Not a huge fan of Breitling my self, my wristsize is way to small to accommendate these huge cases and for my taste there's too much going on with the dial. In other words it is too cluttererd.
I completely agree it is a stunning watch to behold in all its simplicity, again though as stated above I fail to wear these huge watches.
Now here's a brand I can get behind and support. Got a 176M TI my self, awesome watch, love the manual wind on it. Also have a 286J auto, works flawlessly after a proper service, but it is a keeper. And I know what you mean by "there's too many PAM's to chose from", it is like walking into the proverbial minefield. I am seriously contemplating a 177M myself and the new 187 Sub. As for the automatic, never steered me wrong once yet, knock on wood, and I have quite a few - 7750 Valjoux reps lying around.
...every man needs his roller, enough said.