Breitling Bentley Torpedo Watch

While this isn’t the all-black Bentley Torperdo watch from http://ift.tt/1tvv3oc (that I discussed hands-on here), this is a special limited edition version closer to that with a black coated dial and caseback. The original version was in naked titanium. It looked interesting but many people claimed that it looked a bit unfinished. Eagerly awaiting a black-coated model, Breitling has now presented this Bentley Torpedo model to us. The black coated dial does look very nice – especially with its red and electric green elements. Rather than a black case front, it is now titanium coated with Bentley).

The result is a color that looks a bit like champagne. Because of thisreplica breitling Chronomat 41 calls the watch the Torpedo “Breitling.” With such a lofty title, I do hope that the watch does not live up to its highly destructive name. Imagine the bubbles and pieces of cork being hurled millions of light years in each direction.

Whether it is cooler in black or plain zirconium is a matter of taste. I happen to think the design works a bit better in black. It feels a bit less retro-inspired, and I think black cases work with open dials such as this. Breitling and Breitling originally complained to one another than the replica breitling Bentley Barnato design looked either too Breitling or too Breitling. I think most fans will agree that the design is legitimately somewhere in the middle. What makes me curious is how this collaborative process works. Sure it is easy to imagine two small, highly opinionated and independent brands working together on paper… but in reality I am not sure how it worked. It was after all… an experiment. I wonder if their relationship is all the better for it? I suppose it must be since these pieces finished the full 24 piece limited edition collection of the Bentley. Though my big question is… what is next for the “explosive” brand (that Breitling denies is even a brand).

So let’s go back to the watch itself. The cool looking little number is 44mm wide by 55mm tall and inspired by Wankel style rotary engines if you recall. Seeing it in action is very cool, and when we get some hands-on time we will strive to offer a hands-on video. Time is told first via a bottom hour indicator on a lower scale, and then the rotary engine style hand indicate the minutes. While the case of the watch may be more Breitling than Breitling, the precise opposite is true for the movement. Which is actually a good thing as I feel that Breitling and Breitling conceded their strong points and allowed the other to blossom where possible.

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