The Breitling SuperOcean is a collection of watches which have always been manufactured with the high-end diver’s market in mind. For this reason SuperOceans are all waterproof watches and come with a unidirectional bezel. This prevents the bezel from moving in the opposite direction which could fool the diver into thinking that he or she has been under the water for less time than they actually have. There are several different versions of vintage Breitling SuperOcean including the Colt SuperOcean and SuperOcean professional which is a newer watch.
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Breitling Superocean Abyss Black Dial 100 GuaranteedUS $1,035.00 |
Breitling Superocean A17040US $1,575.00 |
Breitling Aeromarine SuperOcean Automatic Date Dive Watch Ref A17040 Blue FaceUS $1,450.00 |
Features and Specification
Vintage Breitling SuperOcean watches utilize an automatic movement. The exact movement used is the Breitling Caliber 17 and is considered to be one of the most durable and sturdy movements created by the company throughout their history. It also comes with a quick date set complication. The Caliber B17 movement is manufactured in Switzerland although the design process is actually a closely guarded secret. The cadence of the B17 is 28,800BPH which is fast although you can still see up to 8 movements of the second hand each and every second. The movement is also very quiet and is extremely accurate. The B17 is tested as a chronometer in all SuperOcean watches manufactured after 2001.
One of the most important features of vintage Breitling SuperOcean watches is the unidirectional bezel. Every diver’s worst nightmare is to realise that they’ve been underwater too long without enough air. The SuperOcean’s bezel prevents this through only being able to be knocked in one direction. The minutes on the bezel are engraved in a clockwise direction. It’s also possible for a diver to use the bezel whilst he or she is underwater.
When looking for authentic vintage Breitling SuperOcean watches you should look for a small B which is engraved at around five minutes to the hour.
It’s a measure of how successful and robust the Breitling SuperOcean is that it has been used by the top diver’s of the Navy SEALs. The first Navy SEALs to use the watch did so in 1995 and this is when the SuperOcean was updated to its current design.
Other features of the Breitling SuperOcean include a date complication and in some cases second and hour complications. The range of SuperOcean watches have become well known for their durability, practicality and style. As with any vintage watch, when looking for Breitling SuperOcean watches for sale always make sure you know what condition the watch is in.