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ReviewBreitling Avenger Bandit brings the world of naval aviation on your wrist: In depth review

An impeccable watch for professionals, bearing the powerful genes and military looks of the Avenger collection.

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“You simply don’t become official supplier to the world aviation by chance.” The pioneers of chronograph watches, Breitling, clearly don’t mince their words to describe the phenomenal success they command in the domain of aviation watchmaking. The brand has created an image for themselves and is much ahead of the pack for “onboard chronographs intended for aircraft cockpits.” Breitling’s accomplishment and know-how of chronograph watch construction distinguishes them from the rest, making them the preferred partners for many armed forces. It’s no surprise then, that the Royal Air Force used Breitling in their WWII fighter planes. In fact, Breitling has been the Royal Air Force’s official timekeeper for 30 years now.

Breilting Avenger Bandit
Breitling’s accomplishment and know-how of chronograph watch construction distinguishes them from the rest, making them the preferred partners for many armed forces.

The inception of Chronograph watches – “An obsession with quality”

Since the brand’s foundation in 1884, after Leon Breitling’s oath to devote himself to making precision chronograph watches, Breitling has had an awe inspiring journey. Breitling is an arbiter of innovation and there are enough numbers to back that claim.  The brand started off with the intention to make watches specifically designed for sports and fast calculations. While in the 19th century, the concept of chronograph watches was just floating about, Breitling took the leap and converted the idea into reality. In 1915, they developed the first chronograph, immediately drawing the fancy of every pilot for its functionality, and subsequently there was no looking back. Breitling’s groundbreaking innovations kept mounting, and the back-to-zero (flyback) function on the chronograph, established itself as a pilot’s best friend because it negated the scope of any miscalculation.

The ‘inventors of the modern chronograph’, upped their own innovation game in 1969, by introducing the first self-winding chronograph movement. Breitling takes precision and reliability as its top priority. Interestingly, Breitling is “one of the world’s very few watch brands to submit all its movements (both mechanical and quartz) to the merciless tests of the Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute (COSC)”. The result evidently is super sturdy watches with masculine designs and technical superiority.

From the brand that has experienced the finest hours of aviation, setting the benchmark for pilots worldwide, comes the Avenger collection. And today, we’re going to review the Avenger Bandit – the watch that’s making news worldwide for all the right reasons. The buildup has been intense and it’s time to get up close with every feature of the Bandit:

The outlaw of the Avenger collection: Breitling Bandit

A Breitling watch can be spotted from a mile away. The persona it exhibits is bold, rugged, raw and edgy. At a time when many brands are inclining towards slender and lean watches, Breitling stands its ground and holds the fort for large, well-built watches. The Avenger collection from Breitling particularly stands out for its exemplary design and flawless chronograph performance. Unlike the Avenger Blackbird or Avenger Hurricane, the Bandit isn’t completely eclipsed in a black body, instead, it has a grey stealth mode on, packed with Breitling DNA. The functional purpose of the Avenger series lies in the territory it’s essentially made for- the cockpit. Visibility is key for an Aviator and with a few seconds to spare to check on time, a big dial can be a saving grace, and the Avenger Bandit delivers well on this crucial front.

Taking the best from the Avenger collection, the Bandit has a stealth mode on at all times, given its unique grey case and bluish grey dial.

The case:

The Bandit sports similar genetics as the other models in the Avenger series, and that includes a large 45mm case. But the breeziness of the watch is in complete contrast with its heavy case outlook. The highlight of the case is the light weight Titanium that it’s made of, which makes even a thickness of 16.45 mm easy to sport. The Bandit impeccably manifests the “spirit of naval aviation” and the military theme is visible in the design of the watch. The grey case is an altered version of the previous Avenger models. Altered because the Bandit’s predecessors have a polished reflective finish on the Titanium case, whereas the Bandit has a muted brushed finish.

The Bandit impeccably manifests the “spirit of naval aviation” and the military theme is visible in the design of the watch.

The Titanium case prevents “glinting in the heat of action” adding to the sturdiness factor (though it also makes it prone to scratches). The unidirectional rotating bezel is designed to ensure a good grip even with thick gloves on, very much in keeping with the requirements of aviation. The stencil markings on the bezel are in tune with the military theme. The case also features the screw locked crown with the Breitling monogram etched on it. The crown along with the two pushers at 2 and 4 o’clock, have a mesh pattern that again, allow good grip even in extreme conditions. The rotation of the bezel is made easier by the 4 rider tabs (at 3, 6, 9 and 12 o’clock) that also keep extremely precise count of flight or dive times.

