BUYING MY FIRST LUXURY SWISS WATCH - HOW TO BECOME A SKETCHY BOI
It is well known in our community that there is an ethos that surrounds the legendary Swiss manufacturer Breitling. Originally making a name for itself among the military tool watch community for its legendary pilot’s watches, the brand took on a new life throughout the various escapades of Western militaries in the Near East and beyond. Breitling has become a staple for adventurers, warlords, mercenaries, intelligence officers, and slimy megachurch conmen… I mean… coughs pastors (looking at you, Kenneth Copeland) around the world.
It is true that the man maketh the watch, and wearing an inanimate object doesn’t make you any cooler than the next guy. But it’s no doubt that the men who have worn Breitling for the past 50 years have been the reason for the adage: “Sketchy Dudes Wear Breitling.” And for that reason, some of us here in the tool watch community have one of these pieces on our grail list.
THE BUY:
Enter me, a longtime watch fan, but who has only just recently gotten serious about my collection. As I entered this community, I really didn’t get Breitling at all. The main perception is that they’re big, loud, chunky, and maybe even a little bit vulgar. I’d like to think of myself as having a little bit of taste, and I just didn’t vibe with the pieces I was seeing from their catalog over the past 50 years.
That was before I encountered their Premier Collection. To me, they captured the ethos and I GOT IT. I was able to try on the B25 Daytora Moonphase kind of as a joke, but as soon as it hit my wrist, something clicked. I felt the spirits of the sketchy bois from ages past possess me and unlock in me a new power… okay, not that dramatic. But I was finally able to see my place in the sketchy universe, if you will. A thing of beauty, of class, that is still rugged and has this adventurous legacy.
After this encounter, I realized I’d really like to add one of these amazing tools to my wrist arsenal. However, I don’t have $8,000 to $14,000 lying around for a B25… so I began to hunt around Chrono24, trying to see what other pieces fit into that niche I found with the Premier.
I wasn’t planning on buying anything soon (we all say that, I know), and most of the accessible used Breitlings fall into pretty out-there designs that the brand explored in the 80s to early 2000s. Don’t get me wrong, some of those pieces are a vibe and a GREAT way to get into your first Swiss watch, just none of them fit into a slot in my collection. Part of my current goal is to save up and only acquire pieces that I’d keep and pass down to my kids, and one day, when I have more disposable income, I’ll experiment.
Then I found it. What, to me, is the perfect Breitling to fit into my collection. It’s no doubt that I’m somewhat of a hipster. I collect vinyl, I prefer shooting on film cameras, I like indie folk bands and alternative country music, and to me, this piece is the ultimate hipster Breitling: the Breitling Tabarly, ref 80770.
I’ve asked all kinds of watch freaks about this piece, and no one knows about it. It was only made for a few years, from the early/mid-80s to possibly the early 90s. The piece gets its name from the famous French Navy man and yachtsman Eric Tabarly, who is a perfect character for the sketchy boi pantheon.
Tabarly is known for several nautical achievements, winning multiple transatlantic and transpacific races throughout his career. Notably, he broke the transatlantic crossing record in 1980 with a time of 10d 05h 14m 20s, beating the previous record that had stood for 75 years. The caseback of the watch proudly displays the text “Designed and tested with Eric Tabarly.”
THE WATCH:
Enough background. Let’s talk about the watch itself.
The Tabarly is a quirky little piece. We have a 35mm case (microscopic for a men’s Breitling of the time), originally 200m water resistance (probably not anymore), a Swiss quartz movement, a sapphire crystal with an etched crosshair motif, and an integrated Royal Oak-style bracelet. This variant has a white dial with Arabic indices and a 60-click, bi-directional compass bezel that features screws to affix the bezel, a classic Breitling feature that shows up throughout their catalog. Most of the few available for sale around the internet are gold-plated two-tone with a blue dial and a unidirectional dive bezel.
The one I present to you today popped up on Chrono24 from a Swiss seller in immaculate condition. Given its rarity, there are no more than a dozen of these out for sale at any given time. Usually, they are priced anywhere from $900 to $1,400, and all of them are super beat up, except for this one. Additionally, this is the only steel-on-steel, white-dial variant I could find.
All that to say, the planets aligned, and I pulled the trigger. After about two weeks of waiting in agony, it arrived in the mail on Election Day and graced my wrist as I watched the election. Definitely an interesting memory it will carry with it for its tenure in my family.
I had a little bit of trouble sizing it, but now that it’s sorted, it’s SOOO comfortable. It almost feels like it should be titanium rather than steel. It already feels like a good buddy and has been out with me to the office and studio shoots several times in the past few weeks. The quartz movement has been fantastic and is keeping great time. It's become a no-brainer, throw-it-on-and-go kind of piece.
I’m super excited to make more memories with this little guy. The sailing motifs remind me of sailing the Space Coast rivers and estuaries with my dad as a kid. Dad would take me and my sister out on our 19ft Starwind, teaching us the ropes (literally). Something I really appreciate about my dad was that he always tried to include us in his activities and made sure to have plenty of teaching moments along the way. Kids yearn to be seen as capable by their dads, and he definitely recognized that (and still does to this day). Woodworking, car repair, home maintenance, etc., he always found a way to elevate us and prepare us for our journey into adulthood. A tradition that I hope to pass on to my kiddo (kiddos, hopefully) as they grow older.
Though it’s going to be my main dress/classy watch for the foreseeable future, it fits right in with jeans, t-shirts, and my all-black set wear. I love its small size, and one day, after it collects a lot more memories, I’ll be passing it on to my daughter when she’s of age.
In conclusion, use your tools, make memories, teach your kids, and don’t forget to Stay Sketchy.
— Will
