoiding the 4:30 date), which would open up a whole new range of possibilities.

Looking at the pictures of the new models on social media and on the Breitling website, I have to say I really like the blue dial 43mm Avenger chrono, but the B13 movement makes it a non-starter for me as I just don't buy ETA/Sellita-based "'expensive" watches these days. If it had an in-house movement I'd be all over it as I've always had a soft spot for the Avenger line and I've owned a number of them in the past. I can only hope we'll see an in-house version sometime soon....

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Driver8

Site Moderator

+1 on the Mosquito, exactly what Breitling should be doing. (Kudos Fred.)

Here you go Fred.





It's a really handsome piece, and I can actually deal with the DLC bezel (given that it apes the Co-Pilot's vintage anodised bezel)....., but I just can't get by the 4:30 date. (My dislike for that has grown exponentially over the years it seems! ) If it was a no date version, I'd be sorely tempted.

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Driver8

Site Moderator

Must say that, wearing watches in rotation and therefore constantly having to set them, I've come to prefer no-date versions of everything.

Yes, I know what you mean. I love the fact that Breitling have made a couple of no-date models recently (Fred's 806 Reissue, and, slightly bizarrely considering it was a twin register version, one of the Premiers), but I'd be happy to see a lot more models without it. For me the date is nothing more than a "nice to have", but certainly not at the expense of the dial aesthetics.

I know the vast majority of people don't care about the 4:30 date, but for me it always just looks like an after-thought, and especially so if the numbers on the date wheel aren't orientated correctly. To me, orientating the numbers so they're up-right is such a tiny thing to do - in fact, Breitling did it a few times back in the 70's, such as on the vintage Transocean - but on the modern ones we always get the slanted, after-thought-looking date wheel.

I've said it before, but why not hide the date window away in the 6 subdial (like Omega), or just do away with the date altogether. After all, not having a date never hurt sales of Tudor's Black Bay for example.

Don't get me wrong, I genuinely love what Breitling are doing at the moment and there's a huge amount that's going right IMO, but these days I only personally buy watches that I consider to be perfect (to my mind at least) - be that the size, the movement, the details, or whatever. So many pieces are so close, but not quite.....

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Driver8

Site Moderator

^^^^ I can take a 4:30 date all day long, compared to the dreaded cyclops!

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Cheers,
Jim

Personally I LOVE a Cyclops! (But only on Rolex)

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Driver8

Site Moderator

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Cheers,
Jim

I understand that Driver. You're right that a WIS has to love everything about a watch. If one wills oneself to overlook something that grates (e.g. the date position) because one likes everything else (dial colour, batons, proportions, etc), it's the former one ends up staring up to the exclusion of the latter!

You're absolutely right there Tom. I've learnt (from years of buying and flipping!) to be 100% certain about any watch I buy nowadays. I does mean I miss out on a few that I quite like, but it also means I'm VERY happy with the ones I have.


Anyway, just for a bit of fun I've very quickly mocked up some alternative date positions on this new Mosquito. In fact, looking at those mock-ups I think it's not actually the 4:30 position itself that bothers me - it's just the lack of orientation of the font. (Put a word in with Georges for me please Fred! )



(Click on the picture to make it bigger)

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Driver8

Site Moderator

I like the original, but all of the alternatives to the original looks better. Breitling should fix the date in future models.

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Breitling Transocean Day Date, Breitling Transocean Chronograph, Breitling Colt Chronograph II, Breitling Chronomat B01 Chronograph 44, Breitling Navitimer Cosmonaute

Which one was that? I can’t seem to find it in the catalogue on the website.

Anyone read anything on the new leather straps like the one shown here?

https://www.breitling.com/us-en/watches ... 85101C1X1/

I know Kern mentioned a new line of NATOs made from the ECONYL material but I only saw the one on the Kelly Slater Superocean.

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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