The Breitling Watch Source Forums

The guy in the video does not sound like he knows too much but I really like the watch. Does anyone out there have one or tried one on? If so Id like to hear your opinions.






http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TO5Ib5IXiDs

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Avenger Skyland
Panerai 000

You're right, the guy in the video didn't overly convince me with his watch knowledge!

I've seen these before (but never in a video) and I like the steel version a lot, although I'd have liked a black date wheel. Would make a very good beater.

The PVD version looks cool (apart from the white date font standing out way too much against the rest of the blackness), but it's PVD so that means scratches, so it would be a no-no for me.

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Driver8

Site Moderator

PVD won't wear very well and like any coating it can't be easily repaired.

I just bought the steel version about 3 months ago while my BlackBird was being repaired. Here are my thoughts...

- It's a solid watch. Great for what I bought it for - to jump in the ocean, play on the beach, and you can beat the hell out of it and knock it around and it won't miss a beat.
- While very large and heavy, it is very comfortable to wear - especially with the rubber strap - in fact, I really like the rubber strap a lot
- Bezel is easy to grip with its deep grooves and it moves smoothly

What I don't like
- It's not nearly as illuminous as they market it to be. It is super dim and difficult to read at night despite the very large numbers and dial. I would never use it for snorkeling or scuba diving in water that is not crystal clear
- The seconds hand has a dark red tip and is a darker steel - you have to double glance sometimes to figure out where it is
- The marks on the bezel are only illuminated between 12 and 3 o'clock - not sure what the rationale was to not illuminate all marks
- While it's easy to change the strap, the metal bracelet that accompanies the watch scratches extremely easily. Just wearing it to the office the first week and the bottom of the strap has noticeable scuffs and scratches from very light usage - scratches showed up almost immediately and it was very annoying. I won't even swap out the bracelet again because it's that bad
- The case is really nice and solid, but the face "looks" a bit cheap. Not sure if it's the material it's made out of or the paint they chose to use, but it just looks kinda cheap

Bottom line - if you can get it at a serious discount, it's a great beater, holds up really well in the water and rough activity, but if you're looking for a serious dive watch, this isn't it. IMO, Hamilton is charging a lot of money for a watch which they chose to cut all the wrong corners. I don't really regret my purchase (I paid $1,100 US), but I would probably appreciate it a lot more if I only paid about $600 for it.

Nice little mini-review there. Always good to hear first hand experiences.

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Driver8

Site Moderator

I have one (non pvd) and like the previous replies..its very nice for the price. I paid 1100 Cdn. and I think very well worth it!

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Breitling Super Avenger
Breitling Steelfish