The perfect replica Breitling Navitimer 806 with a black dial and sub-dials was on my wish list for quite a time. But it is not an easy watch to get your hands on. Despite that fact, I had two of them within the last two years. Well, as of today, I don’t have any either anymore. Let’s hear the story.
I have a luxury fake Breitling Navitimer 806 with white sub-dials, but the all-black 806 is a different animal. The syringe hands, fat Arabic numerals for the hours, and fully numbered hour totalizer represent an entirely different watch to me. Visually, it’s one of the most astonishing and individualistic vintage chronographs one can have.
My first fake Breitling Navitimer 806
It took me about two years to find an example I liked. It was listed by a German dealer, and it seemed to be in phenomenal condition. I didn’t mind that it came with an original box either. But, as you might’ve already guessed, I paid a premium for the aaa quality replica Breitling. I was all over the moon when it arrived, but my joy lasted just a few moments. When I strapped the watch on my wrist and examined it for a while, I realized there was a big dent in the dial.
I don’t remember exactly how long it was, but let’s say I kept the copy watch for a couple of days. I liked it very much. In direct sunlight, it was just a spectacular look. But knowing there was a big flaw on the dial really annoyed me. As you can see in the detailed shots above, the paint was a bit swollen. My watchmaker was not sure enough to tell me whether it could peel off at some point. What bothered me even more was the misalignment of the dial edge and the bezel. When looking at the dial from the side, I could see that it rose way above the bezel. It didn’t look good.
A difficult but correct decision
I loved a lot of other things about this Swiss movement copy Breitling Navitimer 806, especially the intact lume that had aged into beautiful orange tones. But for the €12K I had paid, it was not acceptable. Looking back on the decision I made two years ago, I would do the same now. It was not easy to let this copy watch go, but I decided to return it. For the record, the dealer didn’t notice this “bug” when he listed the watch, and he accepted my request to return it in milliseconds. And there I was — on the hunt once again.
Another year passed…
And then I spotted another all-black Breitling Navitimer 806 replica for sale. This time, it was on the opposite side of the spectrum of visuality, taste, and condition. The watch was heavily worn but honest. It was worn in a way that maintained its integrity and had millions of “freckles” and scratches of various lengths. Still, it didn’t have a defect that ruined its original look. Judge for yourself. If I compare it to the first all-black cheap fake Breitling Navitimer 806 I had, that single damage was so severe that I found it way more problematic than the level of wear on the latter. And this is the point: a worn watch can be more acceptable than a seemingly NOS one with a single deal-breaking flaw.