Swiss Watch Club

12/12/2023

Watch Review: Breitling AVI Chronograph 42 Mosquito For Solid Value And Style

The Breitling Classic AVI is more than just a handsome watch collection, but rather it’s an entire platform. This particular model is the Classic AVI Chronograph 42 Mosquito (in reference Y233801A1B1A1 on the bracelet and reference Y233801A1B1X1 on the brown leather strap), but the larger Classic AVI collection currently has 15 different models that feature different case sizes, movements, and price points. This Breitling Classic AVI Mosquito represents one of the more entry-level models, and I consider it a good value given all that you get. Gold versions of the Classic AVI and those with more complicated movements can easily cost over $20,000 USD. This is a model that on the strap retails for just under $6,000 USD.

I believe it was in the 1950s when Breitling originally introduced a watch known as the reference 765 AVI, which the entire modern collection is loosely based on. Each of the Classic AVI watches today either represents a particular time in Breitling’s history or is inspired by a particular historic aircraft. As the name of this Classic AVI 42 Chronograph Mosquito implies, this watch is inspired by the historic de Havilland Mosquito military fighter plane that was noteworthy for its impressive maneuverability. This was in part due to using a wood frame construction, even though most other planes had moved on to mostly metal frames. Wood was used because of metal shortages during WWII, and the result was an incredibly fast, albeit fragile plane earning it the name “Mosquito.” No, there isn’t any wood in this timepiece (though that would have been cool), and this less-light Mosquito sports a mostly steel frame in the form of the polished and brushed 42mm wide case.

Breitling fits some of its Classic AVI Chronograph watches with a steel bezel, but on this version, the bi-directional rotating bezel is made from black ceramic. The bezel has hour markers on it and is most readily used to indicate a second time zone. I should also point out that Breitling makes two Classic AVI Chronograph models (not just including the different strap options) that look similar but that have different case sizes and movements. At nearly twice the price of this Classic AVI Chronograph 42 Mosquito, Breitling also produces the Super AVI B04 Chronograph GMT 46 Mosquito. That model sports a larger 46mm wide case and includes Breitling’s in-house B04 chronograph GMT automatic movement.

The major reason that this Classic AVI Chronograph 42 Mosquito is much less expensive is that it does not contain an in-house Breitling movement, and frankly, that doesn’t bother me one bit. While the B04 is an excellent mechanism, the ETA 2894 automatic movement, which is the basis for this Breitling caliber 23 movement, is totally acceptable for the vast majority of users. The automatic movement operates at 4Hz with 48 hours of power reserve and features the time with a 12-hour chronograph complication. The movement is further given a COSC Chronometer certification for accuracy. No date is placed on the dial, which is a good thing since it would only serve to break up the attractive symmetry of the dial.

The 42mm wide case is water resistant to 100 meters with a screw-down crown, and over the dial is a domed sapphire crystal. Breitling did an excellent job of giving the Classic AVI Chronograph 42 a vintage-inspired look, but a totally modern build with accompanying performance. The case is cleverly designed to feel thinner on the wrist than its 14.7mm thickness would otherwise suggest. Much of this is thanks to the curved caseback and shorter lugs. The sapphire crystal is given a box-style look which further adds to the vintage feel and also allows for a thinner-looking overall profile. Note that the models I shot still have some protective plastic on the case.

I fell in love with this watch while wearing it. I wasn’t sold on the Mosquito dial color palette in pictures, typically opting for vintage looks with less bright colors. In person, however, this is a stunning design and wins because it feels very much like a real aviator’s instrument in both legibility and style. Breitling these days focuses heavily on dial materials and finishes (along with colors and proportions), and you can see far more overall refinement in a watch like this than compared to much of the competition. I challenge people to find something better at this price point when it comes to looks and overall presentation.

Fans of vintage Breitling watches will see much to love, including the font used for the Arabic hour numerals as well as the design of the subdials. The chronograph minutes counter offers a lot of personality given the red rectangles that are designed to allow you to easily measure five-minute increments. The black face is otherwise nicely contrasted with the silver-tone subdials, and the red-edged hour and minute hands are both interesting and unique to the Mosquito versions of the Classic AVI timepiece family.

