By-Tor

Wearing my old stunner SMP Chrono.

The black is probably the least appealing color (for me). Don't get me wrong, it's amazing too... Fish is always amazing, but blue is very unique blue... and silver is just absolutely stunning. Black is classic of course but it's the least "unique" to me. Still, very few watches have "hit" me like the gen blue Fish. Not all Breitling blue dials are as nice. For example Skyland and Super Avenger... they're not that special in blue (just imho). It's the Guillouche that does it.

I meant the blue ones are difficult to find for sale preowned in the WUS/TZ sales forums. I see lots of blacks and silvers. Most are black as it's apparently the most popular dial color. That's probably where all the blues are... on the AD stands.

Stunning review. I will have to update all my brand guides and add the links when these posts enter the R&R section.

When I was looking for a gen, it was really tough to find a good blue version. I find that surprising because blue is imho the best looking dial of them all... but that's me being a blue dial freak I guess. Blacks and whites are everywhere. That's why I linked this one.

If someone's looking for a gen blue Fish, the deal can't get much better than this: http://www.breitlingsource.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=17806 Blue dial Fish is pretty rare so I posted this if someone might want to join the club. I would have bought it if I already didn't have one. This is 2009 version with the arrow seconds hand... pretty damn nice to my eye. PS: I have no idea about the seller, this was just something I ran across.

Actually I considered the blacksteel version myself but decided that I prefer the standard one. But I actually prefer this one over the standard version with a strap. This is very sporty and I can totally understand the attraction. But it's the bracelet that does it for me, I'm a bracelet guy. But then again this definitely a great replication and a great addition to any Breitling collection. Your pictures captured the coating perfectly.

If you can put the bezel and crown on (loosely is enough) it'll be easier to say.

Great work man! By the way, this is where you see the huge difference between rep and gen dials. Like I mentioned in another thread, my gen Aquaracer chrono has utterly AMAZING dial details, even in macro shots. It's very impressive. But when I shoot macros of the rep dials I always want to just delete the photos instantly. Of course, when a human eye can't see the details it doesn't matter, really. It's just an observation.

Indeed they are. Their designs are the most adventurous of the "big brands" as well. Something like Grand Carrera and SLR might not be everyone's cup of tea but at least they're original. I love TAG Heuer as a brand. The cheap quartz line won't take anything away from their prime models. My Aquaracer chrono has amazing dial details, absolutely perfect tolerances on bracelet, lugs, SELs, bezel, brushing, etc. The finish rivals Rolex any day.

This was great Those messages are the funniest damn thing I've read in a while. I bet it's the same guy writing them all.

Your lume markers are excellent. @Hackr: What's that blue dial (gen) version (the 2nd picture)? It has different dial print. Older Skyland?

Sure. I found this gen wristie and mocked it up.

Congrats!

Another day, another wrist check. Spending my morning with this hyperactive little bugger, waiting for the mom to awake so I can hit the gym... wearing my SMP.

No layers needed my friend. It took me about 60 seconds to do with the lasso tool (+ contrast/brightness/color balance).

Just saw this at Joshua's site. I have no idea how accurate it is, but at least it's different. http://www.perfect-hour.com/aps01001-royal-survivor-dlcceramicru-a7750-p-8149.html

I understand. Creating a working tourbillon movement is quite a feat itself. Imagine that there are still many people who seriously believe that the best reps of today are assembled and constructed by 10-year old children in dark basements. Enjoy!

Yes. I just did it... in Photoshop. I also made a full gold Fish. Damn that's... well... something.

Hey, I got exact same feeling when I was browsing my old photobucket. Found a few pictures of reps that I had already forgotten.

I don't know if it's a "shame". v3 has some other advantages over v2 I believe. I think the main difference is AR, which is much better on v2 (according to my sources). It's just as nice as on my gen Fish. Check this Yodap's comparison article. It explains it all.

Thanks Pugs. You can easily spot the v2 from number 1 of "15" on the bezel. It's inaccurate on v1/v3. This photo explains it: v2 & gen "1" on the left, v1/v3 on the right. I also noticed that v1/v3 crown isn't as nice, and the pushers are more protruded. Very minor stuff though... but I made my homework. PS: According to my research v3 is just v1 with fixed '3 lume dot.

