I believe you are right, the dial is not for everyone. I like the Navitimer especially because the dial is busy. Features like stopwatch, slide rule etc. you can pretend to do many things with the watch just to kill time (pun intended ). The Navitimer is too big for me even though there is one model which is 40mm. I have a blue dial Superocean, which I wear just to impress people who can't the difference between a Watch and an Apple. Those people are easy to impress though, they cannot get over the fact that there is no battery chamber.
no where near as many for sale on the bay regarding the old Navitimers, I have noticed the distinct drop in availability over the last 10 years or so, particularly with the old AOPA models with beads of rice bezel. I will buy a Bling but when I do it will be this one below, I have only ever seen 2 for sale on the bay in this exact configuration of GMT 812 with valjoux 72 I believe, make a nice companion to my flightmaster 911
Breitling Navitimer 81600 carries the Lemania cal. 1873, same used in the Omega Moonwatch.....here's mine.......... & My Top Time..................
May 1962, NASA astronaut Scott Carpenter wore a 24-hour dial Breitling "Cosmonaut" Navitimer on the Mercury-Atlas 7 mission, however as this timepiece got water damaged during capsule recovery... Breitling provided him with another wrist watch. It can be seen in this 1966 photograph taken in New York as Carpenter received a token of appreciation for his US Navy duties as a naval aviator, astronaut and aquanaut. .
This and the 42mm Superocean Heritage. That's it when it comes to the modern ones. Overloaded, flashy..What I hate the most is 3 different kind of fonts on the dial of some...
A buddy and I decided to go out and buy watches together, well not exactly together due to social distancing, but we are supporting our local AD Watchworks in Portland. I bought an Omega SMP White, and I thought he was going to buy one in black but he decided on the Avenger 45 Night Mission in Titanium, much to my surprise. I actually like the cosmonaut in this thread. I guess the Avenger has a hardcore military theme going on. I think you could wear it day in and day out as a beater without damaging it.
And that’s why they make so many watches. So many tastes from so many personalities. Thought the same when I first saw the Avenger. “Now that’s a solid piece of kit”
My Breitling collection has recently doubled in size . First a (previously posted) private label 765... ... and a 769 recently purchased through this beautiful forum:
Breitling has been spaceflown on Mercury (1962), on space shuttle missions (1998) and on the ISS (2015 Exp 4 Scott Kelly)... but here's Buzz Aldrin wearing a yellow Breitling Emergency in 2002 I believe... as it came out in 1995 (oranje color only then ?) .
No worries, Paul...it went to a good home...thanks again, sir! It’s my first and only Breitling as well as my first and only mil watch...it’s from circa 1952 and is U.S. Air Force issued. It has its own dedicated watch roll...see pics below. Also, I really dig heckling the Korean War era U.S. Air Force vets at the VA with it...“Check it out, sir...I’ve got your watch...too bad for you!” LATE ENTRY: Lint reduction operations implemented via Apple Crayon regarding pics below...
Beauty! I really need a Mark 1 top time. Love that original case/lug shape. My own set of vintage Breitling (crap picture for now). They include a '55 all-black 806, '65 gold-plated 806, '66 LIP-cosigned 806 and a '75 Long Playing 815.
