The Breitling Watch Source Forums

SOLID GOLD +/- 5%

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Rolex DeepSea, GMT Master II TT, Pres 18038, DJ TT 16013
Breitling Chronomat 39mm (bullet+UTC), Starliner SS/MOP (wife)

back with ROLEX

Logic would tell me that solid gold would be a poor choice for anything that required threading. While certainly possible, it would be silly.

On a side not, I dont think steel cored pushers/crown have anything to do with cost. I think we're only talking a couple of extra grams here--relatively nothing on an five figure watch.

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-RJ

Sigh....

Like i said in previous thread, its not rolled gold on links, its capped. There IS a difference.

The rider tabs, the push pieces and the crown are all solid 18k. The tube is steel, the stem is steel, the gasket is rubber , and the sleeve is steel, BUT the actual crown is solid 18k.

There is however a BUT....

The above statement is only true for post year 2000( or 99, id have to double check) models.

End of story.

If you feel a bit "short changed" over the rolled gold on the two tone bracelet its worth knowing that the inside of the solid gold bracelets are actually a different profile/shape to the more standard pilot bracelets:

http://www.luxuhria.de/luxuhria/260309_ ... 57h_05.jpg

There's less gold going into these than you may think. Check out the cut out profile of the links compared to a steel or 2 tone pilot. They probably do this to reduce its weight to a useable size but I think its more to do with cost cutting and the assumption that the pilot shapes are consistent throughout the range.

http://www.luxuhria.de/luxuhria/070409_ ... 72a_04.jpg

inside a steel one.

ok. Every brand that I've seen and sold and that makes a solid gold watch uses solid gold threaded screws, including Breitling.

ok, so you have taken a crown or pusher off and examined it then? just to make sure about the information you are giving us! (Breitling though, not other makes as that has nothing to do with the thread)

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All the best.
Ian

RJ was making a general statement that it wouldnt make sense to thread anything gold. He never specified Breitling.

No, but I did verify with service dept as well as a rep and pulled out a crown on a steel/18kr Chronomat to the furthest position to examine it.

Sorry, not End of story. The push pieces on my 2004 two tone Crosswind had to be replaced with new because they are 316L with 18K rolled gold surface. Constant usage had slightly worn through the gold and the steel was beginnng to show. Further, when talking about the 18K link segments in a two tone Breitling bracelet, the 18K gold surface is indeed rolled. A sheet of solid gold is laminated to the steel by a process utilizing heat and pressure to fuze the two metals together. Capped gold is formed by a catalytic chemical process and is often used in inexpensive jewelry pieces. It is sometimes called "gold tone" when referring to the piece. Hope this helps because I too posted in that other thread and this is now my last word on the matter as well...
Best,
Ron

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"The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With The Sea"...

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I was referring to pieces that encounter regular use, like threading in the crown.

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-RJ

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Oh dear! If that is true, I definitely won't buy a solid gold watch as it'll fall apart before my eyes. I think you are confusing solid gold for heavy plating - they look exactly the same.

+1

And if anyone is unaware, on another well known watch forum, Ron wrote what is widely considered as the definitive guide to Breitling's TT gold process.

The man flat out knows his stuff.

BUT lets not forget that Crosswind was made starting in 1997, 2-3 years prior to change.

+2

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All the best.
Ian

So, in reference to your Crosswind...

If I go and price a crown, just the crown, for your ss/18ky Crosswind; it is about 1/8 of a price of a crown for a ss/18ky Chrono Cockpit (the one that was launched in '05, not the earlier version). I am comparing the Chrono Cockpit to it because it is relatively the same size and comparing the Chronomat would be "unfair". What does that tell you? Well, I don't know about you, but it tells me that the crown on the Cockpit is solid gold.

I will stand by my word until I am told otherwise, officially.