30yr Service Award

[drfaulkner]

Last month I achieved 30 years with the company. They give a decent expense allowance for this milestone and, of course, I started looking for a new watch. The Expl II I received at my 25 year anniversary was the start of my collection. For the next several watches, I tried to choose an eclectic mix of function, dial colors, case materials and bracelet/straps. As a diver, I figured an all black dive watch with rubber or canvas strap would be right addition. I looked at several brands from Blancpain to Tag Heuer. It was difficult to find a watch that was in my price range and really appealed to me.

Finally stumbled on the Breitling SuperOcean II Special. With the brush finished DLC coated case, ceramic bezel, 24 hours dial numbers, large luminescent hands and hour markers, and deep depth rating, it has the look and solid feel of a serious tool watch.

The 44mm dia case fits well on my large wrists. The Ocean racer II strap is very comfortable even though the buckle ends up offset on the bottom my wrist. The partially covered dial numbers (15, 18 and 21) are a bit strange but were not a deal breaker. At 14.2 mm, the case is thinner than I would have expected considering the depth rating. Time will tell about the durability of the DLC coating and the bezel markings.

First 24 hours: The lume lasted all night. Even without my glasses, I was able to clearly read the time. So far, it is running at +4 seconds.

I have a dive trip scheduled for the 1st week in May. This watch will definitely be getting wet.