Perhaps the easiest element to appreciate about the Breitling Classic AVI Chronograph 42 collection is that it doesn’t need that much explanation. Simply explaining the provenance of the pretty design, showing the decent tech specs, and wearing the comfortable package are enough to get most people excited about it. The only issue is that Breitling currently has so many nice vintage pilot-style chronographs that being able to focus on this model to the exclusion of others can certainly be challenging. I totally sympathize with those who are ready for a Breitling but perhaps aren’t clear on which model to invest their purchase power in. With that said, compared to the much higher price points of Breitling’s watches with in-house movements or precious metal cases, the Classic AVI Chronograph 42 watches in steel (including of course the Mosquito models) are comparatively easy to choose and enjoy. What are your thoughts about it? The price for the Breitling Classic AVI Chronograph 42 Mosquito watch is $5,900 USD on the leather strap and $6,200 USD on the steel bracelet. Learn more at the Breitling website.

Necessary Information
>Brand: Breitling
>Model: Classic AVI Chronograph 42 Mosquito (reference Y233801A1B1A1 on the bracelet and reference Y233801A1B1X1 on the brown leather strap)
>Price: $5,900 – $6,200 USD
>Size: 42mm-wide, 14.76mm-thick, 48mm lug-to-lug distance
>When reviewer would personally wear it: Comfortable daily wear sports watch with colorful, vintage aviator timepiece vibe.
>Friend we’d recommend it to first: Anyone seeking a thoroughly modern and not terribly expensive luxury watch inspired by one of the most important pilot chronographs of the mid-20th century.
>Best characteristic of watch: Handsome overall design. Clearly legible dial. Comfortable to wear on the wrist and very legible. Feels like a good value.
>Worst characteristic of watch: Confusing number of models in the Classic AVI collection. Would be a better value if the watch came both with a steel bracelet and a leather strap.

