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Newbie and Honor Flight Navitimer. Yes or no?

2K views 14 replies 10 participants last post by  gtopaul 
#1 ·
So I'll try to make this brief and get to the point. I am a total newbie to the Luxury watch world. This past weekend my wife and purchased a pair of Tag Heuers at a local jewelry store. Yes, this is a Breitling forum so I'll to get that part soon. We have always wanted some nice watches and thought these two would be a nice start.

Hers ...

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Mine ...

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Now, I have ALWAYS wanted a Breitling Navitimer but felt they were just too far out of my price range. But since I just dropped this $ on these two Tags I decided to stop by a local Breitling dealer and have a gander just to satisfy my curiosity. Well, not only did they have a great selection of Navitimers, but they had a few Limited Editions. One that immediately caught my attention was this 2014 Honor Flight LE one of 100.

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I am now seriously considering returning my Tag and really stretching myself for this one. My questions for all of you Breitling veterans are ...

1. How do I know what a reasonable price is for this, as I can't seem to find any price info online or even another example for sale?
2. Can I find the MSRP of all their models somewhere?
3. Can anyone here tell me if in fact this is a very hard to find model, and/or will be soon hard to find?
4. Would you jump on this opportunity if you had it? I feel like I should because all though I was comfortable waiting many years to have a chance for a Navitimer, my particular loce for this model and its exclusiveness is screaming at me that I should go after it.
5. Any other advice for a newbie?

Thanks in advance.
 
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#2 ·
I haven't a clue about MSRPs etc but if I were you, I'd get the Breitling. The TAG is nice but that LE is beautiful.......go and scrape some coppers from somewhere and do it!
And for complete honesty (and I don't want to put a downer on your new purchases).....your wife's TAG looks......bluhhhhhh......why don't you treat her to a Breitling too? Big Brownie points.
Cheers,
Andy
 
#3 ·
It's a navitimer. That would be enough for me to get it, if I were in the market. No idea on any of your questions but my advise is get the navi as resistance is useless. [emoji12]

Tag IMO are ok watches but I think they have lost there way to some extent on design. I don't want to upset anyone who loves the make, and it's only my opinion.[emoji8]. The navi has been around since the 1950s and like the omega Speedmaster has been in continuous production ever since. Ok, with various changes along the way.

There again, I am a Breitling man, so I am biased. I even wince at the thought of a Rolex! What would I know!
 
#4 · (Edited)
I wouldn't hesitate for a second to get the Honor Flight Navitimer -- it is an absolutely beautiful version of the Navitimer 01, and commemorates and supports an amazing cause. Of course, I'm speaking as a person who made this very decision myself about a year ago -- Honor Flight Navitimer LE. ;-) At the end of the day, you will have a unique edition of an iconic Breitling.

As far as pricing goes, based upon my own experience, the Honor Flight Navitimer was priced the same as the Navi 01, so you should use that as your guide (see Breitling's website for MSRP). I purchased mine from a Breitling Boutique, so there was no discounting. This was perfectly fine with me, since the proceeds were to be donated to the Honor Flight cause. Whether or not a discount might be available through your AD is something you'll just have to explore.

I don't think you'll ever be sorry if you pick up this piece. Let us know if you do! :)

Cheers,
Jim
 
#5 ·
I will try and answer some of your questions but please understand that I am somewhat bias as I too purchased one of the Honor FLight LE. The watch was issued in two limited editions runs, the first run was of 56 pieces, on the back was an engraving of the WWII memorial which was recently completed in Washington, DC. There was one watch for each state and an additional six watches, one for each territory of the US. These watches were released in November of 2013 on veterans day. I was able to obtain # 1/56 at the NYC boutique when they were first introduced. In 2014 a second limited edition of 100 pieces was introduced with a somewhat differnet dial and different case back. I know that Breitling was donating approximately $2000 from each watch to the Honor Flight Charity. For that reason I believe that they were priced the same as a regular navitimer, about $9000. The original 56 were sold mainly through the boutiques although some were made available to AD's, however there was no discounting regardless of who sold them. It is a beautiful watch and if you are interested in the original LE I know that Govbergs had one available used for a very good price. Good luck!
 
#6 ·
Thanks for the advice everyone, but I have a few more questions for you all if you will please enlighten me.

1. Other than this LE run being limited to only 100 due to the nature of the Honor Flight program, is there any significance to LE's that I am missing here? It just seems like Breitling has a great deal of LE's of varying quantities (including #'s into the thousands), and I am just beginning to think that this is done purely for marketing purposes.
2. Why aren't more LE's offered with sapphire backs to see the movements at work? Heck, my lowly Tag that I bought this weekend has one.

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CaptRimmer: I did try to get her into the Breitlings, but see just likes a more subtle and understated watch. I sent her this from the jewelers.

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I will make my decision by Saturday, and I will be sure to post the results here.
 
#7 ·
Yes, it does seem that there are quite a few LEs on offer. Barring different logo's/colours/movements etc, there isn't anything to differentiate. Some LEs do come with the display caseback and I'm sure I speak for a lot on here when I say "we wish Breitling did a lot more watches with a display caseback". It is a good marketing tool and people do like their individuality and the sense of being in an elite/limited club.
Best of luck with your decision and let us know how you jump.
Cheers,
Andy
 
#11 · (Edited)
Well, I went for it and am absolutely in love with it. It is amazingly comfortable, and I love the different hues of blue that will show on the dial depending on the light that hits it. It was a good hit financially for me as a 1st "nice" watch, especially since it was bought new, but it is the brand and model that I have wanted for many years. Thanks everyone for the advice.
 

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#14 · (Edited)
My simple advice is - don't do it unless you have the money to burn and burn is the key word here.
This is a hobby and hobbies cost $$$, some more and some less. This one can be $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

I'm a fan of Breitling Limited Editions, mainly for two reasons:
1. I like some of the subtle differentiating design elements of some of the LE's, even if it is just a simple logo on the dial, etc... Quite often these are small items close to my heart, some things that I have a special interest in or they mean something special to me. The key word here is "me".

2. I like knowing that only 1xx, 1xxx, 2xxx, whatever, have the exact same piece on their wrist in the whole world at the same time, tops. How much is that worth to you? Don't for one minute ask how much this is worth to others. Assume that it is not worth much extra to anyone.

I do not for one minute believe that a typical and I say it again TYPICAL Breitling Limited Edition will command extra $$$ in the secondary market.
It is not much different to buying a car, If a normal MRSP is in the region of $9K, expect not much more for it than $4.5K once you walk out the door, Limited Edition or not.
 
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