Hands-on With the Breitling Superocean II Replica Watches

Breitling’s impressive manufacture in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. This meant we also had a chance to spend some time with the brand-new Breitling Superocean II that was introduced shortly before Baselworld 2015. Here we take a look at the 44-mm version with metallic blue dial, matching blue bezel insert, and rubber strap.

Breitling Replica UK

Breitling Replica UK

You can choose between a 44- and 42-mm version with either black or blue dial (or black and white if you prefer a 36-mm size), but only the 44-mm model features an integrated helium- release valve at 9 o’clock, making it the Cheap Breitling Replica most “professional” version, with a water resistance of 1,000 meters and partially satin-brushed surfaces (versus 500 meters and 200 meters and polished surfaces in the smaller models).
The unidirectional bezel is still partially filled with rubber, which looks amazing, but to be honest we had initially hoped for something different, like ceramic, after the recent re-introduction of the Breitling Replica Watches.

Cheap Breitling Replica

Cheap Breitling Replica

As you have probably noticed, the dial is rather busy (which is typical for Breitling) but still surprisingly legible. It comes with an internal circle of 24-hour indexes, which includes the only aspect we found to criticize: the “15” at 3 o’clock is partially covered by the date window and somehow closer to the center of the dial then the rest of the numerals. It could have been simply left out instead.

Breitling Replica Watches

Breitling Replica Watches

Other than that, the new Breitling Replica UK offers well-built quality and is as “Breitling” as they come, which means this redesign can be considered another happy landing for this aviation-associated brand.

Comparison Test: TAG Heuer Monaco vs. Breitling Chrono-Matic Replica Watches

In this watch test feature our writer Jens Koch and photographer Nik Schölzel pit modern versions of two iconic 1970s chronographs — the TAG Heuer Monaco and the Replica Watches Breitling Chono-Matic — against each other in a challenge of retro sports watches.

Replica Watches

Replica Watches

The generation that came of age in the 1970s loves to revisit its memories of that time. And because the youths of those days have become the heavy-hitting customers of today, many things that were popular then are experiencing a rebirth. The success of the new muscle cars and the return of the Lava Lamp are proof. In the 1970s, watches — like men’s ties — were large and colorful. Experimentation with shapes and dimensions was the norm, and we see this trend emerging again today. It’s no wonder that we’re seeing models from the “Me Decade” reissued in a more or less revised form. As different as our two test Cheap Replica Watches appear at the outset, they do have a common origin that begins in 1969. That’s when the first automatic chronograph movement, called Caliber 11, was introduced, launching a new age. The ébauche manufacturer Büren Watch supplied an automatic movement with a microrotor for which Dubois Dépraz provided a chronograph module. Two watch companies, Cheap Breitling Replica and Heuer, provided financing and aided in developing the technology. It was fitting that these firms were the main beneficiaries of Caliber 11. The first watches with this movement — the predecessors of our test watches — appeared that same year.

Breitling Replica Watches

Breitling Replica Watches

Like other watches with this automatic chronograph movement, they were easy to spot: their crowns were on the left side of their cases, opposite the pushers. Operability won out over nostalgia in the new versions: both have their crowns in their traditional positions on the right side.In other facets of their outward appearance, however, both brands’ watches remained true to their predecessors. TAG Heuer retained its rectangular contours with gently curved flanks. At first glance the Breitling Replica Watches case appears to be an oval, but it is actually an octagon. Even the sizes of these two watches correspond almost exactly to the original versions that were introduced 39 years ago. This is particularly surprising for Breitling, since even by today’s standards the diameter of 49 millimeters is enormous, exceeding the earlier model by only one millimeter.
From this direct predecessor, the Chrono-Matic 49 tested here distinguishes itself in particular with its size, the repositioned crown on the right side, and a price that is almost $2,700 higher than the TAG watch. The new version also has a 12-hour counter at 6 o’clock and a rubber-coated bezel. The bezel on the 1969 watch was also black, though then it was blackened steel. At that time, Breitling Replica UK introduced the model as a modern interpretation of the famous Navitimer pilot’s watch, and like this watch it had a slide rule that was not directly moved by the bezel but by a gear within the case. This feature has the advantage of better handling and a more secure way to seal the case. The dial design was updated without affecting the harmony presented in the original.

Cheap Replica Watches

Cheap Replica Watches

Both watches present top-of-the-line finishes on their cases. Cheap Breitling Replica efforts include the rotating slide rule and rubberized bezel. Surfaces are carefully polished, the caseback is engraved and both sides of the sapphire crystal are nonreflective. The oversized crystal makes the Breitling Replica Watches appear even larger. The Monaco’s curved crystal is made of acrylic, as before, which means it’s quite susceptible to scratching — but a sapphire crystal would have been an extremely expensive addition. TAG Heuer must secure the caseback with screws due to the shape of the case, but the seal would have been tighter if more than four screws had been used. Breitling uses a structurally superior screwed caseback, but specifies the same water-resistance as TAG Heuer (3 ATM), so neither is suitable for swimming.

