As I mentioned in my recent review of the Breitling Transocean 38 replica watches, Breitling was not really a brand that I found myself drawn to, as they felt overly-complicated for my own daily use and preferences. The Breitling Transocean collection, however, shows a slice of their lineup that takes things in a different (and dare I say, cleaner) direction. It is in this collection that we find an homage to the first chronograph with an independent pushpiece, in the form of the Breitling Transocean Chronograph 1915.
I have to say, I was surprised by how much I liked this watch. I mean, yes, there was a lot to like with it’s relatively clean dial, and plenty of vintage cues, including a domed (and raised) sapphire crystal which gives the sense of the high-rise acrylic crystals of the past. It is also a chronograph, however, which is a complication that I, frankly, have not found a lot of utility for in my life. As such, the design seemed to not sit well with me. While the Breitling Transocean Chronograph 1915 is not making me rethink that stance, it is one that I was happy to spend time with.
First and foremost, I think it is due to the monopusher design, which is right up at the 2 o’clock position. So, not only have we dropped one of the pushers that would normally flank the crown, we also have a different shape, curving gracefully up from the side of the case. Actually, if you look below the crown, you can see the horn shape actually starts there, with the line continuing through the crown. Yes, it is a little odd to see something jutting out from the case like the pusher does, but I appreciate the design they created here. Also of note? The pusher is nicely rounded off, so I did not experience any issues with it getting caught on a shirt cuff, or even feeling like it dug into my wrist.
Secondly, the almost monotone vintage-inspired dial helps the sub-registers blend in quite nicely. Overall, I would call the tone a champagne color (not overly yellowed, thankfully) with a lume hue on the numerals and in the hands that gives that aged feel. I will not pretend that the subdials disappear, which they don’t. You have them set slightly lower than the main surface of the dial, so there is a crisp delineation around the subseconds (at 9 o’clock) and chrono minutes (at 3 o’clock), along with them having a slightly darker shade. It still worked to make it so it was not screaming that it’s a chronograph at you, and that is something I liked.
On the silver dial replica Breitling watches UK, the one miss I felt was included (surprising, given how well thought-out the other elements were) is the date display, and this, I felt, had two things working against it. First, we have it cutting off the 6, while no other numeral has that offense committed. Not that more of that would make it better, but it just really stands out. Second, we have it in a very rectangular form, when the rest of the dial and its elements are rounded and/or circular. It just makes those straight edges and right angles stand out. While a circular cut out would be the simple fix for this, I am not sure how it would look on the dial, so perhaps deleting the date (as much as it pains me to say, as it is a useful complication) would be the better route to go.
