Stoops with the Breitling

The picture of stoops with a breitling isn't showing.

I have a bonus coming up, and I'd like to spend it all on a watch worthy of posting here, but I also have 3 young kids in daycare and am behind on retirement investing, so it's going to have to be a bargain pick. Talk me out of a Formex Reef GMT for me first "nice" watch.

After much deliberation I'm gonna go with the speedy pro sapphire sandwich with the bracelet and maybe also with a moon pattern rubber strap too

I have no clue where to start. I'm north of Austin-anyone got an AD that they work with?

I want/ready to buy a white dial 116520 Daytona. New as possible. Can I get some advice help? What it's going to reasonably cost?

20K minimum. You can find them pretty easily if you are ready to pay the premium. Getting one at an AD is another story. ALMOST impossible

Definitely tough to get at an AD.

That's exactly what I want too. Steel bezel. White dial.

But the price may push me back to a speedy. 15k more for the Daytona.

Zenith Chronomaster sits in the middle and has similar aesthetic to Daytona (which some will of course view as a negative), but the Tri-colored sub-dial set is a differentiator as well as the .10/second chronograph reading (which I find cool).

https://quillandpad.com/2021/11/18/rolex-cosmograph-daytona-vs-zenith-chronomaster-sport-head-to-head/

You could buy that Black Bay Chrono AND a speedy for less than a Daytona

If in Houston, Little Watch Shop on Shepherd

Irish 2.0 said:

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If in Houston, Little Watch Shop on Shepherd

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Yes sir, thanks!

Atelier in Houston is also very good.

StringerBell said:

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After much deliberation I'm gonna go with the speedy pro sapphire sandwich with the bracelet and maybe also with a moon pattern rubber strap too

I have no clue where to start. I'm north of Austin-anyone got an AD that they work with?

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I just bought the same watch about 6 months ago and I love it. The new bracelet is to nice to wear. I was going to get a strap for it, because I'm not a bracelet guy normally, but this wears so great I've not picked a strap up.

Btw, I got about 10% of the retail price for a brand new watch from my local AD.... after much negotiating and pretending to buy online if they didn't give me the price I wanted

Enjoy!

For y'all that have the Sapphire sandwich, does the milk ring bother you (noticeable)? Or is it worth it to have the stronger crystal and exhibition back?

That's cool! I tried for a while to buy a very similar model that has an integrated bracelet which ended up being really tough to find one with enough links included. That one would look great on rubber. If i were you I'd figure out how to remove the bezel (those 4 screws? You will scratch the f out of it if you don't have good small screwdrivers and some practice doing this kind of stuff) then polish the crystal with flitz on your thumb. Replacing the battery is easy. Having a shop replace the crystal will quickly exceed the value of the watch (which is likely under $100). Maybe that doesn't matter to you though...

RVAg02 said:

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For y'all that have the Sapphire sandwich, does the milk ring bother you (noticeable)? Or is it worth it to have the stronger crystal and exhibition back?

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There's no way I wouldn't have the exhibition caseback. The movement is beautiful. I've never noticed a "milk ring"

Have you seen one in person? Imo it's only noticable when at a very oblique angle.

schmendeler said:

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Have you seen one in person? Imo it's only noticable when at a very oblique angle.

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I have, but only in the store briefly. Was just looking for some real world comments from those that live with it, as it is always mentioned when comparing the two (probably by the hesalite group…ha).

I might be a "sapphire snob" if there is such a thing, haha, but i kind of think the sapphire white ring is a cool visual artifact.
That said, the hesalite authenticity is a cool thing for historicity.

slaughtr said:

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RVAg02 said:

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For y'all that have the Sapphire sandwich, does the milk ring bother you (noticeable)? Or is it worth it to have the stronger crystal and exhibition back?

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There's no way I wouldn't have the exhibition caseback. The movement is beautiful. I've never noticed a "milk ring"

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I'm assuming the milk ring is that blatant white ring around the face....?

That's pretty damn noticable.

YouBet said:

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slaughtr said:

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YouBet said:

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slaughtr said:

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RVAg02 said:

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For y'all that have the Sapphire sandwich, does the milk ring bother you (noticeable)? Or is it worth it to have the stronger crystal and exhibition back?

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There's no way I wouldn't have the exhibition caseback. The movement is beautiful. I've never noticed a "milk ring"

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I'm assuming the milk ring is that blatant white ring around the face....?

That's pretty damn noticable.

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Except it's not. Maybe in pictures, but I'm wearing mine right now and it looks nothing like that.

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Well, I don't own one so I'm not going to argue you with you but it's one of those now that I see it I can't unsee it things. That's odd that it's so prominent in pictures but not in real life.

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As a camera and photography enthusiast, I can say cameras pick up things all the time that aren't there.

Charismatic Megafauna said:

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That's cool! I tried for a while to buy a very similar model that has an integrated bracelet which ended up being really tough to find one with enough links included. That one would look great on rubber. If i were you I'd figure out how to remove the bezel (those 4 screws? You will scratch the f out of it if you don't have good small screwdrivers and some practice doing this kind of stuff) then polish the crystal with flitz on your thumb. Replacing the battery is easy. Having a shop replace the crystal will quickly exceed the value of the watch (which is likely under $100). Maybe that doesn't matter to you though...

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Great input, i have already taken off the bezel guard to clean the watch but did not know I could polish the crystal! I'll have to try that. The bigger issue is that the crown came all the way out when unscrewed it to try to set the time. Don't think that's supposed to happen! Also, the numbered bezel doesn't turn even after I cleaned it. These are the main reasons I was thinking of bringing it in to a pro.

slaughtr said:

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YouBet said:

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slaughtr said:

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YouBet said:

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slaughtr said:

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RVAg02 said:

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For y'all that have the Sapphire sandwich, does the milk ring bother you (noticeable)? Or is it worth it to have the stronger crystal and exhibition back?

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There's no way I wouldn't have the exhibition caseback. The movement is beautiful. I've never noticed a "milk ring"

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I'm assuming the milk ring is that blatant white ring around the face....?

That's pretty damn noticable.

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Except it's not. Maybe in pictures, but I'm wearing mine right now and it looks nothing like that.

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Well, I don't own one so I'm not going to argue you with you but it's one of those now that I see it I can't unsee it things. That's odd that it's so prominent in pictures but not in real life.

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As a camera and photography enthusiast, I can say cameras pick up things all the time that aren't there.

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Regardless, it's a cool watch. I almost got one.

Glad y'all love the watches. Good choices!