Thanks Gentlemen. This pictorial was exceptionally fun to make. It's a weird watch. Like I said, I wasn't too crazy about this model when it came out. It looked just "another Breitling". If you compare the design to say, Chrono Avenger, it's almost similar. Another reason is that I never saw many attractive photos of this watch. It's not very photogenic I guess. These Condemore's shots finally "transformed" me. PS: It would be interesting to hear about the reason why the "old school guys" recommend v2 over v3. I asked around from a few guys and they all said that v2 is the one to get. But to my eye v3 looks just as good and accurate. Is it some sort of "feel" and build quality issue?

bklm1234

I don't think it's necessary to beat a dead horse and write a comprehensive review of Skyland as RWG Breitling section archive is FULL of them. Flaws This rep came out in '08 and there's nothing left to say. The "biggest" flaw is the lume application on '1, '2 and '4 markers. The fact is that you either get your Skyland rep with those markers badly or moderately screwed up. My watch definitely belongs to the latter category. The dots are very reasonable and the misalignment is almost impossible to see with naked eye. Rest of the markers are pretty much "rep perfect". Sure there are other flaws but they're very insignificant. The grey dial was actually lighter than I thought. Maybe the member pics are often contrasted or photographed in insufficient lighting? Factories used the grey one as an example so I guess the color is pretty close to the gen? I have never owned a grey dial watch before so this was welcome variation. Why v2? I asked around a few veteran members and a few Breitling enthusiasts in the community, and they all said the same: "v2 is the best version, get that one". The initial batches came with bad movements but mine has one from the newer production run. A decent one, according to Importr. Runs smoothly and has good PR. v3 is very good replication as well and has some advantages over v2. I don't bother to list them as Yodap has already written an excellent guide of the different versions. You can view it here. It would be interesting to hear different views on this matter, especially from people who have owned both. I guess you can't go wrong with either version. The size issue? Yes, Skyland is a big watch. Very thick and massive. But if you have a large wrist I would say you can pull it off. It's huge but not ridiculous by any means. This is how it looks on a '8 wrist. (Also notice how amazingly shiny the bracelet is after heavy Unipol metal polishing paste & car wax treatment. I spent a lot of time to clean up this watch and the results were very satisfactory. The bracelet shines like a mirror.) Everyone is familiar with the Steelfish. And it's big but not overly so. Skyland is almost the same size but Fish wears a bit smaller because it's thinner. But I don't think the difference is that big, really. If Fish looks good on you, I think you're good to go with Skyland. How about comparing it to Rolex Explorer II? Well... like I said, Skyland is a big watch. I disagree with people who say that it's impossible to wear smaller watches after getting used to XXL ones. I have no problem wearing my Explorer II after Skyland, it doesn't feel too small at all. Just different. Variety is the spice of life. Do I like it? That's the main question for us all, isn't it? It doesn't matter if the rep model is popular if it's not a watch for you. I just recently reviewed the beautiful and hugely popular graphite BCE and it didn't grab me at all. To be honest, I wasn't sure about Skyland, either. It always looked a bit clumsy and maybe even a bit plain, boring. The dial doesn't have the amazing "quillouche" that Steelfish has, and the the exaggerated thickness and polished bracelet made it look almost tasteless in my eyes. But on the other hand, that's exactly where the attraction is: Skyland is a bit gross and definitely very "Breitlingsque". I really like this new style of Pro bracelet and the recessed SELs combined with very high lugs create this watch a massive, masculine look. I would never call it a "beautiful watch" but Skyland has some sort of weird, unexplainable charm. Funny how I didn't like the polished bracelet on Navitimer and BCE at all, but find the Skyland bracelet very attractive. But then again the Blacksteel version doesn't do anything for me, and Skyland on a leather strap (which seems to be very popular combo) kills this watch completely, imho. I'm a steel man through and through. Different strokes... Summary I wanted another Breitling and I need at least some variation in my collection. Skyland is different enough, but still very much "my kind of sports watch". Andreww, Mickey Padge, P4GTR and others who said that I'd like this watch were right. I don't know why it took me almost 2 years to realize it. As I said, the only flaw worth mentioning is the lume at '1, '2 and '4 but even those are excellent on my watch (compared to average rep dials). The dial looks excellent unless you take a macro photograph of it. Untreated rep braclet felt really lousy, and even after heavy treatment (which improved it 200%) it's not like the gen Pro2 bracelet, which is actually one of the nicest bracelets out there. But it's very good rep bracelet when treated properly. I can't stress this enough... you HAVE to oil and polish it. The end result was good enough for me. If I ever want a perfect Skyland I'm sure I'll find one from TZ or WUS sales forums. Special thanks to my friend Importr. He said that the watch "was in excellent condition". He never mentioned that the new watch was brand new, in plastics... and a good rep example to boot. Once again it got proven: best reps come from fellow RWG veteran members... perfect QC, usually picked up from dealer previews of the actual watch, etc. One of the best reps ever and one of my best rep purchases ever... a keeper for sure. Thanks again!