The Breitling Watch Source Forums

ok guys im sure theres been some of these posts on here before....but heres my questions.

ok honestly i've been getting in arguments with my uncle and cousins about rolex and breitling and just want to get some facts and opinions from you guys!!!! ok now theyre always saying rolex uses better steel 904l vs 316l now what are its benefits besides the price difference? and theres also talk that theyre sapphires are cut at an angle as opposed to straight for breitlings and just makes the sapphire clearer i've never heard that before but what do you guys know? and they say rolex is just a higher quality watch than a breitling...i tell them its just the name but they keep insisting that the steels softer,smoother,and that the movement is better what do you guys believe?

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chronomat evolution-blue dial
superocean heritage 46-black with mesh bracelet

Well, I think they are two completely different brands so that takes care of the competion between them I think! As to the steel quality, I know that the steel in Rolex's is harder but I also believe that it contains a higher nickle content so if you have allergies to various metals it may be that they are compounded by the steel Rolex use.

I love some of the designs of Rolex, the datejust, president and submariner. For me though I do think they are a bit too expensive for what they offer. I know all Swiss watches we pay more for the name and where they are built but I think Rolex for me takes that a bit too far, I just simply do not believe that the basic date movement sub or datejust is worthy of the price now charged!

I am also not liking the way they are going on the overbranding of their watches, the new seadweller to my eyes looks so cheap as it has so much writing describing it's virtues that it takes away from the purposefull looks of it!

As for better quality, I am not sure, it is good quality but no better than Breilings or others like Omega, in fact it could be argued that the quality is less in some respects (is it so difficult to make crown on the crown point the right way for instance!) As for crystals I think you have to go a long way and way more expense to beat a ling crystal! And then we come to bracelets, Breitlings are just so superior in every way shape and form!

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All the best.
Ian

come on guys let me know what yall think so i can shut theyre rolex loving mouths!!!!!

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chronomat evolution-blue dial
superocean heritage 46-black with mesh bracelet

They are both quality watches and I don't think anyone's mouth needs to be shut!

The steel in Rolex is considered to be slightly 'better' - I'm not a metallurgist and others can better explain the benefits, but it is also significantly more expensive and only Rolex of the 'known' brands use it.

I've not heard about the angle cutting of the crystals, Breitling do cut theirs straight, no idea if it makes any practical difference.

Rolex does use in house movements and Breitling doesn't (yet) - that doesn't automatically make them better, but it's generally seen as a good thing.

But, Rolex don't make any watches that appeal to me, so I don't have any - but they are great watches - as are Breitling. For me, Breitling is better, for others Rolex is better - so what?

yeah roff your right!!!!!! breitlings appeal to me alot more and thats why i have two lings instead of two rolex'es!!!! and you know rolex may be the most known...but breitlings are more manly,tougher and flashier looking watches.

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chronomat evolution-blue dial
superocean heritage 46-black with mesh bracelet

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-RJ

Rolex is the most copied watch made, and there's a reason. They are popular, well made and well known. I like Rolex, but don't own one. I'm not sure I will because I've found Breitling are more to my liking, and you don't see them on every other wrist.
As for the steel difference, to the average joe it doesn't amount to much, unless you REALLY are hard on a watch. And if I were that hard on a watch I wouldn't wear a 4 or 5 thousand dollar watch as a beater.
It really boils down to what you like.

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Life is too short to have a crappy watch.



Navitimer o1 LE
SuperOcean Steelfish
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RXW MM25
Seiko Sumo
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Thanks
Terry

That's a question of taste, nothing more. There is no single fact saying, that Rolex are better (the different steel specs are - in real life - just the same). The inhouse movement of Rolex does give them sort of exclusivity compared to the widely used (but enhanced) ETA 7750 in the Breitling. But quality-wise - they're "identical". OK, you could argue, that the Rolex use a parachrome balance spring (not in all models yet) and that this is something good against magnetism. On the other hand, one could argue, that Rolex use a rotor stem that might be more delicate and prone to wear & tear compared to the rotor ball system of the ETA. At the end of the day, both brands offer rugged, daily-use watches.

But in terms of brand message they're completely different. The Rolex brand tells us about success, about the aim to be the best. Their marketing is just so strong that many non-watch-people actually believe, that a Rolex is the best watch in the world. But that's just marketing. The Breitling brand is strongly connected to planes, pilots, flight races and adventure. Somehow - for me - Breitling is more an "outlaw"-brand than Rolex, Rolex is somewhat more bourgeois / white-bread.

For me - Breitlings speak to me / Rolex don't speak to me at all, they're just boring (I had 2 of them). Hey, that's why I am here.

V.

There is also a matter of image with the two brands. Rolex seams to suit those who are a bit older. Lings are a younger mans watch. Though it is cool that Rollie is venturing into slightly larger watches like the Deep Sea

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PANERAI LUMINOR

I'm a long time rolex owner and a pretty recent Breitling owner. Other than the looks and styling, which is a matter of taste, the difference I think mainly is in the functionallity of the watches. Breitlings typically are more of a tool watch and the rolex models are typically more minimalist in this regard. One thing that is often overlooked in rolex'es, especially the sports models, is the functional design. Every little thing is thoroughly thought through and very well executed. Legibility, useability, form follows function etc. On breitlings the focus seems more on the number of features, but this makes the watch functionally more flexible.

When it comes to qualty and durability I haven't owned a Breitling long enough to really comment but my two boys, a CSO and an SA-M1, certainly seem up to the task so far. I have owned a rolex sub for a looong time and an exploer II for some time and my experience with these two is that they will not quit on you unless you take a sledgehammer to them.

For me, one of the main give-aways for overall quality in a watch is after wearing it over time you notice the small things. A good watch will gradually reveal things you hadn't noticed that are good and a not-so-good watch will gradually reveal weaknesses. So far my breitlings have revealed nothing but strengths, just like my rollies.

One area where breitlings beats rolex hands-down is the bracelets. No contest there.

If I had to name one of the two brands as the better one I think I would have to give rolex a slight edge because of their movements.

But when it all comes right down to it we don't buy these watches because we need them, but because we want them. Both these brands give me great joy of ownership and I find that the two styles complement each other very nicely in my humble collection.

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"Either this man is dead or my watch has stopped!"
- Groucho Marx

Here's a link to Groucho's previous thread where this was discussed over a couple of pages worth of posts - viewtopic.php?f=1&t=6780

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Driver8

Site Moderator

Well said Roff, these are my sentiments exactly.

Peter

Apparently you are. You should really pick a side and stick to it.

It's all a matter taste. I've always been a Breitling fan and never really cared about Rolexes. It's a styling issue for me but you also see rolexes everywhere, it's not uncommon for me to have dinner with 3 other people and 50% of them will have on SS sub.

ok, I own rolex and breitling, 3 rolex, 2 tudor and 1 breitling.
I only own my superocean for 3 month (it's 9 years old) now and I can only say it runs great.
I own my oldest rolex for 21 years and it runs great, never had a service.

Frank