Introduction

With the new Breitling Replica Avenger collection, the Swiss brand unexpectedly completes the offering by updating the ninth pillar of the range and reinforcing the link with modern aviation. The Avenger models have always been the bridge between the more traditional and commercial models (Chronomat) and the professional ones such as Aerospace and Emergency since the nineties, and add more advanced technical specifications to the characteristic features of the Chronomat collection: larger dimensions, combination of new materials and superior water resistance.

When there were Avenger and Super Avenger

Those who in the past wanted a more professional Chronomat opted for the Avenger chronograph (43 or 45mm) or Super Avenger (48mm), automatic mechanical with extra-large caliber 12 caliber, or chose the time-only Avenger Seawolf, capable of resisting the corresponding pressure at 3,000 meters deep, recognizable above all in its lively yellow livery, an option also available with the new collection.

The link with Patrouille Suisse

In recent history, there is no shortage of limited edition versions which confirm, for example, the link with the Patrouille Suisse; a pleasant commemorative series dates back to 2019 which celebrated its 55th anniversary. The Swiss aerobatic team is still at the center of the renovation project and is the aeronautical partner of the collection.

Breitling has renewed the entire range by presenting a chronograph, a GMT and a single time and it is in this order that we tell them because the chronograph represents, aesthetically and technically, the biggest revolution in the Avenger house.

Breitling Avenger B01 Chronograph 44

With the new Chronomat whose aesthetics have moved away from the style of the origins, especially in the design of the case which we believe is now less identifying than in the past, in our opinion Breitling have understood that the classic chronograph with the knights on the bezel is a formidable promoter of brand personality and, tastes permitting, an undeniable element of distinction. It was simply necessary to reinterpret that concept, freeing it from the excesses that characterized the old collections, and that is what was done.

The return of the knights

The new Breitling Avenger Chronograph is the best expression of that aesthetic concept that one could desire today and brings together the previous Avenger and Super Avenger in a single proposal. From the Chronomat it adopts the B01 manufacture caliber and from the outgoing Avenger collection it drains everything that the design, already simplified and aesthetically lighter at the time compared to the Chronomat, could offer.

The bezel screams “Breitling” at first glance, and that’s a good thing considering how many three-counter chronographs the market offers and how difficult it is to stand out today; the satin finish smoothes out the excesses of a design that originally dates back to the eighties and objectively needed to be updated.

The designers have done an excellent job and the new rectangular-shaped chrono buttons add a contemporary and sporty touch, breaking the excessive classicism of the Avenger of the past.

It is imposing but very well proportioned

The overall perception, looking at the press photos and the watches on the wrist, is of a well-proportioned chronograph, with an optimal arrangement and size of the registers which gives a feeling of overall balance, even more so if you evaluate the dimensions (and weight).

In fact, the 44.0 mm case diameter corresponds to a thickness of 15.2 mm. The Breitling Avenger B01 Chronograph 44 is not a light watch, because it weighs over 180 grams in the steel version, with the strap (it easily exceeds 200 grams if the bracelet is fitted).

As the name suggests, the Breitling Avenger B01 Chronograph 44 features the B01 manufacture caliber inside a case that is waterproof to a depth of 300 metres, confirming the watch’s high technical specifications.

New colors for the dial

The new Avenger Chronograph takes up the legacy of the Chronomat B01 and remains the only representative of the hard and pure, old-school Breitling sports chronograph.

The new color palettes for the dial (blue, green, sand) enhance the personality of the watch and make it particularly pleasant.

To the classic steel versions, which represent the backbone of the offering, Breitling pairs two new Night Mission editions equipped for the first time with an entirely ceramic case, in which the crown, chrono buttons and case back are in titanium.

They are characterized by large Arabic numerals (and high luminescence), replacing the baton indices present on the steel versions. Furthermore, the Night Mission models are significantly lighter weighing just 107.7 grams.

It is interesting to note the differences between the case back of the steel model and the ceramic model. In the first case the closure is of the “Super Compressor” type, in the second there are six additional screws, evidently required by the mixed ceramic and titanium solution.

Consequently, service operations also require different tools. Notice, at the bottom left of the Night Mission version, the Patrouille Suisse logo.

Prices of the new Breitling Avenger B01 Chronograph

The price reflects the average price of a chronograph with caliber B01. The steel versions cost 7,600 Euros on the strap and 7,900 Euros in the version with the bracelet, Breitling’s classic three inclined links. The Night Mission models cost 8,900 Euros in the version with yellow dial and 9,100 Euros in the version with the carbon fiber dial.

Avenger Automatic GMT 44 and Automatic 42

In the entry range, the brand presents a single time and a GMT equally redesigned and repositioned.

The GMT version is an absolute novelty and is the result of a strategy that aims to occupy all the main collections with a model for travelers (in fact, there are also Chronomat GMT and Navitimer GMT).

The Solo Tempo is the spiritual heir of the Solo Tempo Avenger that was, as there is reasonably no room for a Seawolf model, given that today Breitling groups its professional diving watches within the Superocean collection.

The dimensions

The Time Only measures 42.00 mm by 12.15 mm in diameter, the GMT model measures 44.00 mm by 12.05 mm in thickness.

Basically, they marry the family feeling of the chronograph and the design of its bezel; the tangible difference between the two is that on the GMT models the 24-hour numbering is contrasting and the bezel is obviously bidirectional whereas the time-only bezel is unidirectional rotatable with a 60-minute scale.

These models are also waterproof to 300 meters and are certified as Chronometer by COSC like the chronograph, confirming Breitling’s historic commitment to offering the majority of its watches with the certified precision of a chronometer.

The price of entry-level Avenger models

The only point that could be made is the absence of a manufacturing movement; the calibers coded as Breitling 32 and Breitling 17 are the declination of supply movements and for a brand that offers a chronograph of this stature, universally recognized as one of the most robust and efficient movements in the industry, it leaves a little disappointed.

It is surprising that the brand has not yet presented its own time-only movement and, in comparing the value-price ratios of the proposals, the chronograph largely wins the challenge if we consider that an Avenger GMT has a price list of 5,400 Euros and the time-only one of 4,400 Euros (4,700 with bracelet).

Final thoughts

The last webcast of the year didn’t just reveal a new collection; It demonstrates how Breitling is moving closer to its origins as a manufacturer of contemporary and historic aviation watches, a concept that Georges Kern reinforced during the presentation.

Avenger Chrono reaffirms the centrality of the brand among manufacturers of sports, high-performance aeronautical-inspired chronographs and brings back a familiar and original aesthetic model. It simply needed to be updated and the design team completed, as anticipated, an excellent job.

The prices of the chronograph are in line with specifications and perceived quality, all that is missing is a “Patrouille Suisse” model that gives the collection that definitive hype rate shown on Navitimer and Chronomat.

The GMT and time-only models are less exciting in terms of pure product novelty but are functional to completing the range and benefit from all the aesthetic upgrades of the collection; in this case we are expecting a manufacturing-only movement, especially in light of the current list price which seems to us to be dictated more by a logic of brand positioning than by pure product specifications.