The dial:

Breitling chronographs are a paragon of traditional skills, mechanical expertise and aesthetic sophistication. “Each detail has been designed to enable optimal read-off of information at a glance, just like on an instrument panel.” The blue grey colour of the dial distinctively matches that of military paint and completely amalgamates with the persona of the watch. The sub-dial layout is not overly crowded with three, tone on tone indicators. Like the bezel, the dial features military inspired, stencilled hour indexes. At 6 o’clock are the chronograph hours, followed by running seconds at 9 o’clock, and the 30 minute counter at 12 o’clock that been given red highlights. The dial also sports a date window at 3 o’clock.

The blue grey colour of the dial distinctively matches military paint and completely amalgamates with the whole persona of the watch. Like the bezel, the dial features military inspired, stencilled hours indexes.

The chronograph seconds hand is sharp in its representation with a striking red tip for easy readability. The dial is contained within a Cambered sapphire crystal and is glare proofed on both sides bestowing the watch with better legibility. Also since it’s an aviation-military watch, the glare proof sapphire crystal will give you added stealth and advantage.

The case back and the movement:

The titanium case back does not move away from the overall theme of the watch. It features a conversion scale which has great efficacy in relevance to the ‘intended’ usage of the watch. The Breitling logo proudly takes centre stage on the case back. The Avenger Bandit is powered by the Breitling 13 caliber, a Valjoux 7750 automatic chronograph movement. The Swiss brand has developed a production chain that modifies traditional movements but keeps the accuracy intact. At the production facilities, state of the art, ultra-modern software monitors every movement. The software channelizes the movement to the apt station depending on the treatment needed – automatic or manual.

The Avenger Bandit is COSC certified and is powered by the Breitling 13 caliber, a Valjoux 7750 automatic chronograph movement. It is water resistant upto 300 meters, which also (more than) qualifies it as a diver’s watch.

As with every Breitling movement, this one too is COSC certified. The watch has a power reserve of 42 hours, with 25 jewels and a frequency of 28,800 vph. It has been given a water resistance capacity of 300 m. With that depth, it technically (more than) qualifies as a diver’s watch too!

A Striking strap:

Breitling has completed the ‘stealth’ finish of the watch perfectly by giving it a char grey, military style, textile strap. The inside of the strap is rubber treated making it extremely durable. A military grade textile on the outside, combined with a resistant rubber interior, confers the Bandit with the grit a tool watch commands. Due to the dual combination of materials, i.e., rubber and textile, the strap is really comfortable on the wrist and fits like a glove. Titanium, a metal widely used in air crafts, also majorly used in the making of the Bandit, constitutes the clasp. The folding buckle, deployment clasp, is made of the best grade titanium. The choice of metal not only adds to the aesthetic value but also to its light weight-ness.

Fits like a glove: The military grade textile strap with a rubber interior is extremely comfortable on the wrist.

Final Verdict:

The Avenger Bandit is a watch that is mighty powerful and can take on any challenge from the decks of a naval carrier, to the cockpit of a military aircraft or even a board room full of CEOs. The Bandit is ergonomic and efficient. From the House of Breitling, renowned for its “‘stronghold’ of technical watches, mainly chronographs”, the Bandit lives up to every notion one would have from a functional tool watch. Courtesy the prior Breitling conditioning that the watch is exposed to, put the Avenger Bandit in the most trying conditions, and it will come out undeterred.

For every military enthusiast: The Avenger Bandit is a watch that is mighty powerful and can take on any challenge from the decks of a naval carrier to the cockpit of a military aircraft or even a board room full of CEOs.

Price and availability:

Considering it houses Breitling’s impeccable technical prowess and imbibes centuries of experience that the brand offers, the price tag of ₹417,680 is quite acceptable. In any case, a watch enthusiast looking to buy a Breitling already knows the worth of the product they are about to invest in. The Bandit can be ordered here.

You can explore the entire Breitling collection at Ethos Watch Boutiques.

Trivia: The Breitling loyalists

Breitling is made for professionals and is considered a ‘pilot’s watch’ but the brand enjoys a great liking amidst celebrities too! “The master of performance” has an elite squad including the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio, Bruce Willis, John Travolta, Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise. The Breitling Emergency watch is actually so efficient, that the survival king of adversities, Bear Grylls, wears one!

Breitling is made for professionals and is considered a ‘pilot’s watch’ but the brand enjoys a great liking amidst celebrities too! The Breitling Emergency watch is actually so efficient, that the survival king of adversities, Bear Grylls, wears one!

Did you like Breitling’s 2016 Baselworld introduction? Is the Bandit the best of the Avenger collection? Drop your feedback in the comments section below!

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