Breitling Replica Superocean Heritage Chronoworks Showcases New High-Performance Caliber

Breitling’s output of new models at Baselworld 2016 was small compared to recent years, but featured some notable innovations, including an all-new, proprietary case material in the Avenger Hurricane and, in the new, limited-edition Breitling Heritage Superocean Chronoworks, a re-engineered movement with a 100-hour power reserve.

Breitling Replica Watches

Breitling Replica Watches

Breitling’s Chronoworks department, headquartered at the brand’s manufacture in la Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, is the equivalent to a team of engine-tuning experts in the automotive world, tasked with developing and testing performance-upgrading technologies that can subsequently be introduced in series-produced watches. Cheap Breitling Replica describes the well-equipped Chronoworks lab as a “think tank and a test bench for tomorrow’s technologies.” For this new watch, the experts at Chronoworks turned their attention to Breitling’s in-house, COSC-chronometer-certified base Caliber 01, ultimately incorporating five new technological advancements that enhanced the movement’s energy efficiency, reduced friction, and pumped up its already impressive 70 hours of winding autonomy to a full 100 hours.

The Chronoworks-optimized Caliber 01

The Chronoworks-optimized Caliber 01

The first optimization involved the movement chassis. To reduce friction due to the pivoting of the arbors, Breitling Replica constructed the movement chassis (the baseplate and gear-train bridges) from a high-tech ceramic —hexagonal boron nitride — which was already being used as a solid adjuvant in high-performance engine lubricants, but is applied here for the first time in mechanical watchmaking. Thanks to an extremely low friction coefficient, the arbors can pivot directly in the baseplate and bridge holes without any wear or energy loss – and also without any lubricant, thereby eliminating 11 of the base movement’s 47 jewels.

Silicon wheels

Silicon wheels

Contrary to what one might think, a watch movement is actually at rest for 95 percent of the time, with each “restart” resulting in a certain loss of energy. To counteract this inertia, Breitling outfitted its caliber with three wheels made of silicon, a material twice as light as traditional materials used for these components, thus making them it easier to set back into motion. Breitling Replica Watches also revised the geometry of these wheels, made using deep-reactive iron etching (DRIE), to make their structure more rigid and thus avoid any distortion of the spokes.

Breitling Replica UK

Breitling Replica UK

The escapement is the part of the movement where most of its energy losses take place. Here, Breitling maintained the Swiss lever escapement used in the base movement but replaced the wheel and lever with ones made of silicon. This served to reduce weight and thus inertia, and eliminated the need for pallet jewels, thereby enhancing precision in terms of shapes. To ensure more efficient transmission of the energy from the barrel, the Breitling Replica UK Chronoworks team also revised the profile of the teeth and pallets, and ensured a banking-free angular limitation of the lever to further increase reliability. The overall result is a 42% gain in efficiency for one of the movement’s most vital organs.

Cheap Breitling Replica

Cheap Breitling Replica

This tiny organ, a key nerve center in a vertical coupling-clutch chronograph mechanism like the one in Caliber 01, is responsible for connecting the base movement and the wheel bearing the sweep-seconds hand. This set of one arbor and two wheels generally displays a small amount of play that can lead to jerking, a process generally dealt with by using a “friction spring” but still responsible for a 15 percent energy loss. Rather than compensating for this play by braking, the Cheap Breitling Replica Chronoworks specialists equipped the two wheels with elastic toothing molded in the shape of the opposite teeth, by means of a nickel-phosphorous structure. This solution prevents energy losses and ensures identical autonomy whether or not the chronograph function is activated.

 

Breitling Replica

Breitling Replica

The first Breitling watch to showcase these advancements, from the brand’s Superocean Héritage family, launches this year in a 100-piece limited edition. The Breitling Replica Watches is an all-black model with a new matte ceramic case, measuring 46 mm in diameter and featuring a ratcheted, rotating divers’ bezel and a curved sapphire crystal with glareproof coating on both sides. The “Volcano”black dial has pointed hour-markers echoing those on the 1957 Superocean, this watch’s vintage inspiration. Its tricompax design features 30-minute and 12-hour subdial counters for the 1/4-second chronograph function, along with a small seconds subdial and a date window at 4:30. The transparent caseback provides a view of the performance-optimized Chronoworks movement and its black winding rotor.