The Breitling SuperOcean, a legendary dive watch renowned for its robust build and exceptional water resistance, houses a movement that often goes unnoticed amidst the fanfare of its impressive exterior: the Breitling Caliber 17. While not a completely in-house creation, the Caliber 17 represents a significant step in Breitling's commitment to providing reliable and accurate timekeeping in its professional-grade timepieces. This article will delve deep into the intricacies of the Breitling Caliber B17 (often incorrectly referred to as Caliber 17), exploring its origins, specifications, performance, and place within the broader landscape of Breitling movements. We will also address some common misconceptions surrounding its ETA-based origins.
Breitling Caliber 17: A Foundation of Reliability
It's crucial to begin by clarifying a point of potential confusion. Many sources incorrectly refer to the movement within the SuperOcean as the "Breitling Caliber 17." While this designation is widely used, it's technically inaccurate. The Breitling Caliber 17 is based on the highly regarded ETA 2824-2 automatic movement, a workhorse known for its robustness and accuracy. Breitling sources themselves rarely use the term "Caliber 17" in official documentation. Instead, they generally refer to the specific ETA movement they utilize, or highlight the modifications made to enhance its performance. This article will stick to the more accurate description of the movement found in the SuperOcean, which is essentially a modified ETA 2824-2, and explore its features under the lens of a Breitling movement.
Breitling Caliber B17 Movement Review (Based on the ETA 2824-2): A Detailed Examination
The ETA 2824-2 is a well-established automatic movement, prized for its reliability and relative affordability. Its widespread use in various watch brands speaks to its proven capabilities. At its core, it's a three-hand movement with a date complication, operating at a frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour (4 Hz). Breitling enhances this base movement with several modifications to align it with their quality standards. These modifications, while not always explicitly detailed, likely include:
* Decorations: Breitling typically adds its own finishing touches, such as côtes de Genève (Geneva stripes) and perlage, to elevate the movement's aesthetic appeal. This is a common practice among brands using ébauches, transforming a standard movement into something more visually striking.
* Regulation and Testing: Rigorous testing and regulation procedures are employed to ensure accuracy and reliability within Breitling's specifications. This is a crucial aspect of Breitling's quality control and differentiates their finished product from a standard ETA 2824-2.
* Component Selection: Breitling might select higher-grade components for certain parts of the movement, further enhancing its longevity and precision.
These enhancements, while potentially subtle, contribute to the overall performance and perceived value of the Breitling watch. While the underlying mechanism is the ETA 2824-2, the Breitling modifications justify the brand's claim of superior quality and reliability.
Breitling 17 Caliber Movement (ETA 2824-2 Based): Technical Specifications
While precise technical specifications from Breitling regarding their modifications are often scarce, we can extrapolate the likely characteristics based on the ETA 2824-2:
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