Breitling Superocean 44 Special

Quick specs Breitling Superocean 44 Special
Price:
Mariner blue dial: € 3.720 | approx. £ 3,300 | approx. $ 4,200
Volcano black dial: € 4.170 | approx. £ 3,700 | approx. $ 4,700
Size: 44 mm
Reference:
Y1739316|C959|162A (Mariner blue dial)
Y1739310|BF45|227S (Black volcano dial)

Another week, another Breitling watch. Or so it seems. This time it’s black on black (with a bit of ceramic) and a blue/steel combo for the Breitling Superocean 44 Special.

The Superocean line has been a staple of the Swiss brand ever since 1957. The Breitling Superocean 44 Special distinguished itself by the rotating bezel made of ultra-hard and almost impossible to scratch ceramic. Combined with the black steel it goes for a stealthy look. Take the mariner blue dial and you have a more distinguished piece.

The extreme waterproofness of 1,000 meters is helped by a twin-gasket screw-locked crown. A security valve serving to balance out pressure differences in- and outside the case.

The Breitling Superocean 44 Special offers divers all they need

The diver has a busy dial but is practical. Large luminescent indications ensuring legibility, with baton-type hands clearly distinguishing hours from minutes. And differently shaped hour markers for five-minute intervals, quarters and 12 o’clock. It’s not minimalistic, but it makes for a very clear and legible dive watch.

To help divers even more a bezel with a unidirectional rotation system avoids any inadvertent extension of dive times, as well as a ratcheted profile ensuring good handling, even with gloves.

Within the steel case we find Breitling’s own automatic caliber B17. It is based on the ETA caliber 2824 (like many other calibers from other brands as well). In a world where dive watches have become mostly glorified dress watches or ‘desk divers’, to use a more popular term, Breitling goes the other way. No excessive design features, only those that matter. But most of all, it is designed for the thing it is meant for: diving. So, functionality instead of trendy colors. It makes the Breitling Superocean 44 Special a pure tool watch with some great specs to beat.

Watch the video below the specs to see it work.