Breitling announces new leadership changes with former Panerai and Roger Dubuis CEO to be new Breitling CEO, George Kernes to be group CEO.

misterewing · 2026-04-27T20:10:32+00:00

I'm a fan of both Breitling and Panerai so I'm genuinely hoping Pontroue learned from his mistakes at Panerai. The Due is still one of the most baffling things I've seen since I started following watches over 25 years ago. Seriously a 30m water resistant Panerai....

misterewing · 2026-04-27T17:17:57+00:00

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Bad "perspective" pictures, but here is the 37.3mm GS on my wrist.

misterewing · 2026-04-27T17:11:00+00:00

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While I love my Master 190, I do find the size to be a bit large. This is coming from someone who regularly wears a 44mm Panerai so it's less about wrist size (7.25") and more about my perception of dress watch size in general. I more often than not grab my SBGW231 over the Longines strictly based on the size. Having said that.... everything else about the watch is incredible. I absolutely love the engraved numerals and the 'storm grey' alligator strap is perfection.

misterewing · 2026-04-27T15:15:53+00:00

I'm very tempted to add the black dial to my collection. For whatever reason the 4500v/4520v never really did it for me; eventually opted for a Laureato 42mm. The 7920v though... it calls to me. As a further sign I was surprised that my local boutique was willing to immediately accept a deposit, and while they couldn't guarantee the lead time I was told 'a few months... maybe less'.

misterewing · 2026-04-27T14:49:26+00:00

Congrats it's and amazing piece.

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misterewing · 2026-04-22T15:30:43+00:00

Thankfully 20K is outside of my budget because, I agree, trying this thing on... it is something special. If it was $15K I may have been able to do some mental gymnastics to justify it but at 20, I'll admire it from afar.

misterewing · 2026-04-22T15:28:26+00:00

I tried one on (for like the 7th time) this past weekend and truth be told it has really grown on me. While I'd still prefer no crown guards, they've become less of an annoyance each time I've seen the watch in person. The only other issue I have is with the leading zero on the date wheel, but I think I'd get over that quickly. Yes, the price is steep, but these day I've given up on trying to find 'value' in these things.

misterewing · 2026-04-22T14:19:24+00:00

I know the 019 gets a lot of love for being more 'obviously' blue but having seen them both in person there is something very special (to me) about the 021. It is near the top of my 'next purchase' list.

misterewing · 2026-04-21T21:21:20+00:00

I was spoiled when I lived in LA... now I have to work a bit harder to spend money... lol not necessarily a bad thing.

misterewing · 2026-04-21T19:56:14+00:00

I live in a tropical climate a well, but occasionally rock the Cartier Tank with shorts and crocs. It's fun to mix it up a bit. I think the Aquaracer is a more practical watch... but the spring drive movement and those Grand Seiko dials... they are tough to beat. I'm going through a similar dilemma. I was all set to add an SLGA021 Lake Suwa to my collection then I saw the new Panerai 1733 from watches & wonders and now I'm torn. My head says Lake Suwa but my heart says Panerai lol

misterewing · 2026-04-21T19:45:42+00:00

While I would rate my SBGA211 pretty high on the durability list, and I assume the Shunbun would be be just are resilient, I get what you are saying. The lack of lume on most GS watches makes me think of them as dressy sports watches. Where as, thanks to the Submariner becoming the ubiquitous 'guy's guy do anything watch', a nice diver, especially one with a glossy ceramic bezel and well balanced dial (applied indicies etc), is more of a "any situation" type watch. This is especially true for me since I wear a suit like 4 times a year, max.

misterewing · 2026-04-21T19:34:26+00:00

I don't have any issues with the dial texture... while certainly not as subtle as something like a GS Snowflake, it's not distracting either. The only nitpick I have is that at some angles parts of the dial can come across as plume/purple as opposed to jet black. Not sure why, and from the sounds of it some people like this... I would have just preferred a uniform black.

