The Breitling Watch Source Forums

Hi everyone,
I recently fell deeply in love with Breitling after seeing my cousin wear one. I read up about its history and was really impressed. I went through the entire catalog and came away spoiled for choice!
First, I fell in love with the raw bulk and look of the Superocean Chronograph M2000, but got turned off with the quartz movement.
Then I liked the Avenger II, superb looking and mechanical, what more do you want right?
THEN, I saw the mega-factories Breitling documentary and they showed the making of and history behind the Chronomat, AND THAT WAS IT.
Right from the jewels to the 'B' emblem balancing the second hand, this watch had the looks, B01 movement AND history, heritage and the very soul and spirit of the company and it's legacy.

So now I'm having a slight issue deciding between the Chronomat and the Chronomat Airborne.
As far as I can tell, the Airborne doesn't have that inner square on the face, and there is a slight difference in the steel finish.
Could someone please elaborate on the key differences between the Chronomat and the Chronomat Airborne?

And, whats that inner square on the face of the standard Chronomat for? Purely aesthetics or is there some significance?
Once this is clear I'll have a definite model in mind, I'm keeping this watch as a target for some monetary goals, I need the motivation and something extremely cool to look forward to.

This is a great forum, thanks in advance, CHEERS!

Welcome to the forum! The Chronomat is a great iconic Breitling, awesome choice.

The square on the face is purely aesthetics, some like it, others not so much. You do get a larger variety of dial choices with the regular Chronomat so if one really calls to you then...

The Airborne has the vintage color lume and rubber insert bezel with minute markers. I personally like this bezel over the reg. Chronomat. The case I believe is the same. Great variety of straps to choose from for both.

Good luck with your decision!

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Chrono Jetstream
Montbrilliant 1903
Aerospace E79362

When I first saw the photo of the "New" Chronomat I told myself I would never own one. Then I was handed one, this has a brushed bezel, and that was all she wrote. Time went by and I saw the photo of the Airborne and thought I would sell, add money and get it. Went to my AD, held them side by side, left with my original choice. It all comes down to what you like and what you feel fits your style. The internals are the same so you have to decide what look you want and how it fits into your daily life. I have other choices to wear so this has its place for me, but that is just my opinion.
Good luck and let is know what you decide, Frank.

I have a Chronomat 44 GMT and a Chronomat 44 Airborne, and love them both. You are not going to go wrong either way -- it ultimately comes down to your own subjective tastes and what feels comfortable for you. Obviously, the major differences are: different bezel, different lume, and different dial.

A few words about "the square"...

I was fairly vocal in the past about my dislike for the square as a design element on the Chronomat dial. One of the things I have learned since that time is that you always need to take the renderings on the Breitling website with a grain of salt. Those renderings tend to give a fairly prominent place to the square, whereas, in real life, I have found the square to have a much more subtle presence. I ultimately took the plunge because of some of the posts I read here expressing the view that the square was often not even noticeable. On the wrist, I find that this observation is generally true. In certain kinds of light, the square becomes more prominent, but, surprisingly, I find that I really like it. The presence of the square helps to give the dial a kind of dynamic feel, which, for me, makes it interesting. Even when the square is not really visible, the beveled hour markers imply its presence, which is also kind of neat. The square shape is also echoed on the subdial hands. When all is said and done, I'm actually a real fan of the dial -- it's one of the things that makes the Chronomat different, and I like that. It has a dynamic quality that gives it some real dimension.

Best of luck with your decision!

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Cheers,
Jim

Get a black dial if you aren't keen on the square. It's a lot less noticeable than other dial colours

Could not agree more with what has already been said here.
I hardly notice the square and even when I do it does not bother me at all.



Definitely spoiled for choice of straps.

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"It is just a matter of time!"

My 2 cents:

Where history is concerned, the regular Chronomat 44 seems to be a better choice in the long term since it's the first head to toe Breitling and will be a "classic" eventually. When come to design it's all about personal choices. The airborne is indeed less polarizing. The regular Chronomat design takes time to digest for some, and for some others, they will never ever accept it, no matter how long it takes.

I love sports watches with busy dials because I want to see how the designer squeezes in all the information on a small circle and arranges them in a way that the information remains highly legible for the user and how they go into the finest detail to maximize functionality while not forgetting the aesthetics. So far, other than the Chronomat, I have not seen a 2nd watch that goes into such fine details.

The airborne looks more classic but also more generic at the same time. It looks really beautiful. I personally prefer the "white" dial over the black.

The regular Chronomat looks more distinctive with an identity but yet not over the top IMO. It has several more details for you to understand and appreciate, just like an abstract painting. I cannot explain enough how much I love my Chronomat 01 LE day by day. The love just gets deeper. There are so many details that you cannot just notice by taking a glance at it. You have to own it and realize them as time goes by. There are several details that I only took notice after owning it for 1 to 2 years.

