Good versus Great

[Brentomatic]

As an owner of four Breitlings and two Rolex's, I have come to the following conclusion:

"Breitling is good but Rolex is great"

Rolex is just so smooth and clean. Don't get me wrong, I love my Breitlings it's just that the Rolex movement and fit and finish is a step above.

Thoughts?

[scrog10]

I have owned 7 Breitling's and 2 Rolex. My Rolex Expo 2 had dust under the crystal from new and its not uncommon from what I have read. I haven't found any cosmetic QC issues with any of my Breitling's.
I like to play around with straps and bracelets with all my watches which led me to one of my pet hates about Rolex watches I have seen. They don't finish the cases between the lugs. Very poor in my opinion at this price. And of course they don't offer any strap options like almost every other manufacturer. The general quality of Rolex is very good there resale is excellent but I think Breitling do a better job of finishing their cases. More details a greater range giving a greater choice of watches and accessories for a far more reasonable price.
And they give there customers free gifts sent to their homes after purchase. I Haven't heard of Rolex offering such customer service.
Though I have never dealt with Rolex service personally there is much written about their lack of understanding regarding changes to factory spec.
I have dealt with Breitling on a couple of occasions and found them very helpful and understanding of what I wanted to do.
So in short for me anyway. If you want a good resale on an overpriced watch buy a Rolex.
Or if you want a great watch with a longer and more interesting history with excellent customer service and range that should suit everyone buy a Breitling.
If you ever go to Riat airday at Farnborough with your Breitling you will be treated to VIP treatment including a private viewing area and free drinks along with a look at the latest Breitling models. Just for wearing a Breitling.
I've been to many Rolex sponsored events and all I got was an impending price increase.

[vukotab]

Well, IMHO, both brands produces great watches in they own right.

I had Explorer II and SuperOcean at the same time, and it was simply impossible to determine which one was "better" watch. Both were COSC certified, but Breitling was more accurate (spectacular +1 second per day), it`s bracelet had much more solid feel, and I kinda liked it`s polished finish. On the other hand, Explorer II was my dearest watch of them all, solid as a rock and with in-house made 3185 movement (compared with Breitling`s more common ETA 2824-2).

Rolex have that aura that is simply unbeatable, but if somebody want exactly the same level of quality for less money, I think that Breitling (and Omega, of course) are the right choice.

[Brentomatic]

My new GMT Master 11 is simply a fantastic timepiece. Solid. Accurate and beautiful. My Breitling Bentley is like that as well. But. Being a modular movement, the counters "jump" when the pushers are pressed. This really bothers me with a $ 10,000 watch.

[lorsban]

I like to play around with straps and bracelets with all my watches which led me to one of my pet hates about Rolex watches I have seen. They don't finish the cases between the lugs. Very poor in my opinion at this price. And of course they don't offer any strap options like almost every other manufacturer.

This, for me, brings up Breitling's value because with all those strap choices, you essentially have many watches in one. Unlike with Rolex where anything other than the bracelet it came with looks weird.

[dmarciano82]

My only breitling lost massive amounts of time as opposed to two roleses that I owned.