28/11/2023

28/11/2023

The New Rolex Cosmograph Daytona Watches
This year at Watches and Wonders 2023, Rolex once again broke the watch world with a new Daytona release. Being the 60th anniversary of the watch’s original release, this really doesn’t surprise anyone. Likewise, the rather incremental changes that Rolex made were no great surprise, because Rolex is an incremental behemoth of a brand, not inclined to make drastic changes. Instead, the brand prefers to gradually shift its models across a number of iterations to get them where it wants them (or abandon them altogether, like it did with the Milgauss and Cellini this year). While this is another year of incremental changes for the Daytona, they’re more substantial than the 2016 update. We got a chance to go hands-on with two of the new Rolex Cosmograph Daytonas at the show, the platinum reference 126506 and the steel and yellow gold reference 126503.
While the immediate aesthetics of the Daytona are unchanged, we know, of course, that the devil is in the details. The 40mm case diameter has remained the same, but the lugs have been slightly enlarged with the goal of making the watch feel a bit more modern. This struck me as ironic since watches are trending smaller, not larger. Rest assured that the Daytona still wears incredibly well: It is, has been, and likely will continue to be one of the best-wearing chronographs on the market.
But there’s another change that, along with the lug enhancement, does make the watch appear a bit larger. With the 2016 revision, the Daytona received a Cerachrom bezel that took up the entire bezel area, giving it a dramatically wide appearance and making the dial seem a bit smaller than it actually was. Now, on models with the Cerachrom bezel, a small polished ring has been placed around the insert. It thins out the bezel a bit and consequently makes the dial a bit more prominent, while also having a recessed appearance (even though it’s flush), which makes the entire case more present around it. Again, the physical feel of the watch has not changed, but the changes to the lugs and the bezel create a very slightly larger appearance on the wrist.
On the models with precious metal bezels, the edge is simply polished (in lieu of some awkward contrasting ring). Outside of those case changes, the models remain the same as the previous iterations. The screw-down Triplock crown and screw-down pushers ensure 100m water resistance, though I’ve always enjoyed the look of the Daytona (and any chrono with screw-down pushers) with the pushers unscrewed. Maybe that’s just me.
Another change that ties the watch together a bit more is that the etched scale on the bezel of the platinum and black-and-gold models feature PVD platinum or gold fill to match the cases—it’s a subtle change that you may not notice, but, when you do, adds a nice cohesiveness to the watch. The sapphire crystal and bracelets are also unchanged, with the former having AR coating and the latter featuring the very convenient and easy-to-use Easylink extension mechanism.
One thing to mention is that the platinum version is a heavy watch. You feel the weight immediately; I got used to it quickly, but once it was back off, I felt a lightness that was almost jarring. Moving to another model, like the two-tone 18k yellow gold and steel one seen here, was just as startling. Just don’t switch from the platinum Daytona to the new titanium Yacht-Master and you should be ok.
The unlikely combination of brown and ice blue on the platinum 126506—first seen 10 years ago when it debuted for the model’s 50th anniversary—is absolutely wonderful in person. You don’t think it’s going to work, and maybe it shouldn’t, but it does. The contrast between warm and cold offers a chromatic balance that surprises and pleases. As for the two-tone 126503, it’s frankly just not my jam. Lovely watch and all, but the white and steel and yellow gold is a bit bright and 90s for me. If I’m going gold, I’m going yellow on yellow on yellow.
Anyway, the dials. Like the case, the dials at a glance seem the same, but there’s immediately a more spacious, dare I say lighter feel to them. Rolex has made small adjustments to the markers to make them longer and thinner, getting rid of the admittedly stubby indices that graced the previous generation (though they still feature the brand’s bright Chromalight lume). Further refreshing the dial, the chronograph registers’ rings have been thinned out. I think for people accustomed to the coziness (it was never cluttered, but the thicker markers and rings made it feel fuller) of the old Daytonas, this open dial can look a bit off. That was the sentiment of a few of my colleagues (almost all of whom are better versed in Rolex than I), but for my part, I’m partial to the new dials (mostly owing to not loving the chubby markers on the old dials).
Did you really think I’d not mention the biggest change of all? The platinum 126506 Daytona now features—for the first time in a Rolex sports watch—a display caseback. Practically speaking, this is not important. You aren’t going to see it on wrist, and the movement frankly isn’t impressive enough to gawk at. When I had the watch in hand, the caseback was more remarkable for it being the first time it was done than for any other reason. Keep in mind, Rolex is very late to this game. However, the caseback is also not all about capturing a trend and people-pleasing (the latter of which Rolex is laughably bad at). A solid platinum caseback would be very expensive, and those potential savings, plus a chance to create a watch nerd frenzy, likely proved too tempting for the brand. People are going to be irrationally excited about this. (If it wasn’t clear, the other models have the same solid casebacks as ever.)
Looking through the caseback, as I mentioned, isn’t that much of a show, but it is a bit better than you would’ve gotten from the past generation of Daytonas. That’s because the current generation features the updated caliber 4131 automatic chronograph movement. This new caliber, like the watches it powers, is an evolution, not a revolution. The specs are identical—28,800 vph with 72 hours power reserve—and it still has all the Rolex bells and whistles, including the Chronergy escapement, Paraflex antishock system, and blue Parachrom hairspring. It is also still a Superlative Chronometer, certified not just by COSC, but by Rolex’ stringent in-house testing to -2/+2 seconds per day. But incremental updates mean it uses fewer components than the 4130, which translates to greater reliability (fewer things to break).
The biggest updates made to the 4130, though, are cosmetic and serve to benefit the caseback ogler: a cutout 18k gold oscillating weight (the 4130’s was steel and solid) and a new style of striping the brand is calling “Rolex Côtes de Genève,” which sees narrow, polished bands added between the traditional stripes. They can be hard to see in pictures and, to be honest, they were hard to see in person, relying on the light as they do.
Minor as most of the updates may be, I found myself feeling like the Daytona had been rejuvenated — like it’s had a spa day and is glowing brighter than ever. The added shine of the ring around the bezel and the airiness of the dial simply bring a renewed energy to the model. Change is hard, but this update seems a bit more worthwhile than the last round. Plus, there’s that display caseback, if you go for that kind of thing. The Rolex Cosmograph Daytona reference 126503 two-tone is priced at $19,500 USD, while pricing for the platinum reference 126506 is on request (10 years ago, the 50th-anniversary edition retailed for $75,000, so I’d expect it to be above that). Cost of entry to the model is now set at $15,100 USD for the steel variant. For more information, please visit the brand’s website.

