Review: 2012 Breitling Avenger SEAWOLF 3000m Stainless Steel
Breitling. A brand that divides opinion. Designs not to everyones tastes, sometimes Breitling is too “B’ling”, perhaps..? But you cannot question the attention to detail, the build quality and superb craftsmanship. If you don’t believe me, be sure to watch the “Super Factories - Breitling” video. I would describe myself as a Breitling fan, but, that doesn’t mean I’ve owned many of their products. In fact, I always struggled to find a watch from Breitling that could balance design, desirability and price all-in-one. The current designs on offer illustrate to me that Breitling may have lost their way a little of late, but look closer and there are a few gems to be found, including this, the latest incarnation of the Seawolf.
http://i.imgur.com/zBT6GZa.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/09AEXC3.jpg
The ultimate Breitling Diver? Yes. The ultimate diver? That’s personal opinion, but at a third of the price of the Rolex DSSD, the Avenger Seawolf has to be a credible choice should you fancy swimming to the murky depths of 3,000m.
I want to reflect on that a little, 3,000m/10,000ft. That’s almost 2 miles. It’s 2 miles from my doorstep to the nearest pub, and I wouldn’t consider walking that distance, I’d phone the wife to come and pick me up. Now imagine swimming that distance, vertically... Who is going to push their watch to that pressure? Very few I imagine, but the engineering feat achieved here is truly impressive and gives a great sense of purpose in this behemoth of a watch.
http://i.imgur.com/TZnHnuX.jpg
Before you consider personalising the watch with the vast array of dial and strap options, perhaps the first consideration should be how it wears. At 45.4mm wide and 18.4mm thick, it won’t suit everyone, but my 7.5inch wrist can pull it off, and with the plunging, sculpted, rounded lugs, comfort should be achievable on a smaller wrist. That doesn’t mean it won’t look ridiculous though. It compares with the DSSD very closely, but wears smaller in my opinion. I thought the DSSD looked ridiculous on me, but this feels right. Perhaps the fact the bezel is brushed steel, rather than a large black ceramic bezel achieves the smaller feel..?
http://i.imgur.com/KPBNfVk.jpg
Light, it is not. No more titanium like the outgoing model. At almost 160g without bracelet/strap, you’re going to feel it. It’s top heavy, you know it’s there, and I’m not convinced that’s a bad thing. I’ve tried the previous titanium model, and thought it too light for such a large watch. If I make the choice to wear a large watch like this, I want to feel the heft.
Baton markers or military inspired stencil font? I think the baton markers look great, but I fell in love with the grey dial, and stencil font is the only option in this colour. If I wanted something smarter, perhaps baton markers would have been a consideration, but I love the stand out nature of this more toolish, casual look. The brown leather slots in to the 22mm lugs amazingly well - a great contrast, and with a Pro II Diver Rubber Strap arriving next week, I’ll have two great options. Deployants are usually my preference, but the raised emblem tang buckle has a solid quality to it, appropriate for the sturdy image of the watch. The Pro II Bracelet suits them well, but not for me. The Bracelet just blings up the B’ling a little too much...
http://i.imgur.com/Ob2iPvJ.jpg
Toolish. There’s no denying it’s a tool watch, but perhaps Breitling didn’t quite think through the case sides finishing. Polished is hardly sensible. There’s plenty of brushed areas on the case, and while the mixture of polished and brushed looks superb, I’m not looking forward to the future condition implications.
The bezel has a satisfying, and sturdy feel to the unidirectional 120 clicks. The rider tabs may be old fashioned, but they can only aid wetsuit gloves, so functionality hasn’t been lost underwater. The helium escape valve is rather prominent at the 9 o’clock position, the same position as Sea-Dwellers and the like, deploying automatically when the time comes.
The double anti-reflective coating is superb, the best I’ve seen before. Sometimes you think you can reach in and touch the dial and hands. The domed sapphire crystal has the ability to look invisible at times.
The crown guards are certainly no afterthought, integral to the whole design and should certainly protect the large crown. The screw down crown has a smooth feeling to the movement, but can best be described as stiff. I imagine, the sealing and rubber o-rings required for this depth rating must create that feeling.
http://i.imgur.com/26j5J3C.jpg
I can’t pretend to be impartial, I love this watch. Elegant it is not, you’re not going to wear it with a suit, but I have other watches for that. It’s difficult to think of a further situation that this wouldn’t be suitable - it ticks all the boxes that I set for it, and at a retail price of £2810, is this not one of the best value ways to have a 3000m chronometer slapped to your wrist?
http://i.imgur.com/GMBjkto.jpg
Would love to hear your comments. Cheers, Ross.
Breitling Pro II Diver Rubber Strap
Now with the addition of the Pro II Diver, it would appear the Seawolf has gone from the good looking, but less than practical leather Strap, to something I can actually use in the water. I'm a bit of a strap changer, so I always appreciate the extra options, but now I can finally test that 3000m rating without risking the leather. Ok, maybe more like 3m, but it's a start...
http://i.imgur.com/n3QPd2Q.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/ZaOUt8M.jpg
I've had Omega Rubber straps in the past, Tag Heuer Rubber, and the ever present Isofrane, but this is the softest and most supple strap yet.
It has a level of stretch to it that can only aid comfort, and the brushed tang buckle may be fiddly to begin with, but it's solid.
It's a massive departure from the 1st generation Breitling rubber, and quite plain looking in comparison, but I think Breitling have got the design just right. The 1st Generation was far too busy for me, and as a discontinued item, it may be quite collectable and getting rarer by the day, but the cleaner look and much improved comfort makes me choose the Pro II over the original every time.