Dynamic, free, and cool. Breitling watches traditionally appeal to confident, bold men with a healthy dose of testosterone coursing through their veins. Breitling wearers are successful movers-and-shakers, fighter pilots, and world-class athletes – sometimes all three simultaneously. There’s a Harley or two next to the American muscle car in their four-car garage. With irresistible good looks like Brad Pitt and the ability to cut a rug like John Travolta, Breitling wearers also have a way with the ladies. What’s in their closet? Armani for business and a Royal Air Force bomber jacket for when the working day is done, with a pair of golden Ray-Ban aviators to boot. With so many things going for him, it’s no wonder that there’s simply no looking back for the Breitling type.
So much for the Breitling product pitch. What’s the reality? Something along the lines of “Honda” and “BMW sedan” instead of the Harley and muscle car? Like Brad Pitt, more than a few Breitling wearers are getting up there in years. And as for John Travolta, well, Saturday Night Fever was way back in 1977. That Armani suit was getting a little tight around the middle that last time you had it on, and if we’re honest, that bomber jacket always looked ridiculous, to say nothing of that pair of aviators.
Like how we’re piling one cliché on top of another? Please don’t take the following too seriously. It’s definitely a not-so-serious look at the world of “average” Breitling wearers. You might even recall how we recently did the same thing for Rolex fans, Omega wearers, and Seiko adorers.
Super Avenger Chronograph 48 mm: Size Matters
Remember those jocks in high school who were really good at their respective sports and then didn’t make the team when they tried to walk on in college? That’s kind of what it’s like with you and other Breitling wearers. When the guidance counselor in school asked what you wanted to be when you grew up, you knew right away: “A pilot!” There was “a need for speed” in your blood, and you wanted to soar through the skies in a fighter jet just like in your favorite flick Iron Eagle or in an F-14 Tomcat as Tom Cruise’s wingman in your other favorite, Top Gun.
But something wasn’t quite right. In his role as Maverick, Cruise wore a (yawn) Porsche Design Orfina. This made it clear to you that real men and pilots are Breitling wearers. Big, heavy, and unbelievably robust, now that’s a wristwatch. Then came your aptitude test for the US Air Force. As it turned out, the closest you would ever come to sitting in the cockpit of a fighter jet would be at the local arcade.
But that was never going to slow you down. You love your freedom, even if it wouldn’t take you up in the air. You were never going to settle for a measly career in accounting. You’re an engineer these days, and yes, you’ve still got your feet planted firmly on the ground. After work and on the weekend, you enjoy hanging out with your buddies, occasionally cruising off into the sunset on your well-maintained Harley Davidson.
While your career as a pilot never took off, your watch dreams did come true. Just look at that black titanium Breitling Super Avenger Chronograph 48 Night Mission on your wrist. Sure, it’s way out of proportion for just about every wrist, but it’s the perfect reflection of your self-confidence. You’re proud to show off this clunker and its Breitling “look at me” attitude to everyone you encounter during your busy day. Heck, you don’t even need to take off your gloves to operate the chronograph. You’re a Breitling wearer through-and-through who’s fascinated time and again by the brand’s promise of perfect performance, along with this massive watch’s unbelievable legibility. If only you could experience it while flying through the stratosphere at Mach 5…
The Navitimer: The Slide Rule for Yesterday’s Heroes
Being a wearer of a classic Breitling Navitimer Chronograph places you in the same category as the Super Avenger, with an added touch of nostalgia. Just like your dad and granddad before him, you swear by this baffling, entirely archaic measuring instrument. You can’t get enough of its famous slide rule that neither you nor your ancestors could ever really understand, to say nothing of actually ever being able to use it.
But hey, ever since graduating from high school about 30 years back, you know that a slide rule lets you do things like multiply, divide, and even determine square roots. Truth be told, you’ve never really needed these features. If you ever have to perform a simple calculation at work, you turn to your smartphone or trusty calculator (speaking of relics from technological yesteryear). None of this really matters to you because the most important thing as a dyed-in-the-wool Breitling wearer is grandpa’s legacy, the brand name, and the signature Breitling design. And you also know that most of the folks around you recognize your Breitling on the spot, making clear just what kind of guy you truly are.