28/11/2023

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2 Year Warranty on all our Swiss Super Clone Watches

28/11/2023

Non-Scratch Sapphire Crystal
We only use 'Non-Scratch Sapphire Crystal Glass' on each of our Rolex, AP, RM and Patek Philippe super clone watches
Each of our Super Clone Watch is fitted with a Swiss Made High-Purity Scratch-Proof Sapphire Crystal Glass with colorless anti-reflection coating inside and out. Our Sapphire crystal is very hard, meaning very difficult to break.
In Rolex Models: 2.5x Magnification Cyclops Lens over the Date Window and Laser Etched Rolex 'Crown Logo' over 6 o'clock
All our Rolex Swiss ETA Watches include correct 2.5x Cyclops date lenses and a very small Rolex crown which is laser-etched above the 6 O’clock position. This detail is hard to see with the naked eye but is visible using a magnifying glass or loop.

28/11/2023

Grinding Gears: Recovering Your Stolen Watch Shouldn’t Be A Hopeless Dream
Watch theft statistics make for grim reading. It is clear they have been on the rise, with some 6,109 watches reported stolen in London, alone, last year. Those are just the reported cases (not counting the thousands of unreported thefts that happen each year), with an average value of over $6,000 per timepiece. The driving forces behind the steep increase in theft and robbery are not that difficult to identify, so I’ll highlight an aspect that probably matters more than any other for those who’ve had their property stolen: the chances of ever recovering it.
Although it is an extremely small, and, for the record, not at all representative take on the issue, I must say I was shocked when I learned about authorized service centers in certain parts of the world running the obligatory stolen property checks on the used watches they receive for regular servicing or repair, only then to hand the watch back to its current owner, and not the police, even if the watch is known to have been stolen. Picture this: You had your watch stolen months or years ago, and you reported it to the brand and to the police. The unique serial number of the watch, as well as the brand and model name, of course, are entered into one of the searchable databases. Time goes on and the authorized service center, as much an official part of the brand of your choice as is legally possible, receives what used to be your watch for servicing and realizes that it is stolen property, only to then hand the watch back to the person who took it in without contacting the authorities, leaving it at that person’s discretion whether you will ever see your watch again. You can imagine your chances of recovery.
This is not to say that thieves hold onto the watches they stole, casually wear them around, and eventually have them serviced them at authorized service centers. The watches, like other stolen items, find their way to new, more often than not unsuspecting owners who were shopping for a used watch. The watch has likely exchanged hands a number of times among dubious dealers and the unsuspecting buyer is paying the full market value when unknowingly buying that stolen watch on a watch sale platform, forum, or shop. The issue is that it is very difficult to check on the ownership history of luxury watches — not to mention more affordable ones.
The issue is that it is very difficult to check on the ownership history of luxury watches — not to mention more affordable ones.
I believe that a searchable database, something as simple as what Breguet has under its Stolen Timepieces page, could do a lot when it comes to helping prospective buyers and past owners avoid or identify watches with sketchy history listed for sale. Virtually no other watch brand has anything similar. None of the LVMH brands and none of the Richemont brands, at least individually, have a comparable program that I could find.
I say “individually” because Richemont very recently launched Enquirus. The luxury conglomerate that owns brands such as Cartier, IWC, Jaeger-LeCoultre, and others, admits that “an increase in theft and fraud of watches and jewelry, along with the lack of a clear process and industry standard of how and where to register them, has been acknowledged as a growing problem that needs to be tackled.” The answer is Enquirus, “centralized database where information can be securely uploaded, searched, and shared by multiple authorized parties while protecting personal information. Enquirus facilitates the identification of lost and stolen items for partners while helping to avoid the purchase and resale of the pieces by individuals or retailers.” It is still very much in its infancy, but it might just be an effective and centralized place to upload or check stolen watch information. It is not limited to Richemont brands, and you can upload your watch and ownership details so, if the worst happens and your property does get stolen, you already have everything on file in the system.
Certain used item forums and Facebook groups, like those dedicated to buying and selling bicycles or photography equipment, just name two that I have some experience with, sellers might be required to post the serial number of the item that they are listing for sale. This allows those with stolen property to check the forum/group for their serial number and allows buyers to research that serial number elsewhere on the internet. It certainly isn’t the be-all and end-all in theft deterrence, but some platforms make it all too easy to list stolen items without offering rightful owners the chance to find their watch (or bike, photography equipment, or whatever else). Mandatory disclosure of full serial numbers does have its own privacy concerns — then again, the traceability it offers could discourage many of the flippers out there as retailers could very easily find and track wait-listed items that are being flipped for a quick profit, allowing them to cut said customer off from future purchases.
Having a centralized and free online database for all stolen watches (note that registering a stolen watch on any such database requires not just proof of ownership but also official police documentation on the theft/robbery) would be a good start, and connecting it to all major online watch trading platforms would be the next logical step. In the same way, sellers are required to show proof of ownership by, say, setting the time on the watch to a specified time and providing photographic evidence of this in the listing, they could be required to post a picture of the serial number and add it to the listing itself as well.
Let me know in the comments below where you think the balance should be between seller privacy and luxury watch traceability. What more should brands and watch trading online platforms do to reduce the number of stolen watches being bought and sold?