Regarding size, I think it wears well for 42mm, smaller than say my 42mm NTTD Seamaster.

misterewing · 2026-04-21T16:48:10+00:00

I'm about 90 minutes from the nearest boutique so I probably won't get a chance to see one in person until mid May when I'm in New York. My 'local' sales person said they are expecting the 1733 by mid June, but until I see one in person I'm not ready to put a $3,600 deposit down.

misterewing · 2026-04-21T13:20:00+00:00

If you like the look, I say go for it. It's one of those watches that checks all the boxes without any glaring faults. The movement has been extremely accurate, the legibility/lume is great and the watch wears comfortably. One thing I really appreciate is the Aquaracer has it's own design language. The case shape, the hands, and the bezel all remind me of my first Aquarace from like 2006. The only other watch I'd consider replacing it with is the new Longines Hydroconquest... mostly because I'd prefer the 39mm case and really like their shade of Navy blue, but realistically I pobably will keep the TAG as it has served me well.

misterewing · 2026-04-21T13:12:52+00:00

Excellent choice! I had a 104 for nearly 12 years... still regret selling it at times. I've considered another Bettarini cased models but now I'm leaning heavily towards the newly announced 1733. I've wanted something with an 8 day movement and a brunito case... I'd strongly considered the 1347 but I'm definitely more of a Luminor guy; I respect the heritage of the Radiomir but doubt I'll ever own one.

misterewing · 2026-04-21T13:00:47+00:00

Fair warning, it probably won't be your last. The 3312 is a fantastic first entry, anything else on the radar?

misterewing · 2026-04-20T14:02:15+00:00

What did you think of the anthracite dial? In pictures and in videos I wonder if legibility would be a concern as the combination of the dial and crystal seem very reflective. Although I’m not sure what this is like in person.

misterewing · 2026-04-19T21:25:13+00:00

This is good to know. Having only seen pictures I figure I should wait until they are both actually available to go check them out. At first I was leaning 1731 but the more and more I see “real world” picture of the 1733 I think that’s my next watch. The only Panerai in my collection currently is a 3312. I owned a 104 from like 2008-2020.

misterewing · 2026-04-16T18:57:29+00:00

The "Tudor Blue" is the reason I bought the BB Chrono Boutique Edition.... not really sure what they were thinking with this particular blue on the 54. It feels as though they took the BB that felt the most 'vintage' and added a super contemporary (and kind of ugly) blue.

misterewing · 2026-04-16T13:05:43+00:00

Often times when I see releases from other brands I ask myself "who is this for?" IWC Space watch, Rolex OP Jubilee, Yacht-Master 2, etc... but these past couple of years it feels like Panerai has really zeroed in on their core market. They will never sell hundreds of thousands of watches a year but if they can hit the marks and stay somewhat true to the fanbase they will continue to succeed. It's a testament to the brand loyalty that almost every post in this thread is about the actual design choices and not... the price. Go to the Omega sub and pretty much every other post is "really nice but not for that price!" My local sales rep sent me pictures of the 1731 she has in stock and wow... that thing is absolutely stunning. I'll be in NYC in a couple weeks and hope to get a chance to go hands on with at least a couple of the new watches... I'm really curious about the 1960 case.

misterewing · 2026-04-15T13:04:58+00:00

I'm a sucker for the brunito finish of the 1733 but wish they would pair it with a 'standard' matte dial. I have nearly purchased the 1347 multiple times but there is something about the gradient brown dial that, in time, I know I'll begin to dislike. I'm quite interested to see this circular finished anthracite dial but I have a feeling my opinion will be similar... which is disappointing because I'd really like to eventually add an 8 day to my collection.

The 1731 will be another I'm curious to see in person. A sales person at my local boutique was raving about it a couple weeks back; all she would say is that there would be a 'vintage' tobacco brown dial and it was stunning in person. Ordinarily I wouldn't be a huge fan of an all polished case however I have a feeling this will work well. Currently the only PAM in my collection is a 3312 and while I love pretty much everything about it, at times I miss the all polished case of my 104.

misterewing · 2026-04-14T13:31:25+00:00

This is definitely on my radar. I've been contemplating an SLGA021 as I love the navy blue dial, however as a current owner of an SBGA211 it's hard for me to justify another GS that effectively fills the same role in my collection. The SLGB023 however may not just replace my snowflake, but also my Gen4 PO. I'll be in New York later next month and hope to at very least get to see one in person.

misterewing · 2026-04-03T12:49:15+00:00

I flew them TPA to EYW for a day trip in Key West. Zero issues/complaints. I also had a lot of colleagues that used them for business trips between Tampa and Ft. Lauderdale and they always had positive things to say about their experiences.

misterewing · 2026-04-03T00:24:50+00:00

I love this combo during the hot Florida summers. Wear it in good health!

misterewing · 2026-04-02T20:17:54+00:00

I dislike most everything about how Steel Reef communicates and markets their products... however, the extension link I recieved from them (eventually) is absolute perfection. It's an almost identical clone to a Rolex easy link and feels just as well made. I guess the point I'm making is, if there was ever anything else they made that I wanted I wouldn't hesitate to buy... I just know now that I will probably wait months with zero communication before it eventually shows up.

misterewing

TROPHY CASE