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"Gone Squad" representative...

13K views 103 replies 22 participants last post by  Hunterfate 
#1 · (Edited)
;-)
Best,
Ron





 
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#57 · (Edited)
Found an old snapshot from 1991 and scanned it this morning for a pic to post. Co-pilot snapped this as I was slipping into a nice tight formation for a photo shoot (2nd pic) from another O-2. b-) I think the gunsite makes for a fair representation of a "Gone Squad" image... ;-)
Best,
Ron





Oh, almost forgot. :roll: Here is the watch I was wearing at the time... :)

 
#70 ·
In another thread here regarding the loss of the "Wings" logo I posted the following... (salient points italicized)

I contend it is more a cost cutting measure by Kerns (to help monetize the company for eventual sale) under the guise of rebranding as a new age conservator of the environment. Each and every one of those applied wings was either yellow, red or white 18K gold stamp/cut from a long strip of the metal and hand applied to its dial. Easy deletion from the Kerns spreadsheet no doubt. Speculating, I would also not be surprised to see the famous Pilot and Navitimer bracelets disappear in favor of less complex 3 segment per link styled bracelets like the Pro III or many other watch brands. Just my /02 worth... :roll::rodekaarto|o|
Ron

 
#71 ·
In another thread here regarding the loss of the "Wings" logo I posted the following... (salient points italicized)

I contend it is more a cost cutting measure by Kerns (to help monetize the company for eventual sale) under the guise of rebranding as a new age conservator of the environment. Each and every one of those applied wings was either yellow, red or white 18K gold stamp/cut from a long strip of the metal and hand applied to its dial. Easy deletion from the Kerns spreadsheet no doubt. Speculating, I would also not be surprised to see the famous Pilot and Navitimer bracelets disappear in favor of less complex 3 segment per link styled bracelets like the Pro III or many other watch brands. Just my /02 worth... :roll::rodekaarto|o|
Ron
Yes sir. The indicators are all there, my friend. :rodekaart
 
#72 ·
Watching this past weekend's Red Bull Air Race it was painfully obvious that Mika Brageot's contract with Breitling was unceremoniously dumped with Kern's arrival. ( 11 Racing - Mika Brageot - Mika Brageot - 11 Racing ) At least his new paint scheme looks better IMO than the scrufty paint job Breitling applied to the MXR-S last year...





 
#76 · (Edited)
Just some extraneous thoughts...

Maybe some swag should be offered for sale with a winged Breitling logo that features the dates 1884-2017.
Also, in the Breitling Fake Busters sticky, perhaps some consideration (sarcasm here) should be given to classifying the Kearn regime, non-winged logo Breitling facsimiles, as "homage" watches. Kinda like the new Smiths and Precistas they're putting out. Maybe even give the new homage Breitlings their own separate forum sub section. :-!
 
#78 · (Edited)
Yes. Yes, I have. |>
I once worked with a guy who was the living, breathing, personification of the camp fire scene. Although, in all honesty, the camp fire scene failed to do his "talents" justice..
 
#83 · (Edited)
As evidenced by the paint scheme on this ex-Breitling Wingwalker's machine, here is an absolute certain member...
I'm just happy for the wingwalker team that they are still flyin'. I don't see a major sponsor on the aircraft, and their site https://the-flying-circus.co.uk/ still has photos with the Breitling branding. That said, I wish them all the best landing a new first-rate sponsor! There's actually a tab on the site for becoming their sponsor. I'd have posted the link, but I'll error in caution about possibly promoting their business inappropriately on the forum.
 
#86 ·
#90 ·
I am disturbed by this thread. Breitling is one of my favorite watch companies, and a Superocean 42 is a watch I hope to own someday. Having said that, I think the changes are a huge mistake.

As I type this, I am wearing a Bulova Sea King with an ultra high frequency movement, accurate to within +/-10 seconds per year, and rated for water resistance to 300m. It had a normal retail price of $799, and I bought it on clearance at $419 when it became a discontinued model. If we compare this watch to the closest equivalent Breitling product, the Colt Quartz, the Breitling is significantly more expensive. What is the difference between the two watches? The trademark on the dial, and whatever that trademark stands for.

The second part - what the trademark stands for - is what has - at least up until now and hopefully going forward - made Breitling one of the few luxury watches that I have regarded as worth the hard-earned, finite, after-tax dollars that they cost. I am well aware that Breitling's tagline "Instruments for professionals" has been more than just marketing, and is backed by history.

Why is "instruments for professionals" important? I am not a professional diver, but I am an occasional recreational diver. I once knew another diver who had a regulator quit working 100 feet underwater and 20 feet into a shipwreck. That diver made it back to the surface, but the ascent could not have been fun.

"Instruments for professionals" means making equipment for people who will experience potentially severe consequences if that equipment fails. If a dive computer quits working, the dive watch (and having checked the time and dive tables before beginning the dive) can get one through the rest of the dive. When one pays for a Breitling, that is what one hopes to be paying for - equipment that is designed very well, put through rigorous QC, and is very highly unlikely to fail.

The change in marketing seems to reflect a change in emphasis away from "instruments for professionals." I hope the marketing does not reflect a change in the mission statement. I would not want to see Breitling to become like the many other companies that see no problem with charging thousands of dollars for a supposedly water resistant watch with a push-pull crown.

If the emphasis is not on "instruments for professionals," then what becomes of the difference between a Colt Quartz and my Bulova? If one really wants an instrument for professionals, would one then be better off spending $2,000 on a Resco (company owned by a Navy SEAL, but a much newer company), than $3,000-$4,000 on a Breitling?

Breitling's reputation has taken decades to develop, but can be destroyed in much less time if they do not maintain it.

I also cannot understand the sudden issue with advertising that "objectifies women." Most Breitling watches are directed towards men. The few that they make for women are exactly what I would have bought for my wife before I had any understanding of what she likes in a watch. The former Breitling wingwalkers display some serious physical and mental skill on the part of the women involved, certainly respectable and hardly objectification.

I hope Breitling is reading this thread and taking it into account. I'd like to be able to justify buying that Superocean someday.
 
#91 ·
I hope Breitling is reading this thread and taking it into account. I'd like to be able to justify buying that Superocean someday.
Not gonna happen. People like Kearn always think they're smarter than anybody else. Hopefully, in the not so distant future, Kearn will be out of a job wondering what happened.
 
#92 ·
Gone: Let this one go several weeks ago as a step toward re-configuring the collection with pieces I plan to keep permanently, but I had to grieve for awhile before deleting it from my profile. :-( It will be replaced by another Breitling :-!

Wrist Watch Fashion accessory Hand Jewellery
 
#93 ·
Gone: Let this one go several weeks ago as a step toward re-configuring the collection with pieces I plan to keep permanently, but I had to grieve for awhile before deleting it from my profile. :-( It will be replaced by another Breitling :-!

View attachment 13230155
That is so gorgeous and of course it prompts me to post Don Indiano's beautiful pic of his Chronomat which I think is pretty close to being a twin...

 
#96 ·
Yes. It is Kern...If you're up for it, do an image search of "sexy Breitling Norton motorcycles" and find the advertisement pic with the Breitling branding toward the bottom and the girl in a red outfit with black boots and checkered thigh high stockings standing in front of the bike with her bottom hanging out. I have been wanting to insert it or a link to it in order to point out Kern's misogyny or double-talk, whichever the case may be, since the start of all this but have restrained myself so I didn't break the rules or push the boundaries too far.
 
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