28/11/2023

To celebrate its 15th birthday, Mortiz Grossman has release three new timepieces. While the brand’s roots go back to 1854, it’s rightly celebrating the anniversary of its revival by Christine Hutter, not some dubious gapped timeline as other brands are wont to do. To mark the occasion, the brand introduced two new editions of its open-worked Backpage and a very special one-off Tremblage.
The Moritz Grossman Backpage Green watches are made in your choice of rose gold or platinum, with a fully polished case that measures 41mm across and 11.35mm thick, which should make it quite wearable. The hand-stitched alligator strap features a matching pin buckle closure. The case appears to feature rather long lugs, which may affect its wear on smaller wrists. This may be mitigated by the curvature of the lugs, though. You’ll notice a pusher just below the crown. Developed by Moritz Grossmann, this pusher solves an issue we’ve all experienced at some point. After pulling the crown and setting the time, engaging the pusher reactivates the movement rather than the crown being pushed back in. This prevents any movement from the hands that often happens when the crown is pushed back in. When the pusher is engaged, the crown reverts to winding rather than setting time.
The dial of the Backpage Green is partially skeletonized, exposing much of the inner workings of the hand-wound movement. The balance staff is hand-engraved and the components feature a variety of finishing, from snailing to polishing. The purple handset is made by hand and heated to achieve its deep color. The green dial arcs from 11 o’clock to 7, with a subsidiary seconds at 6 o’clock. The simple baton hour markers are applied and made of the same metal as the case, with an Arabic 12 in its appropriate place. While some skeletonized dials seem to suffer for their busyness, the Backpage seems to provide sufficient contrast thanks to the hands, so legibility shouldn’t be as much of an issue.
The watches are powered by the hand-wound manufactory caliber 107.0, which is based on the 100.1 on the Tremblage but required significant reworking for the dial display. It features a nearly fully German silver plate with gold chatons, an exposed winding mechanism, and hand engraving. The movement operates at 18,000 vph with a power reserve of 42 hours.
In addition to the two green Backpage models, the brand has revisited perhaps its most celebrated recent release, the Tremblage. With its handmade textured dial, this watch features beautifully annealed purple hands and raised, polished Breguet numerals. The entire dial — tremblage and numerals — is made from a single piece of German silver. The new Tremblage XV Birthday Edition takes that spectacular craftwork and puts “2008 – 2023” just above the center of the dial and “15” in the subdial. It’s presented in a rose gold case with the same form factor as the Backpage, with the hand-wound manufactory caliber 100.1 featuring a 42-hour power reserve at 18,800 vph. The watch is limited to a single example.
The two new Backpage models fill a glaring green gap in the brand’s catalog: While the brand isn’t really one to follow trends, it’s still surprising it doesn’t have another green watch on offer. The Tremblage, on the other hand, may be a bit much for all but the most fanatical Mortiz Grossman collectors, with the years on the dial disrupting the wonder of the dial’s texture, however subtly. That said, this may well be for Ms. Hutter herself, rather than an actual sellable piece. The Moritz Grossman Backpage Green is priced at €45,600 in red gold and €52,000 in platinum, limited to 25 pieces each. The one-off Mortiz Grossman Tremblage XV Birthday Edition is priced at €52,000. For more information, please visit the brand’s website.