Breitling 806 1959

[mpliskin]

I am a LONG time Breitling lover. I had the opportunity to wear the 806 homage and frankly I’m underwhelmed by the watch and overwhelmed by the price.
For sure it’s a classic and very appealing. The pushers were very difficult to activate and that was disappointing. For me the Omega Speedmaster is priced right and I only wish that Breitling had a lower price for this model. My prediction is that in 6 months to a year this watch will be available at a 40-50% discount on the preowned market.

I currently own two Breitling’s:
Chronomat Airborne
Navitimer Rattrapante

[Helmi]

I agree it is becoming available and easier to get as compared to few months back. However, since it is limited edition, it seems to be holding well so far as per chrono 24

[ricardo-sf]

Just saw one at a trusted dealer for around 7.9k

That's pretty good value retention for breitling

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[daOnlyBG]

Originally Posted by ricardo-sf

Just saw one at a trusted dealer for around 7.9k

That's pretty good value retention for breitling

I second that.

[Chester01]

Originally Posted by mpliskin

I am a LONG time Breitling lover. I had the opportunity to wear the 806 homage and frankly I’m underwhelmed by the watch and overwhelmed by the price.
For sure it’s a classic and very appealing. The pushers were very difficult to activate and that was disappointing. For me the Omega Speedmaster is priced right and I only wish that Breitling had a lower price for this model. My prediction is that in 6 months to a year this watch will be available at a 40-50% discount on the preowned market.

I currently own two Breitling’s:
Chronomat Airborne
Navitimer Rattrapante

Yes, I understand the movement is a very good one, and it is limited. I had it on the wrist, and it was very impressive, but that fact that the retail is like what like $3500 above the speedy is very hard to explain. The low numbers will help it hold some value likely.

[ricardo-sf]

Buy a watch because you like it.. expecting it to hold value will lead to disappointment

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[Skyrider01]

Originally Posted by ricardo-sf

Buy a watch because you like it.. expecting it to hold value will lead to disappointment

Well said! That is why I bought it.

[OTX]

Originally Posted by Chester01

Yes, I understand the movement is a very good one, and it is limited. I had it on the wrist, and it was very impressive, but that fact that the retail is like what like $3500 above the speedy is very hard to explain. The low numbers will help it hold some value likely.

As someone who owns both a Navitimer 01 and a Speedmaster professional and have compared them many times, here my opinion.

Legibility wise, the Speedmaster is simpler so it will be easier to read although I have no issues telling the time on the Navitimer either.

Movement wise, the Navitimer 01 wins. It has a longer power reserve and the movement itself is a lot more complicated(column wheel, vertical clutch and so on). The B01 movement is a beast and way more complicated than the 1861 movement.

Build quality is good on both but the Navitimer wins here also. The dial is made of solid silver and has applied indexes as well as snailing and other touches. A lot goes into the Navitimer dial and you can see it!.

I know this is a simple comparison but in my opinion, the Navitimer is the higher quality piece no doubt!. There’s a lot more to it than the Speedmaster. The Speedmaster is a very nice watch but it’s as generic as they get. The Navitimer 01 is on a different level. You mention the $3500 difference which is no joke but you are getting a much higher quality piece.

I enjoy wearing both but if I had to pick one, it would be the Navitimer 01 no doubt.

[Chester01]

Originally Posted by Odat

As someone who owns both a Navitimer 01 and a Speedmaster professional and have compared them many times, here my opinion.

Legibility wise, the Speedmaster is simpler so it will be easier to read although I have no issues telling the time on the Navitimer either.

Movement wise, the Navitimer 01 wins. It has a longer power reserve and the movement itself is a lot more complicated(column wheel, vertical clutch and so on). The B01 movement is a beast and way more complicated than the 1861 movement.

Build quality is good on both but the Navitimer wins here also. The dial is made of solid silver and has applied indexes as well as snailing and other touches. A lot goes into the Navitimer dial and you can see it!.

I know this is a simple comparison but in my opinion, the Navitimer is the higher quality piece no doubt!. There’s a lot more to it than the Speedmaster. The Speedmaster is a very nice watch but it’s as generic as they get. The Navitimer 01 is on a different level. You mention the $3500 difference which is no joke but you are getting a much higher quality piece.

I enjoy wearing both but if I had to pick one, it would be the Navitimer 01 no doubt.

I can’t disagree with your points. However, the price point is significant given tudor took that movement and put it in the black bay chrono and sells it for like 4800. The only other consideration is that the current navi is in every aspect a modern watch, where the speedy is a modern vintage watch. What I mean, is that for a true fair comparison, one would have to compare a an 806 navi (not the reissue with the reworked movement and increased water tightness) with the speedy. There is a more fair comparison.

I had a navi (AOPA 75th anniversary version) and also had no issue with legibility. The older version with the valjoux movement is also a hell of a watch. While not in-house, that movement is also tried and true. I can’t say why I ended up holding onto the speedy and flipping the navi and I can still someday see myself having another.


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[OTX]

[QUOTE=Chester01;10312107]I can’t disagree with your points. However, the price point is significant given tudor took that movement and put it in the black bay chrono and sells it for like 4800. The only other consideration is that the current navi is in every aspect a modern watch, where the speedy is a modern vintage watch. What I mean, is that for a true fair comparison, one would have to compare a an 806 navi (not the reissue with the reworked movement and increased water tightness) with the speedy. There is a more fair comparison.

I had a navi (AOPA 75th anniversary version) and also had no issue with legibility. The older version with the valjoux movement is also a hell of a watch. While not in-house, that movement is also tried and true. I can’t say why I ended up holding onto the speedy and flipping the navi and I can still someday see myself having another.



While the movement is definitely important, it’s the whole package what matters. Sure the Tudor has the same movement but it’s not a popular watch and imo, ugly. The Navitimer on the other hand is a beautiful popular watch. For example, look at the Rolex explorer II and the GMT II. One goes for $6500 and the other one goes for $10k plus although they share the same movement. People are willing to pay the big difference in price as the GMT is the better looking watch to most people. Having handled the new 1959, it’s a beautifully built watch and worth the price. Now whether the preownes market agrees is another story.

I agree a fairer comparison would be comparing the Speedmaster to the 806 Navi but you mentioned that the re edition is $3500 more than the Speedmaster. I think the upgrades to the new re edition justify its price imo. I am not a fan of vintage watches myself because things back then were not built as robust as the modern watches. I personally prefer the reverse panda 01 Navitimers and at there going rate of around $5k in the pre owned market, I think they are a great value. Now whether I would pay an extra $2,500 for the 1959 re edition, I’m not sure as I like the regulator Navitimer better. You can always wait and see if the prices go down in the preowned market. Speedmaster or Navitimer, you can’t go wrong with either.