Reviewing the New-Look Breitling Colt
As a matter of fact, Breitling’s modern take on the decades-old Colt is true to the original, with features that have become hallmarks of the brand. Thus, from our archives, here’s a hands-on review of the new-look Breitling Colt.
In fact, Breitling revamped its entry-level Colt collection last year with a firm nod to the original series, introduced in the 1980s. Nevertheless, like the Chronomat and the Navitimer, the Colt was conceived as a military watch, with an emphasis on reliability and readability.
Hence its 24-hour scale, aviator-style dial, and broad, its unidirectional bezel come to define the unmistakable look of Breitling watches. Although, the new collection becomes true to the original right down to the movements.
Correspondingly, most of the new models contain quartz calibers, which dominated the watch world at the time of the Colt’s debut. So, we decided to test the sole mechanical version, with an automatic ETA caliber. Thus, Breitling used also an ETA movement for the original series.
Breitling Colt – screw-down crown and a unidirectional bezel.
The new Colt replicates the old model’s screwable crown with protectors on both sides, pilot-style Arabic numerals and a unidirectional bezel with engraved notches and raised cursors at the quarter hours.
These cursors improve the grip on the bezel, making it easy to rotate even when you’re wearing gloves. They have become a characteristic feature of Breitling watches.
On the new Colt, the markings are precisely engraved into the satin-finished bezel, which slopes gently downward toward the rim.
The bezel clicks through 120 steps compared to the 60 notches on the bezel of the Colt Super-ocean, even though the additional steps aren’t necessary for to-the-minute setting of a dive’s start time.
The new Colt Automatic also repeats the Superocean’s 24-hour scale and rare 1/100s-hour scale, described as an “aeronautic hundredths scale.”
Reviewing the New-Look Breitling Colt
The Movement is a chronometer-certified ETA 2824-2
The Colt Automatic’s 200-meter water resistance falls short of the earlier model’s 1,000-meter depth rating, but still offers plenty of water resistance for a divers’ watch.
A sturdy, stainless steel case with a double insulated back helps keep the watch intact in deep dives. The Professional III stainless-steel bracelet is equipped with a safety catch and a folding clasp that hinges open on one side.
The bracelet, the Professional III, can be adjusted at the clasp or by removing screwed links at either end of the clasp. The watch can also be worn on a leather strap or on either an Ocean Racer or Diver Pro rubber strap.
Any of these would make the watch lighter than the 194 grams it weighs on a stainless-steel bracelet. (Despite being relatively heavy, the watch is quite comfortable to wear.) The leather strap is pleasantly supple, but its buckle seems a bit rickety.
In its guise as Breitling Caliber 17, the ETA 2824-2 in the new Colt is only moderately adorned but has earned chronometer certification.
The Colt’s average rate become almost entirely free of deviations when tested on our electronic timing machine with the mainspring fully wound and after running for 24 hours. On the wrist, the watch ran 1 second slow.
This slight sluggishness persisted day after day, but the 1-second deviation falls within the chronometric tolerance range.
Notably, there exists a large difference between the rates with dial-up and crown down after the watch had run for 24 hours.
We also noted a difference in the amplitudes, which in the hanging positions declined by nearly 60 degrees within the span of one day. That is a large dip, but the average rate remained unaffected by the decrease and is commendable overall.
However, the dial shows everything the ETA Caliber 2824-2 offers, including hour, minute, sweep seconds hand and date, but the Colt can perform additional functions.
Just inside the hour ring comes another scale, calibrated from 13 to 24, recalling Breitling’s heritage as a maker of aviator watches and their standard 24-hour scales.
On the flange at the perimeter of the dial, there is a scale that divides an hour into 100 units, each unit, 36 seconds long, known also as an “industrial” minute.
As a result, this type of time measurement has also various industrial applications, including denoting working hours. For example, three hours and 15 minutes, express better 3.25 hours rather than as 3:15.
The watch indicates the minutes and seconds on a railroad-style track. The slim second’s hand, with an arrowhead tip, is the same length as the straight, faceted minutes hand.
Additionally, the tip of the hour hand extends just far enough to reach the inner edges of the hour indexes at 6 and 9 o’clock, which are larger than the rest.
The hour and minutes hands, indexes and orientation point on the bezel all glow brightly green in the dark.
Moreover, the arrowhead tip on the second’s hand comes skeletonized in order to allow its green glow to shine through when it sweeps over the luminous hour indexes.
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Reviewing the New-Look Breitling Colt
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The indexes and hands, generously coated with Super-LumiNova.
Notably, the time is clearly legible thanks to the watch’s clear, minimalist styling and the nonreflective coating on both sides of the crystal. But, the pale hour markers and hands contrast boldly against the background of the dial, which on our tested model was blue (the watch is also available with black or silver dial).
This watch dial comes decorated with the brand logo, model name, and information about water resistance. The date is shown in a window at 3 o’clock. To accommodate this window and its frame, the numeral 15 on the 24-hour scale shits toward the center, and there is no hour index at the 3 o’clock position.
Neither of these adjustments affects daytime or nighttime legibility. From 1990s Breitling Colt Superocean used a similar format.
The Colt has appealed to a wide audience for the past two decades with its robustness, functionality and excellent legibility.
By replicating these features on the new Colt Automatic, Breitling will no doubt perpetuate its popularity.
Reviewing the New-Look Breitling Colt
Technical Specifications:
- Manufacturer: Breitling AG, Schlachthausstrasse 2, CH-2540, Grenchen, Switzerland
- Reference number: A1738811/C906/173A
- Functions: Hours, minutes, central seconds, date, 24-hour and 1/100s-hour scale, rotating bezel
- Movement: Automatic, Breitling Caliber 17 based on the ETA 2824-2, COSC certified.
- 49-hour power reserve
- Glucydur balance
- Frequency of 28,800 vph
- Etachron fine adjustment
- Incabloc shock absorption
- Contains 25 rubies
- Diameter = 25.6 mm
- Case height = 4.6 mm
- Case: Stainless steel, sapphire crystal with a nonreflective coating on both sides, solid caseback, water resistant to 200 m
- Bracelet and clasp: Stainless-steel Professional III bracelet, folding clasp with safety catch
- Rate results:
- Deviations in seconds per 24 hours
- (Fully wound / after 24 hours)
- Dial up -2.3 / -3.8
- Dial down +3.3 / -0.4
- Crown up -1.2 / -1.9
- The Crown down +1.4 / +8.5
- Crown left -1.1 / -1.4
- Greatest deviation of rate 5.6 / 12.3
- Average deviation 0.0 / +0.2
- Average amplitude:
- Flat positions 316° / 357°
- Hanging positions 288° / 230°
- Dimensions: Diameter = 44.3 mm, height = 11.6 mm, weight = 194 g
- Variations: Gray or silver-colored dial, rubber Ocean Racer or Diver Pro straps
- Price: $3,525
This article originally appeared in WatchTime Magazine : Basic Breitling: Reviewing the New-Look Breitling Colt
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