Grandpa died a few decades back, and his Breitling Navitimer has since been in the caring hands of your dad. As you try to operate the Navitimer’s slide rule bezel for the first time, you come to the sudden realization: Dad has two of these watches! You turn the slide rule again (that bidirectional action is really something): In the not-so-distant future, you’ll have three Breitling watches to call your own. But wait, there’s your son waiting in the wings. Dagnabbit, he’s probably going to sell off these heirlooms someday to buy a Sinn 903 for himself. Now that’s a smart calculation!
The Endurance Pro Ironman®: Hawaiian Aspirations
You’ve been an athlete from your youth and are a fierce competitor. You push yourself to new heights all the time, as your friends and acquaintances never tire of hearing. Back on your high school teams, it was a continuous stream of all-county and all-state accolades. I mean, if there had been even higher awards, you would have taken them home, too. Even these days, there’s nary a marathon you don’t take part in, and your free time is crammed with sports activities of the superlative. You start your workday at the latest at 6 AM after your daily 10K run through the woods (no matter the weather). Whenever you’re not swimming, mountain biking, or setting new distance records for jogging, you enjoy the occasional survival training to really get that extra sense of what it’s like to live on the edge.
Your ultimate dream is to participate in the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii to show what you’re made of. And with your Breitling Endurance Pro Ironman®, you’ve already made the right watch choice. Searching on your smartphone during your indoor cycling workout in the middle of your living room for the best way to get to Hawaii, you can already feel that trophy in your hands. Suddenly, however, you feel something stopping you from taking that last step. Maybe you aren’t in good enough shape to be included among the elite of professional athletics. Or perhaps it’s that guy you graduated with, who was recently on Instagram showing off his medals from the eight triathlons he completed in this past year alone.
In any case, your ultra-light Endurance Pro Ironman® will guide you through your day with SuperQuartz™ accuracy, no matter what level of physical intensity your activities require. Never stop dreaming of that ultimate competition in Hawaii, even if the most athletic thing you ever do there is down a cocktail or two on Waikiki beach.
The Top Time: For Dreamers of V8 Yesteryear
You fondly remember your rebellious 1990s years when you had a thing for 1960s muscle cars. You were enamored by the design, performance, and roar of these V8 beasts and still are to this day. You’ve been dreaming for decades of purchasing a Chevy Corvette, a Ford Mustang, or Shelby Cobra – to no avail because your family obligations and today’s trend toward a CO2-neutral world keep foiling your plans.
The mortgage, private school tuition, and brand-name cat and dog food are what gobble up your money these days. Want to see where else it goes? Well, take a quick glance into your wife’s closet. If you add all this stuff up, you’ll probably see the monetary equivalent of about half a muscle car in there, and you haven’t even gotten to all those handbags. As the years pass, your V8 dreams fade. You’ve also heard that the prices for these automotive classics (just like luxury watches) are going through the roof.
Isn’t it nice that Breitling has kept guys like you in mind? Before your dream of retirement comes true, why not invest a few thousand in one of the new Top Time models Breitling introduced in 2021? Whether it’s a Shelby, Mustang, or Corvette, take your pick of one of these three watches whose designs pay tribute to these automotive legends. A quick look at your bank account gives you the green light, pending approval from the gal with all those handbags and abundant clothing, of course. As soon as you’ve got one of these extraordinary timepieces on your wrist, there’s only one thing left that might still get under your skin: There’s someone out there cruising around in one of the cars your watch is paying tribute to.
Conclusion
I know, I know, we overdid it a bit in this article. But as you probably realize, there’s always a kernel of truth to every cliché. By the way, did you know that Breitling’s CEO Georges Kern has acknowledged the brand’s clichés we’re talking about here? As a result, Breitling has been focusing its marketing efforts on women for some time now. According to Breitling, men’s watches like the Top Time chronographs are also suitable for ladies’ wrists. Although that might be taking things a bit too far, the 38-mm Superocean Heritage ’57 Pastel Paradise actually is an excellent choice for women (if you’ll excuse yet another cliché). No matter what watch you choose, enjoy your Breitling!
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