Breitling is bringing its Breitlight proprietary polymer case down-market with the new quartz Colt Skyracer pilot watch. The Breitlight case debuted last year on the Avenger Hurricane automatic chronograph, which rang in north of $8,000. Breitling is letting the Colt Skyracer’s price fly under the radar, but they promise it is “extremely reasonable.”
Breitlight is harder and lighter than titanium and it is plastic so scratches, corrosion, magnetism, and allergies are less likely to be issues. The new Colt is a bulky 45 mm x 13.15 mm, but the lightweight case should keep things manageable; the deep all-black case, dial, and bezel might even make it discrete. The white numbers on the dial and bezel pop on the black background and a few red splashes on the 24-hour scale and second hand give it a bit of color to the watch’s otherwise very serious personality. A double AR-coated sapphire covers the dial.
The unidirectional timing bezel is nice for timing flights and burgers, but I wonder if people will really be removing the quick-release band to measure centimeters and inches on the 6:00 section and 1:25,000 and 1:50,000 scales on the 12:00 portion.
The SuperQuartz movement is as good as you can get this side of a mainspring: It’s COSC-certified, thermocompensated, and shock-protected. Water resistance is only 100M, despite a screw-down crown, but if you’re worried about water resistance in a pilot watch you should probably go back to flight school. breitling.com
Breitling Colt Skyracer
- Price: TBA
- Who’s it for? Air racers. Like this guy.
- Would I wear it? Too much case, too much battery.
- What I’d change? I’d rather have an ETA than a COSC quartz, but I recognize that is kind of silly.
- Standout feature? Breitlight polymer case.
Tech Specs from Breitling
- Case Material: Breitlight polymer
- Case Size: 45 mm x 13.15 mm
- Lug Width: 22 mm
- Movement: Breitling Caliber 74 SuperQuartz. COSC-certified, thermocompensated, and shock-protected.
- Crystal: Double AR-coated sapphire
- Band: Rubber quick-release strap, with centimeters and inches rulers on the 6:00 section and 1:25,000 and 1:50,000 scales on the 12:00 portion