The Square:

I believe the designer wants to make the watch versatile and all rounded. While the sleek and flushed case defines its elegance, I believe the designer wants to express the "forceful" side of it through a cross referencing of geometry, as you can see, from the centre dial, to the sub dial hands, to the rider tabs and even the bezel numerals- squares. Aesthetics wise it is interesting to see how a classic and elegant looking watch can transform into a futuristic looking machine as light plays over it. IMO the bezel fonts will look meaningless without the square. More details can be noticed as even the hour markers are cut to give way to that square, and they must be hand applied carefully to ensure the same gap distance to the square. Excellent precision engineering and craftsmanship can be seen with the details. Function wise I am not sure if it's intentional, as the square is adorned with "stripes" that seem to better discourage reflection under the sun IMO.

Overall I personally prefer the regular Chronomat but IMHO opinion go for brushed finish, or at least a brushed bezel.

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Breitling Chronomat 01 Limited Edition
Breitling Navitimer 01 46mm

Thank you for the prompt replies!
To be honest, between posting this topic and now, I've already warmed up to the square, I guess it grows on you.
I have a rather small wrist so will probably go in for the 41, with polished steel, onyx black with white sub-dials and the steel strap.

Is the 44 exclusively a better choice for heritage purpose? Or will the 41 do too?
Also, I couldn't find the option for a brushed steel in the regular Chronomat.
So anyway thanks for the replies, I've pretty much made up my mind now.

Congrats on zeroing in on the right Chronomat for you!

To answer your first question, I believe the original "modern" Chronomat (introduced in 1984) was 40.5mm, so, from a heritage perspective, the 41mm should fit right in!

As to the brushed steel question...

As far as I know, the only versions of the Chronomat to come with a brushed bezel are the Airborne and the 44 GMT (SS versions). It seems to me that there was once a special edition of the Chronomat or Chronomat GMT that also had a brushed bracelet, though I'm not sure that the case itself was brushed. I'd be curious to hear what others may know about brushed options with the Chronomat.

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Cheers,
Jim

No worries about the heritage. It's more important to find a watch suitable for yr wrist than the heritage itself. To answer your question anyway, Chronomat 01, later renamed to Chronomat 44, is the first in-house model. Chronomat 41, which was only launched later, might be the same to some as they all belong to the Chronomat family. To me they are different because besides the size difference you might notice that certain design elements are different as well. The square and the lume are 2 major differences between the 44 and 41. So it depends on how you look at it. I can only say that the 44 is specifically the first in-house model. One point to note though, I personally believe 44 is the most popular size where Breitling is concerned. Neither too big nor too small. However as mentioned, it is more important to get a watch that suits your wrist. Moreover they look almost the same.

Besides the LE and certain special editions like the flying fish, the regular Chronomat is supposed to be full polished. However I have seen many pieces in the boutique and some ADs that come with brushed bezels. So I guess they are just mixing and matching but actually they are supposedly "not official" in the catalogue.

Btw besides the classic black dial with white sub dials, you might wanna consider black eye blue as well.
I find this combo exceptionally attractive, especially on a Chronomat.

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Breitling Chronomat 01 Limited Edition
Breitling Navitimer 01 46mm

I went with the Chronomat 41 Blackeye-blue dial and love it. Regarding heritage - as told earlier - until 2004 there was no Chronomat with 44 mm case, they called their Chronomat on steroids Crosswind back then. Later the smaller, beautiful 39 mm version was not called Chronomat but Chrono Cockpit...
Now the Chronomat 44 mm came in 2009 while the smaller sister in 2011 - I think it depends on personal preference which way to go. For me it was the wrist size and fit, and the better hour markers lume to choose the 41 mm version. Haven't regretted and will never do so. I wouldn't choose contrasting dials though - silver subdials would make me uneasy to get to know the time in a glance. BEB is just fine.
My two cents only of course.
Robert

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Chronomat 41 BEB, Steelfish Chrono BEB, 2x Grand Premier, Chrono Cockpit 39 mm, Aerospace Avantage 79362
IWC 3706, 3705, 376706, 371928
Sinn 103 plexy
For sale: Sinn 356 II, Porsche Design Titan Chrono Valjoux
Wanted: Breitling Blackbird 13353 on bracelet

Buying a watch for anything other than you like it today is, in my opinion, complete stupidity. There is absolutely no evidence that any modern piece will be worth more than any other down the road, nor is there any evidence that any will be worth less.

Specifically for the discussion happening now, Chronomat was introduced in 1942 by Breitling (a different Breitling, I'll get to that) and looked nothing like the reintroduction of the Chronomat in 1984 which in turn looks nothing like the Chronomat 01 introduced in 2009. The "first in-house model" only holds true as far as modern Breitling is concerned and was introduced on a polarizing aesthetic and with a flawed movement design that took several years to resolve. 2009 was chosen as the launch date because of the 125th anniversary of the founding of Breitling but the current Breitling merely bought the rights to the original name in the late 1970s, it is not the same company and cannot claim the heritage.

