Breitling Superocean Steelfish
The Steelfish is a very apt name for the Breitling Superocean Chronometer. It is impervious to the pressure of the water even at a depth of 2000 meter or 6600 feet. The superb feature that prevents the watch from exploding while surfacing is the Helium valve which releases the expanding gas as the pressure inside the watch increases.
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This watch is very readable and visible at extreme depths. The hands are deliberately oversized and the hour markers are too are large round dots making them easy to read. The Steelfish has a brushed finish to the casing and the bracelet.
The Superocean series was first launched in 1957. This was to establish a presence on the seas. The Breitling was an airline pilot’s watch by then. It was an accepted feature on the instrument panel inside airplane cockpits. In fact it was know as an airman’s watch. The Breitling Company wanted to have a similar reputation on the seas as it had in the air. Thus it came up with this COSC-certified chronometer.
A chronometer that is high fashion as well as a watch deep sea divers swear by. The COSC of course is the ultimate certification from the Swiss which qualifies a watch as a chronometer. COSC stands for ‘Controle Officiel Suisse des Chronometers.’ This is the authentic birth certificate of a Swiss Chronometer. It guarantees a certain amount of accuracy in the chronometers.
The remarkable Steelfish is made from a single block of steel and thus the 16.10mm depth of the watch is virtually an impregnable fortress of steel. The diameter is 44mm although the Steelfish later appeared with a bigger diameter and was thus named according to the diameter. It has the unique self winding mechanism pioneered by Breitling. This gives it a power reserve of more than forty two hours. The watch is topped by a sapphire domed crystal which is very sturdy and withstands extreme pressures at great depths.
The crystal face is coated inside and outside with a special anti-distortion and glare material. This in addition to the large watch hands and the big dotted hour numerals makes the watch very readable in poor light.
The bracelets for the Steelfish are a collector’s delight. They come in leather, steel and rubber. The leather strap is of course very good in looks but it is not practical for diving. The rubber is the obvious choice of professional divers and this is a special rubber with the Breitling name embossed in large letters upon it. There are many versions of the rubber bracelet or band.
Leon Breitling, the founder of the watch factory in Saint Imier in Switzerland would be very proud of the Steelfish. The watch factory was established in 1884 and it moved to La Chaux-de-Fonds in 1892. Today the head offices of the company are in Geneva but the watch factory is still in La Chaux-de-Fonds near the French border.
Indeed the new owner of the Breitling Company is not a Breitling. It is now owned by the Schneider family. They have done an excellent job and the chronometers of Breitling are still wanted by professionals of the air and sea together with the fashion conscious.
