New Breitling Chronomat

[Ravager135]

I’m looking for owners of the new Breitling Chronomat to comment on their impressions, share photos if they have any, and give an overall impression of the watch. I am considering selling a piece to pick this up.

I’ve had a love/hate relationship with Breitling. I purchased a two tone Navitimer in 2009 and kept it for 5 years before selling it to fund other purchases. I really had no problem with the Navitimer in terms of quality, but began to dislike Breitling’s image. It seems with Kern at the helm they have really gone back to neo-vintage, timeless designs. The new Chronomat seems worthy and maybe their best release in years.

My questions particularly concerned how it stacks up against similarly priced chronographs: Omega Speedmaster and IWC Pilot Chronograph (I own both), ease of sizing the bracelet, reliability of B01 movement, and how polished or chunky it appears in person. I’d likely be selling a Panerai I no longer wear to fund it.

[jnelson3097]

I haven't seen the new Chronomats in person but I do own the previous version, the Chronomat Airborne with the B01 movement. I also own a Superocean Heritage Chrono with the B01 movement. I had one issue with the crown on the Airborne shortly after getting it and it was quickly fixed under warranty. Both movements run well within COSC specs. You'll get a 5 year warranty as long as your have the watch pressure tested after the second year. There may be another required pressure test as well but I'm not sure on the exact cadence.

Pricing wise, I think as long as you can get a decent discount (20-25%), you should be fine. I think you'd be getting plenty of watch for around $6K.

[Ravager135]

Originally Posted by jnelson3097

I haven't seen the new Chronomats in person but I do own the previous version, the Chronomat Airborne with the B01 movement. I also own a Superocean Heritage Chrono with the B01 movement. I had one issue with the crown on the Airborne shortly after getting it and it was quickly fixed under warranty. Both movements run well within COSC specs. You'll get a 5 year warranty as long as your have the watch pressure tested after the second year. There may be another required pressure test as well but I'm not sure on the exact cadence.

Pricing wise, I think as long as you can get a decent discount (20-25%), you should be fine. I think you'd be getting plenty of watch for around $6K.

Thank you for your response. The B01 movement is pretty ubiquitous throughout their range now and seems very reliable. My Navitimer had the older ETA movement and was a pain to set the date with if I did not wear it for a few days. You had to cycle between 2100 and 0100 hours to move the date.

[jnelson3097]

The B01 movement is supposed to allow for date adjustment at any time but I’ve never tried doing it in the old danger zone between 8PM and 3AM. The power reserve is also 72 hours so as long as it’s fully wound before you put it down, you’ll be good for a few days.