Last Updated on May 15, 2023 by swisswatchreview
One of the few independent Swiss watchmakers in the world, Breitling has always remained the leader in the aviation world. It specializes in the field of chronographs and timepieces and manufactures instruments used in the science and sports industry. It has made some of the most notable contributions to the world of precision watches.
Breitling is the only brand that gets all its movements certified by the Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute (COSC). Today, we talk about one of the most used movements from Breitling, the Calibre 17 and take a closer look at its specialties and limitations to help readers understand whether it is reliable.
Breitling Calibre 17 Review – UPDATED 2023
Breitling is the only Swiss brand, apart from Rolex, to have every single timepiece chronometer certified. It is also known to produce timepieces and chronographs for professionals. It is a member of the group of watch manufacturers that make their own chronograph movements. Breitling is known as the ‘instruments for professionals’ and a top choice among civilians, aviation and military pilots.
Breitling uses a wide variety of movements for its watches. Most of these are obtained from the Swatch Group. It relies on chronometer-certified Swiss quartz movements or automatic movements some of which are made by the brand itself. Each of the Breitling collection uses a different movement and the Calibre 17 is the most used automatic movement. The Avenger Seawolf, Colt and the highly popular Superocean series from this manufacturer use this movement for the accuracy and precision that appeal to the users.
The first-ever Breitling Superocean models were introduced in 1957 with a focus on divers. The new Superocean collection stands up to the challenges of water sports and remains a favorite among men and women with an active lifestyle. This rugged dive watch collection features a mechanical self-winding movement with 28,800 vibrations per hour. This automatic movement offers a power reserve of at least 40 hours and 25 jewels.
Breitling 17 Movement Review
The Breitling Calibre 17 movement utilized in most of the brand’s diver watches is based on the ETA 2824-2 movement assembled in Switzerland. It is tuned with high-quality parts such as Nivarex mainspring and Glycodur balance to meet the highest standards.
Though the company does not disclose a lot about the tuning, they generally use chronometer assortments and install premium-quality mainspring, balance, escapement, balance wheel, shock deflectors, micrometer regulator assembly before sending the movement to the COSC for certification.
With a cadence of 28,800 BPH, the movement ticks fast but still shows eight movements of the second hand per second. It is pretty silent and you are unlikely to hear the rotor on the wrist. The movement uses a bi-directional winding that makes it more efficient as compared to mono-directional winding. It has a power reserve of 42 hours and contains 25 jewels.
The Breitling 17 movement is quite accurate and all the SuperOcean models have a Chronometer certified movement. This means the watch performs between -4 and +6 seconds in a period of 24 hours.
Breitling ETA Movement – Is It Reliable?
All the movements, in-house and ETA, used by Breitling are chronometer certified. The company is known to offer sturdy, reliable movements with an accuracy of 99.99 percent. It became a member of the club of Swiss watch brands with in-house mechanical movements. However, most watch models from the brand still use ETA movements obtained from the Swatch Group. Only a few of the watches come fitted with Breitling’s own in-house movements.
Talking about the reliability, every movement utilized by Breitling, in-house or ETA, is individually tested using high-tech equipment to guarantee the best performance. All these movements are chronometer-certified and meet rigorous criteria that suggest accuracy and precision. This includes a daily variation rate of less than -4/+6 seconds. Only 5 percent of watches produced in Switzerland are chronometer-certified.
All the Breitling ETA movements are ready for these strict tests conducted by the COSC. These movements pass through software that measures its precision. The movement is tested for a period of 15 days under different conditions to make sure it delivers reliable precision.
Breitling Movement Vs Rolex Movement
When comparing Breitling and Rolex, it is worth noting that Rolex has been manufacturing its movements since 2004 and has worked to create a quartz movement that is ten times more efficient than a standard one. All these mechanical movements are made in-house and considered to be the most prestigious by watch collectors.
Rolex did use quartz movements in the past but has eliminated them completely as it tries to offer the best, including movement. The entry-level Breitling watches use Quartz movement powered by a battery. It is more cost-effective which is why Rolex is more expensive as compared to Breitling.
Both Breitling and Rolex take horology quite seriously. Both of them focus on reliability and accuracy and use caliber with certification. Breitling also makes in-house movements and the world-famous chronographs. While Rolex is definitely a winner when it comes to caliber, Breitling offers some of the most affordable models.
Breitling sells high caliber chronograph watches with a lot of popular models being less expensive as compared to Rolex. The Caliber 01 is the most precise self-winding movement from Breitling to date. Each of the two brands has a dedicated focus on watchmaking and movement. You can’t go wrong with any of these two. It all comes down to personal preferences.
