Breitling Superocean 44 Special

Quick specs Breitling Superocean 44 Special Price: Mariner blue dial: € 3.720 | approx. £ 3,300 | approx. $ 4,200 Volcano black dial: € 4.170 | approx. £ 3,700 | approx. $ 4,700 Size: 44 mm Reference: Y1739316|C959|162A (Mariner blue dial) | Y1739310|BF45|227S (Black volcano dial)

Another week, another Breitling watch. Or so it seems. This time it’s black on black (with a bit of ceramic) and a blue/steel combo for the Breitling Superocean 44 Special.

The Superocean line has been a staple of the Swiss brand ever since 1957. The Breitling Superocean 44 Special distinguished itself by the rotating bezel made of ultra-hard and almost impossible to scratch ceramic. Combined with the black steel it goes for a stealthy look. Take the mariner blue dial and you have a more distinguished piece.

The extreme waterproofness of 1,000 meters is helped by a twin-gasket screw-locked crown. A security valve serving to balance out pressure differences in- and outside the case.

The Breitling Superocean 44 Special offers divers all they need

The diver has a busy dial but is practical. Large luminescent indications ensuring legibility, with baton-type hands clearly distinguishing hours from minutes. And differently shaped hour-markers for five-minute intervals, quarters and 12 o’clock. It’s not minimalistic, but it makes for a very clear and legible dive watch.

To help divers even more a bezel with a unidirectional rotation system avoids any inadvertent extension of dive times, as well as a ratcheted profile ensuring good handling, even with gloves.

Within the steel case we find Breitling’s own automatic caliber B17. It is based on an ETA 2824-2 (like many other calibers from other brands as well). In a world where dive watches have become mostly glorified dress watches or ‘desk divers’, to use a more popular term, Breitling goes the other way. No excessive design features, only those that matter. But most of all, it is designed for the thing it is meant for: diving. So, functionality instead of trendy colors. It makes the Breitling Superocean 44 Special a pure tool watch with some great specs to beat.

Watch the video below the specs to see it work.