MTR's acquisition of the Breitling Navitimer B19 Chronograph 43 Perpetual challenges conventional notions of haute horlogerie, prompting a reflection on what truly defines a 'great watch.' His experience highlights a growing sentiment among collectors: the pursuit of emotional connection, intelligent engineering, and authenticity over brand status or escalating prices. This article explores MTR's journey and the community's insights into finding horological satisfaction beyond traditional expectations.
Dear watch friends,
once again, I could not resist. 🙏
And honestly… this watch has been following me for months.
So yesterday morning I finally brought the Breitling Navitimer B19 Chronograph 43 Perpetual home.
If somebody had told me a few years ago that I would one day buy a Breitling perpetual calendar, II probably would have smiled politely and gone back to looking at IWCs, Mosers or Pateks.
And yet… here we are. And honestly: why not?
Watches & Wonders 2026 (and especially some very different brands this year) reminded me again what truly attracts me in watchmaking.
Not simply “more expensive”.
Not simply “more complicated”.
Over the years I developed a bit of fatigue with parts of haute horlogerie where prices drift into astronomical heights without necessarily offering something fundamentally new. Sometimes it feels like: a new case material is used, a tourbillon is implemented, things are being installed that make no sense, some artificial scarcity etc - just to justify a huge price jump.
Of course there are exceptions. This year‘s UN Super Freak, for example, was absolutely mindblowing for me. Also the - perhaps senseless but stunning - IWC Ceralume.
But interestingly, some of the watches that emotionally also stayed with me were actually the simpler and more „honest“ pieces (for example the new Tudor Monarch)
And this Breitling, which admittedly has been launched last year.
Technically, I think the B19 is seriously underrated: 96 hours of power reserve, manufacture movement, perpetual calendar, with moonphase, chronograph, platinum bezel,
very solid proportions at 43 mm,
and despite all that, surprisingly wearable. The WR (just 3 ATM) could be a little bit higher, but I can live with that.
One of the first things I absolutely love happened shortly today after midnight: within the very first minute, the complete calendar switched perfectly and decisively to the next day. See my picture (taken in the second minute because I was so flashed).
No endless crawling around for hours. No “half-transition”. Just a clean, precise mechanical jump. 🙏
That is something I learned to appreciate very much on my IWC Eternal and also on the Moser perpetual calendar pieces.
And interestingly, it is a detail that is sometimes missing even on far more prominent and dramatically more expensive brands.
Tiny detail maybe. But for watch lovers like me, these things matter.
What fascinates me more and more is:
a strong and beautiful design, technical depth, wearability, intelligent engineering, a certain twist, emotional impact. And also a healthy sense of value for money.
Today it is increasingly important to me that a watch emotionally and intellectually grabs me. And that it carries a certain attitude and authenticity. That has become almost independent of the brand itself.
The brand name matters to me today … almost not at all anymore.
A great watch is a great watch. It's that simple.
And sometimes the watches that surprise you the most become the ones you enjoy the most.
Have a good night, dear watch friends
Thomas
