: The more thought I put into which watch to drop from the Top
: Ten, the more undecided I become! I'm personally a really big
: fan of the Navitimer so my opinion here is colored (quite) a bit
: since I own two ("Snowbirds" and "Montbrillant
: Edition" versions). However, I do believe the Navitimer's
: aviation history, slide rule feature, style and longevity earn
: it a deserved spot in the Top Ten. So, I've narrowed down which
: "Top Ten" watch to possibly exclude, to four watches.

: The 50 Fathoms, the JLC Reverso, the Royal Oak, and the Cartier
: Santos.

: 1) The Fifty Fathoms - Giving this some sensible thought I realized
: that while I'm not a "Rolex Guy" and don't own one, if
: I drop the Fifty Fathoms, I'm afraid the Submariner or Sea
: Dweller should probably, by all rights, be its replacement, not
: the Navitimer. The two Rolex's have a long history and are icons
: (and huge sellers to boot) with the Sea Dweller particularly
: famous as a diver's watch (like the "Comex" versions).
: That leaves the Reverso, Royal Oak and Santos.

: 2) The Reverso is a legend too, with its revolutionary case design
: and formal dress appeal. I've always hoped I might someday find
: a Hamilton Otis (ca 1938) which was an American version or
: copycat of that watch. Apparently JLC sued Hamilton forcing its
: discontinuation after a very short period of time. Oops, I
: digress. I'm finding it kind of hard to drop the Reverso from
: the Top Ten. It too is an icon and I must admit I'd love to own
: one for the infrequent formal occasions I attend.

: 3) The Cartier Santos has an aviation history as does the Breitling
: Navitimer and, in fact, predates the Navitimer by many years.
: I've personally never been enamored by the Santos however. I
: think its main attribute when introduced was legibility, not so
: much overall function. The Navitimer, on the other hand,
: can/could be used to calculate airspeed, fuel consumed, altitude
: ascension, etc. with its slide rule and it's also a chronograph.
: I think only recent, modern, models of the Santos are available
: as chronos. Hmmm. I'm getting close to subbing the Navitimer for
: the Santos. In fact, if I felt compelled/forced to include a
: Cartier in my own Top Ten list, I'd probably go with the Tank
: instead. That watch has sold for nearly a century with very
: little change other than size, and it is often copied by others.
: I have a friend who has about half a dozen Cartier Tanks and
: rarely wears anything else.

: 4) My last possible choice to drop down to number eleven is the AP
: Royal Oak. I believe this Gerald Genta (the man, not company)
: design was introduced sometime in the 1970's so it is fairly
: recent in comparison to all including our beloved Monaco. Very
: expensive (out of my reach) but very masculine and I guess it
: spawned other GG designs like the Patek Nautilus and inspired
: the Ingenieur (or was it the other way around? not sure). Hmmm,
: maybe I should eliminate the Ingenieur. Probably not, the IWC
: crowd is fiercely loyal to that brand and it did have that
: potent anti-magnetic case. Did it pre-date the equally
: anti-magnetic Rolex Milgauss I wonder?

: Well, now I'm very confused and almost sorry I spoke up. However,
: its getting late so I'm going to make my choice. I would drop
: the Cartier Santos to make room for the Breitling Navitimer. To
: me, Cartier is more of a jewelry house than watchmaker which is
: influencing my decision (along with other factors mentioned
: above), I'm afraid. But, that's just my opinion. Your miles may
: vary. Any comments, thoughts?

: My two Navitimer's are shown below,

: This is the 2005 circa Navitimer "Montbrillant Edition",
: a manual wind, not automatic movement, intro'd to honor the
: original Montbrillant factory. The dial is very similar to the
: 1942-1946 "Chronomat" and I fell for it at first
: sight. The only "love at first sight" that ever worked
: out for me, LOL! 43mm case

:
:

: This is the circa 1993 Navitimer "Snowbirds" in honor of
: the Canadian aviation acrobatic team. Limited edition of 1000,
: mine is 01XX, acquired on the 'bay, a "second chance"
: offer thanks to a non-paying bidder. 41mm case. They made a
: "Patrouille Suisse" version too with a beautiful blue
: emblem. I hope to find a reasonably priced one someday . . .

:
:

: Steve