The Breitling Colt Automatic 44mm - A Watch for all Seasons

Why pen my thoughts on this watch after the horse has bolted! Lets face it, the latest variation has been out for well over a year or so!
Well I guess I like writing stuff about things I like and secondly I truly think this is an extraordinary watch. Not for everybody - nothing is, but for a wider range then one would think. No wonder its continuously so popular!

Unfortunately my budget did not extend as far as I would have liked but was looking for a treat to get something in the lower mid-range, and I had sold some camera equipment and previous watches to get the funds! The mid range is interesting. I would define this segment as the £2k to £10k range but others will have other views. It's where watch aficionados and hobbyists who are not billionaires operate. It's buyers demanding something more then the basic Swiss automatic. The subtle, durable and/or technical spheres are expected to provide something special, something unique, stopping short of the high end where esoteric things, such as exotic metals, skeletons or suchlike are sought after.

It's a tough arena for the manufacturers as they can't design down to the lowest budget but on the other hand don't have a free hand to design whatever they want. So each mid-range manufacturer does it differently. Tudor has revised its back catalogue with some lovely classics and thrown in a bronze beauty, mixed with the high tech break with the past - the north flag being a good example. Omega has the everlasting Seamasters, Speedmasters, Constellations and De Villes - a lovely range but I have been there and done it and it's a little boring for me at the moment. Breitling has its aviator backdrop with its highly distinctive DNA. I have never had a Breitling before. I have always been fascinated with the brand but considered them a little over what I can afford. I’ll be frank, for the occasional dress watch usage, I lust after the Montbrilliant, but does not fit my requirement at the moment and is out of my budget unfortunately ...

For this purchase I was looking for a waterproof watch, at least to the extent to allow swimming, and one that is both durable for everyday but also has a sparkle of class for events and work. It’s a difficult ask but most paths led me to focus my search on diving or sports type watches.
I had a long hard look at the Black Bays. Very beautiful and the latest factory movements are an exciting development, but ultimately a little smaller then I would like and lacking that spark of desirability for my taste. The bronze is very special but for that price I would want a date !!!
I focused in on the Colt Automatic. Very clear and meticulously designed face with the very useful 24 hour numbers. I was going for the leather strap as it looks smart and the extra for the metal strap was slightly out of my budget …
On trying this watch on at the jewelers I loved it. What surprised me more was the beauty of the metal bracelet. Online it looks dominant, but in person its matt finish and slanted links are extremely cool. It posed a dilemma as it was outside my budget but, well, eventually the extra cash made its way out of my wallet!
For the lowest cost Breitling automatic, the colt has unmistakeable Breitling DNA. All my colleagues, friends and family that have seen it have instantly recognised it as a Breitling. It has a very authoritative air and looks like it should be considerably more expensive then it is.



The dial has a great precision to it, enhanced by the font and decal design. The surface of the face has a lovely swirl pattern which is subtle and can only be seen under certain lighting conditions. However it helps to give the watch a light, blue, grey or black glow, all with the black face, depending on the type and angle of overhead lights or sun. I chose the black dial colour as it was the clearest in my eyes and goes with the most different types of clothes. The white was the most refined and the blue is the most casual but the black combines both with a different flavour. The 24 hour numbers are genuinely useful but not over splashed like they are on some other watch designs. The “Colt” word and the Arrow on the end of the second hand are red and this is a smart offset to the face and someone gives the watch a highly precise feeling. The usage of the Breitling winged logo is perfect for this watch and the gold/bronze lettering sets it off nicely and the black on white date is nicely legible and at the same precisely integrated into the dial. Lastly the single “12” at the top together with the symmetry of the hands and correlation with the luma digits around the dial add to the precise and business like feeling of the watch. Its no coincidence that I have used the word precise quite a few times in this description! – the watch face and surrounds give the overall feeling of a super accurate scientific instrument overlaid with a tough/resilient feel.
The face and hands are “finished off” so to speak by the sapphire glass which has an anti-glare and contrast coating on both sides. The sapphire crystal is flush with the watch case and slightly below the rim of the bezel. At certain angles it appears to disappear completely. I have not seen this on a diving watch in this precise way before (it is true I have not tried all diving watches though!).

The bezel is highly unique. The four notches on the corners were originally designed to allow operation with low visibility and/or using gloves but give the watch a strong Breitling feeling together with a workman like edge. The four “pips” are polished but all the bezel and metal strap are matt, so they shine out. The watch case is also polished and the contrast between the polished pips and case vs the matt bezel and strap is beautiful. The 12 o’clock pip has a large luma spot which is actually covered by a sapphire glass for extra durability. If you look closely at the bezel you see tiny screws, evenly spaced around the edges, connecting it to the inner circle. This is one of those wonderful details which Breitling does so well. The detail of the “galactic” font on the bezel pips sets off the bezel nicely. This gives the watch a similar look to other models in the Breitling range, such as the Avenger or Galactic which can be double the price. This doesn’t negate the differences that make those models what they are, it just shows that Breitling is not prepared to drop standards even for its lower ranges. Also worth noting that all Brietling automatics are official chronometers , unlike some other brands I could mention!

The medium size crown has just the right tension and the Breitiling B logo on the end. Its funny in some ways to call this a medium sized crown as a few decades ago it would be considered on the large size, but sufficient to say it has a chunky feeling whilst still feeling trim and smart. It is protected on both sides by a subtle crown guard coming half-way up its length. I like crown guards and certain watches which do not feature them look somewhat anemic to me, but again this is a personal taste issue. I also don’t like oversized crown guards ....



The strap is beautiful and the although the simple 3 link system appears workman like, the slant on the links provide a very upmarket feeling. Interestingly changing links is unusual, where each link is secured by 4 small screws and two caps on either end, rather then the more typical single bar and glove. In use its actually faster and easier to add or remove links as only a small screwdriver and point tool is needed, rather then additionally a mount block and hammer. However as we tend to only fiddle with this once its no great shakes! Lastly the clasp is nice as it has a very reassuring click to close but then additionally has a small buckle guard which clips over the clasp with a firm click. A watch I was trying recently required me to double check the clasp each time as it fell off my wrist a few times. The Breitling system is definitely super safe.
Finishing off of the package is typical Breitling presentation. An outer minimalist designed box with metal studs along the edges and an inner leather box for the watch itself. Prestigious but not really the half-a-tree wooden box that Omega seems to favour these days. The totally nuts but reassuring thing of course is the Breitling guarantee. Instead of the typical credit card which is stamped by the dealer, Breitling goes for a small “computer” module with a suspended liquid crystal screen which is activated by the dealer with a special console, sending all the new owner’s details to Breitling, and displaying constantly the essential details about the watch and the guarantee on its screen. Over-the-top but somehow fun! The over-sized Breitling magazine given to me by the dealer topped the whole package off nicety as it gave me something to read on the train back home ;)



Where the Colt Automatic 44 watch succeeds brilliantly is simultaneously giving off an aura of smartness, toughness and beauty. It can be worn with ease with many different manners of attire from a dinner suit or business suit through to a t-shirt and shorts, diving suite or swimming costume. It can look dressy or sporty when required. It is, essentially a tour-d-force and a distinctive classic in the watch world, with unmistakably styling standing apart from this run-of-the-mill same old same old world of sequels we live in. The fact that is represents fine value for what it provides and appears to be sculptured out of dwarf star material is just a bonus …..