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Review of Breitling Skyland v2


By-Tor

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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".

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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.)

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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. 

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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.

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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!

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Bloody hell BT, posted at 4am....now that is commitment!

Another fabulous personal review, my friend! :thumbsupsmileyanim:

Without going over whats already been covered, I think you just about summed it up. Some watches

which are a "must have" don't necessarily agree with you, once you own it. Christ, if only I had this advice

before spunking "x" amount of cash of watches over the years! lol

The photos are breathtaking - you've really captured the highlights of the watch. I think i even felt a little pining for it! :wub:

I'm so happy that you've found yourself liking it though, and that you've gone to the trouble of "publicising" it.

No doubt a large number of emails will be sent to dealers requesting this Ling, following this review....

Congrats BT, wear it well :D

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Glad you are enjoying the Skyland BT. It certainly isn't the kind of watch that you would want to wear 24/7, but when you wear it occasionally it feels great every time you put it on. It certainly demands attention and gives you a manly feeling.

Thanks for the pics and the excellent pics and review, made my morning commute fly by!

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Guest ThePhilosopher

Hmmm - I like it quite a bit. I'm currently on a strap kick (trying to get away from bracelets, or at least have options), but this is another tempting Breitling.

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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?

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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.

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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. :D

PS: According to my research v3 is just v1 with fixed '3 lume dot.

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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.

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BT, the guys that I've talked to that have actually owned both tend to concede that both versions have their advantages, the v2's advantages just happen to be more visual. The obvious difference in the 1's, the pearl is slightly better, and of course the v3 was behind the 8 ball from the beginning because of the half lume dot. The v3's strong points are less evident, but equally as important. Proper date stamp between the lugs, better caseback, and most importantly, a fully decorated movement and rotor. Is the v2 AR better? Maybe, but I can say that the v3 AR is pretty damned good as well. Heck, most people can't tell the difference with macro pics, so in my eyes it's not even worth the debate. Both are excellent.

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Nicely done. The Skyland reviews have been beaten to death, but each one can deliver another different take and perspective. With all the catalogs of older info, its good to have a fresh take on a watch that requires the homework of a professional hitman to pull the trigger on confidently.

There's so much about the Skyland that makes it more than the sum of all its clumsy parts. It wears smaller and humbler than a big shiny watch should. If I could get KB to click his heels 3 times and turn any one of my reps into a gen, i'd pick this one.

Excellent photography! :thumbsupsmileyanim:

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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.

I got k2222 AR on my v3. It's amazing, as you'd expect.

http://pugwash.info/posts/breitling/skyland-11-640.jpg

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I got k2222 AR on my v3. It's amazing, as you'd expect.

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Your lume markers are excellent. :good:

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

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