Well, I've had my Starliner for a few weeks now and I thought I might jot down a few thoughts in case anyone was considering one before they disappear from ADs completely, perhaps with Christmas in mind?
I can wholeheartedly recommend this watch, but here are some more detailed thoughts...
Please excuse the quality of the photographs, I'm using my iPhone in artificial light, and due to the shine of the bracelet, trying to take a photo without getting yourself reflected in the image is bloody difficult!
Movement/PrecisionThe movement in the Starliner is the B71 SuperQuartz, which is also in the replacement for the Starliner, the Galactic 30. I can see why; in terms of precision it's pretty good. Tested against a digital atomic clock (god bless the iPhone) over 72 hours, my Starliner lost less than 0.5 of a second.
Case & BraceletThe watch is waterproof to 100m, and has a pushdown, not screwdown crown (which is not what I was told when I bought it, and spend five minutes fruitlessly turning the crown in the safe position and wondering if it was unscrewed yet). I have to admit I have not personally tested the waterproofing of the watch because I am cowardly, and the model is now discontinued, but I have no reason to believe that it doesn't do what it says on the tin.
The case is flat and not curved, but as this watch is only 30mm, that isn't going to pose a problem for anyone; my wrist is absolutely tiny (5.5") and I find it sits extremely comfortably to the point where I often forget I'm wearing it. It's about 84g with the integrated pilot bracelet , which I think is just right; it has enough heft that it feels substantial and of good quality, but it does not weigh heavily on even the daintiest of wrists.
Every model I've seen has had the highly polished, integrated Pilot bracelet, so I don't think they were offered on anything else. I've had the watch for about three weeks now during which time I've worn it most days, and while there are plenty of obvious smudgy fingerprints and a few teeny scratches, there's nothing serious and it doesn't detract from the look of the bracelet. It's a very comfortable bracelet with several adjustment options for the smaller-wristed, which is very beneficial for a ladies' watch, and the closure feels high-quality and very secure.
DialI have the blue mother-of-pearl version, which has batons rather than arabics or roman numerals (as the Galactic 30 does), and a double baton at the top. There are three bands of guilloche markings at the left, right, and center, with plain bands between them, which adds a nice level of detail to the face without looking busy.
The silver wings Breitling logo is underneath the 12 o'clock position, the date window is in place of the 3 o'clock baton, and COSC info is just above the 6 o'clock baton, along with the waterproofing information (100m).
Outside the batons, each hour-marker has a lumed dot, and outside of that again, there's an additional ring with 24 hour markings on it, although the watch doesn't have a 24-hour clock, it is a nice little feature. The hour and minute hands are slender, pointed, and lumed, and the seconds hand has the traditional Breitling B at the end.
The Starliner has a domed sapphire crystal, and while I find in photographs there is often glare/reflection, I've never had a problem reading the face in person. If you angle it enough, you can create a little distortion, but it won't stop you from reading the time and if anything, it just magnifies the little 24-hour markers.
BezelThe Starliner has the older, more classically stled bezel which is uni-directional (so far as I can tell) and turns counter-clockwise. There's a lumed dot at the 12 o'clock/0° spot, a rider tab at 15, 30 and 45 min markers, with Arabic numerals at all five-minute markers bar 12 o'clock, and an individual minute mark. On the outside of the bezel, it has little screw-head markings, each at a different angle of rotation, which is a lovely feature. The little Breitling B is between the 12 and 11 o'clock positions.
My only complaint is that the bezel is the unidirectional nature means that if you want to turn it for any reason (such as, for example, because a hair from your sweater is caught underneath it), you have to do a full 360° rotation to get it back to where it should be, and if you miss the right spot (which is quite easy to do), you have to go around all over again. I also find mine to be a teeny tiny bit stiff, but perhaps that's from infrequent use and it will loosen up a little with time. The noise when rotating is hugely dependent on where you're applying pressure and can vary from a satisfying click to a weird sort of tinny sound.
Overall ImpressionI love this watch to bits. It's my first Breitling, but the quality and styling ensure that it certainly won't be my last. The attention to detail is superb, and it's both feminine and sporty. It's my daily go-to watch right now, but I would feel equally comfortable wearing it to most evening occasions just as well.
My only complaint is that the highly polished surface means that it needs to be cleaned/rubbed daily to keep it from picking up fingerprint marks, but you're going to get that with any polished steel bracelet, and that's what gives it its distinctive character.
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honest but detailed.
and good luck in your hunt for your next one! 