WN1112.BA0332
Obviously we'd all love to have cupboards rammed with expensive watches, a Monaco 24 for daily wear, a Carrera Tourbillon for the weekend and a V4 for special occasions, but unfortunately my job doesn't really pay (anywhere near) well enough for that. I am however largely free from financial commitments (no mortgage, no kids, no car) and so I do get to indulge myself quite a bit (although I am now having a rest from watch buying as I need to rebuild my much depleted savings).
Some time back I quietly made the decision to cross a few of the more 'affordable' pieces off my list, including the classic F1 chronograph, the 2000 Multigraph and the black dial S/EL (more on that coming soon - hopefully), and in the process of all that I came across this watch selling very cheaply indeed (I believe it was about £230). You might even remember me buying this as it really wasn't that long ago at all, just a couple of months perhaps... and I didn't really expect it to make that much of an impact on me, it was just a nice, blue dial, inexpensive, worry free watch. Not exactly a 'beater' but certainly nothing to really 'covet'...
And yet, I find myself wearing it a lot, not because it's a 'cheaper' watch and I don't need to worry about it, but because I love the blue dial. In fact I think this is the nicest of all my blue dialed watches. The Kirium is nice too, but there's something about the depth of colour on this 2000 that really sets it apart. I also like the way it looks against the polished, somewhat oversized and very square/futuristic numerals. I could quite understand if someone was to say they didn't like the font on the 2000 Exclusive watch range, but I really like it and it definitely adds to the 'Breitling' vibe this watch exudes.
The three hander 2000 Exclusives are 38mm, which is a little small, I would definitely like it to be 2-3mm bigger, but having said that, as it is it wears very comfortably and being smaller the watch can get away with its very chunky styling. The bracelet in particular is very solid and looks and feels very well made, and the smaller polished links in the centre section give the watch just enough 'bling' without overdoing it.
The bezel looks great, but honestly I don't know if you could design a bezel more prone to scratches and scuffs... with the raised section being polished it's just asking for trouble. I've actually tried to remove the bezel to polish it, but I can't get it off. I did polish it in situ (masking the sapphire glass to protect it) and I did improve it quite a bit, but really to do it properly it needs to come off. For a while I was determined to get it off, but given how quickly it's likely to pick up scratches again I'm really not sure it's worth the trouble.
The dial itself is very legible and the white date wheel stands out well, as does the white minute track and the border around the date window finishes that off nicely. The lume is also surprisingly effective, especially the lume pip mounted at the 12 position on the bezel. The bezel on mine is pretty solid and I don't think it's had that much use, it does move now and then but it's definitely not spinning like a top or anything like that!
I did however have a rather unpleasant surprise the other day, I was turning the crown to set the hands when I suddenly realised it was no longer attached to the watch! Thankfully I didn't drop and lose the crown, and (relief) it screws back on fine, but it means I can only set the hands backwards (the date change still works fine), but being a quartz watch I only need to reset it on months with less than 31 days so it's not a massive problem.
Obviously I am going to fix this, but it seems to me I might as well wait until it needs a battery since a watchmaker will have to remove the watch stem to tighten the crown, which entails removing the back of the watch, and this means it will need resealing. It's not a massive issue and I can live with it, though typically, no doubt, this will be the longest lasting battery ever...!
WN1112 CN1110 WN1153
I now have three 2000 Exclusives, this one, the black dial chronograph and the silver dial two tone with the gold bezel. I like them all, but this one is easily getting the most wrist time. Sure the two-tone is somewhat less 'practical' but it really comes down to the dial at the end of the day, that blue is gorgeous and if, for some reason I was forced to sell all my watches, I think I could actually be relatively happy with that as an 'only' watch. Which just goes to show that while this may be an expensive hobby, it doesn't 'have' to be...
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