Does all of that mean the 2009 Chronomat or version of that model today will end up worth more or less than comparable pieces - maybe, maybe not. But I guarantee you any increase will be at least 30 years away, and likely closer to 50 - until then it will just be used watch in the secondary market. If you like the 44, buy it. If you prefer the 41, buy that. Before you buy either try them both on along with a bunch of others and see which 'speaks' to you loudest. It should be an emotional decision, so let your heart decide.

Completely agree but have to add that the historic facts about closing down the business in the seventies and re-opened a few years later by Mr. Schneider - to whom Mr. Breitling sold the "name" - I think does not make the value of the Breitling name smaller on itself. If you look at other brands e. g. Blancpain who makes good deal of advertizing that they've never built a quarz watch - just because the company was not active in those quarz years... So the modern design (by Mr. Scheider) of the Chronomat has nothing to do with the 1942 Chronomat but today's Breitling carries with right the rich heritage of the brand from the very beginning in 1884 - if they were not allowed to do so surely some competing brands would have taken the issue to court. So all in all when I look at my (modern) Breitlings I still think of the history of more than 130 and not only 30 years.
But hey, were are getting far from the OP theme . Best,
Robert

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Chronomat 41 BEB, Steelfish Chrono BEB, 2x Grand Premier, Chrono Cockpit 39 mm, Aerospace Avantage 79362
IWC 3706, 3705, 376706, 371928
Sinn 103 plexy
For sale: Sinn 356 II, Porsche Design Titan Chrono Valjoux
Wanted: Breitling Blackbird 13353 on bracelet

Have to agree with Robert even though the heritage issue is subjective and how you look at it. New factory, new machines, new staff, new management, just buying the name over, doesn't necessarily makes the brand smaller or takes away its heritage. If that's the case then I believe many brands out there would have lost its heritage too. Instead it adds more story to the heritage IMHO. A brand that died off, revived by a pilot, adds new life to the brand(eg, Chronomat, Emergency, etc...) while not forgetting to revive the essence of its history(eg, Navitimer). All these form part of the history book of Breitling. It has progressed and evolved into the Breitling that we know today. Some are happy, some prefers the old Breitling and hope that the modern Breitlings have never ever happened. But if people ask me how old is Breitling, I will still say without a doubt, "Since 1884". Be it a form of marketing tactics, or some form of gimmicks, but we still see its heritage and linkage of the brand to the past. If it had not been so, we would never had been able to see models like Navitimer and Transocean on the catalogue, since 1979.

Buying a watch that suits your wrist and what you like is of utmost importance. However IMHO it should never be the only criteria for choosing what you want to buy. It also depends on yr financial status. Well, if you are super rich, go ahead and just buy what you like. Just buy another one if you get tired of it one day. However at this point, you wouldn't know when or whether you will ever get tired of it one day. Therefore, if you only have the financial means to just get one, or you are not rich enough to just causally buy another whenever you like it, then you need to spend time thinking through. There are a lot of models that I like and I believe it applies to you too. Therefore to choose the ultimate one, there are many things to consider other than just purely the asethetics alone. It's like buying an abstract painting. Many art lovers spend tons of money to buy arts that don't makes sense to people. They don't just consider the asethetics of it, but they also consider the artist and the history behind the painting.

That is also the reason why we get mechanical watches. Aesthetics, design, function and features, heritage, originality, detailing, durability, etc. You gotta appreciate the watch from many aspects in order to truly understand why you are spending thousands to buy it when you can just spend less than a hundred to buy a watch that is more accurate than what you are getting. That is also why I have never regretted or get tired of any of the watches that I had gotten. The only factor I never take into consideration is the resale value, else I would never have gotten a Breitling.

While heritage doesn't necessarily is my main concern, the "story" behind the watch means to me. I don't necessarily need to buy a watch that has a long history, but I want to buy watch that creates a specific milestone to the brand, something that will be added to the history of the brand, better still, the horology industry. This is the "long term value" of the watch to me, not in monetary terms, but more of the sentimental value of it, that many years later when you sit down and look at yr watch one day, while you appreciate and look back how you chose and bought watch, you also look back and appreciate how this watch was created and how it adds a major milestone to the brand, like reading a history book. That is also the reason why I only go for iconic or flagship pieces because normally iconic or flagship models best reflects the philosophy and spirit of the brand and have the elements I want.

Back to OP, there has been plenty of negative feedbacks on the regular Chronomat. Therefore my suggestion is to spend time reading them and see if you would change your mind. If they fail to change your mind, chances are that it is the right one for you. If u start to hesitate after reading them, then you might want to review your choices again. Hope it helps.

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Breitling Chronomat 01 Limited Edition
Breitling Navitimer 01 46mm

Can't get past the square personally. I'd go airborne, but honestly I don't love the rubber inserts on the bezel either....

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sco
Breitling Chrono Superocean
Omega Aqua Terra 8500
Rolex Submariner Date Ceramic