The Breitling Watch Source Forums

Any insight would be helpful on this. looking for a black sa with index markers but not sure if their is any advantage to buying the watch with the diamond bezel from AD. Or purchase and install a custom one or even buy a genuine bezel on eBay later. would the ser.# reflect that the watch was built with or with out a diamond bezel? Is the resale of watch worth more if ordered with diamond bezel at ADthan installed later. Not that I would ever sell it! I love the ICE but not sure which way to go ?
Thanks for the help
Cory

The factory diamond bezel is very expensive, but that reflects the quality of the diamonds, and you get the official paperwork from Breitling to reflect that it's official. That definitely helps resale. The aftermarket bezels are popular because they are cheaper, but with diamonds you get what you pay for (there are differenct quality aftermarket bezels) - I doubt that you'll find an original bezel on eBay. You chould also be aware that Breitling take a dim view of aftermarket bezels so be prepared to swap it back for the original whenever the watch goes for servicing.

I'm not a diamond guy, and there are plenty of people here who go the aftermarket route, but I would never do it. I'll freely admit I'm a snob but I wouldn't wear a silk shirt with a polyester tie!

Nicely put!

(And I heartily agree, incidentally)

_________________
Driver8

Site Moderator

I will be getting a aftermarket diamond bezel. There are definitly quality bezels to be found.

I dont have a problem with 'aftermarket'. I just dont see spending 5000.00 euros on a factory bezel. If they were a bit cheaper then maybee I would go factory. but since there not I dont have much choice. I definitly love the look on the chronomat evo. My watch is just perfect for this addition; white dial on brown croc.

Success with you chosing,
pete

Watch snobbery aside, there are some nice bezels to be had in the aftermarket. Keep in mind, you don't have to buy their entry level models.

_________________

I agree with you.
Going for the cheapest is not always the best way to go... you pay for what you get!!!
pete

Sorry but for me ..............no diamonds ever on my SA. Sorry.

_________________
YOU CAN'T HAVE A GREAT TIME WITHOUT A GREAT WATCH.........MAKE IT A BREITLING

Thanks for all the tips. Does anyone have any recomendations for a after market quality bezel?

Check your pm,
pete

i have a factory breitling bezel on my white sa. fantastic quality and looks GREAT. BUT you pay about 5-7 k for these things over a regular watch, and you cant get close to recovering that when its time to sell, because of how cheap the aftermarket is. i couldnt get 5k for my watch in mint shape with a factory bezel, i tried. without the bezel its worth 3 all day.

the best deal i guess is to buy the watch with the factory bezel pre-owned, that seems to be the best deal, 5k for a watch that cost 13k originally

The problem is that most people prefer not to have the diamond bezel, so you limit the buyer pool when offering one for sale. Add to that the fact that aftermarket bezels are so readily available with larger single row diamonds and you see why it's hard to get what you want. If you change your mind, my offer stands

_________________

Ordered a bezel from LIORI DIAMONDS in NY. They are going to mill out a genuine Breitling SA bezel while keeping the mid markers and then install 40 VS1, E certified diamonds. Decided to go this way instead of the true oem bezel. I think the single row of larger stones looks cleaner. Will update when in.
Cory

Indeed man,the factory bezel is far too much.

I bought my single row bezel off an ebay guy,my jeweller and my AD were both very impressed with it and what i paid for it...looks great in person...

Its just a super avenger anyway,3k watch,why spend so much for diamonds on a watch like that,silly.

_________________
Who doesn't love BS??

Cory,
I will be very curious to see how yours looks.
Mine has been orded as well. It should be a week or two before it comes.... Im really excited and looking forward to seeing it on my white dial evolution. It will also be VS! E/F
pete

Hi there, I am a total newbie when it comes to Breitlings, but let me chime in regarding this post on diamonds.

For channel set diamonds, be they 5 to 15 points, you are not going to see any difference when it comes to the clarity, and little when it comes to color. E color is overkill, and VS1 is a waste of money -- those are more than sufficient for even engagement diamonds. Color G, H, maybe even down to I, is just fine. SIs are OK.

What you really do need to pay attention to, though, is the cut. This is by far the most important C, especially when it comes to small diamonds -- generally, the smaller the diamond, the less of time is spent on getting the cut right. It is a pity. The problem of course is that people can understand the scalar values of clarity, color, and size fine, but understanding the cut is very difficult. Unfortunately, when they are channel set, at most you can look at the diamond roundness, judge the table size, see how the facets come together, etc.; you wont know what’s hiding underneath.

Finally, as far as certification goes, I wish that they would do this so that a buyer can really see the dimensions. Although the vendor may be a great supplier, I doubt that someone will go to the expense of getting channel-set 5- to 10-points certified.