Blancpain

I am getting my PhD degree in Math this spring. Yeah! To celebrate this moment, I plan to buy myself my first high-end watch.

Now I settle down on the following two watches:

Blancpain leman reveil GMT titanium and Breguet marine big date black dial.

I travel regularly, so the function set on the Blancpain is perfect to me, but I am a little worried about the reliability due to its complexity and I have an active lifestyle. The dial on the Breguet is really a feast for my eyes, but the draw back is that the Breguet looks so shiny that might be easy to get scratched and attract too much attention from other people. BTW, I will be a lecturer in a university. (Hence Rolex is a no-go.)  (I am also interested in the new Breguet type XXI 3817. Since it is relatively a new model, I guess I can get a much better deal if I can wait couple more years.)

What are your thoughts on these two watches or do you have any other suggestions?  I am open to the pre-owned market and my budget is 10K USD. My wrist size is 17mm, so I probably won't consider anything larger than 42mm.

Thanks for your time on it.

I would not worry about the reliabilty of the GMT Reveil movement, yes, it has more than 400 parts and is quite a complicated movement, but it should work just fine unless you take it mountainbiking or playing golf, which are activities no mechanical watch is made to endure in the long term.

With your budget you will have to go for second hand timepieces. You may look for the Blancpain GMT Reveil in steel as an alternative, it’s probably easier to come by.

There are obviously many possible alternatives to both watches. But I commend you on picking those two as a start, good choice 👍

Cheers 

Henrik

Your name is Vladimir Putin

Tom

I tried to get a math Phd to advise me but he said he "can't do arithmetic"

Here's what he does "in his spare time"

Cheers,

Cazalea

I will go for the BP as well for it’s complications. The Breguet is quite attractive too but as you know, time only.

Therefore, based on calculations 😊, BP is more bang for the buck.

One other thing, try both watches if you can because wearing it on your wrist, that “ah-ha” moment is the one.

Good luck with your choices.

Rgds

Raymond 

But I will suggest the silver dial version , with a blue strap to match the blued hands and indices

Clearly I’m biased :p

Cheers

Robin 

Just to throw an idea in the mix: I would try to make up my mind between GMT and alarm complication. Combining the two may be a stretch. 

The Leman is nice but personally I find the dial a complete mess. I have not heard the alarm sound 

What about an JLC International Master Memovox black dial from a few years back? This seems to fit your bill if you want a black dial. I find the alarm much more useful than the GMT 

I have the simple manual Master Memovox and the alarm sound is superior to anything else I have tried (not applicable to the Leman as I have not tried it - check online videos to have an idea maybe?) 

nb - I am with you on Rolex: too visible for others as far as I am concerned. I like the brand but it is shouting a little too much. Only exception is a vintage simple Datejust or Explo on leather. 

It is just a question of culture and environment. I feel most Europeans in general tend to be more discrete. In other parts of the world, the general attitude tends to be 'if you like it, just buy it and do not bother with other people's attitude, misconceptions or feelings'. As a consultant, I avoid shouty watches to avoid clients feeling they have just paid for it.