# Breitling SuperOcean Steelfish X-Plus (A17390)



## Drez (May 17, 2008)

*Overview:*

Having had now owned two Steelfish X-Plus (Black and White dials) I felt compelled to share my experiences. Its not every watch that inspires a second time in the collection so that in itself speaks volumes. I will preface this short review by saying initially Breitlings were not for me but after having owned a pair I feel converted and so I urge the reading if having never tried one to give it a second thought, you never know. Some styles still are not to my taste and likely never will be and there are aspects I would change given the power, however that having bee said there are a number of endearing qualities that have helped win me over.

As a brand I feel Breitling holds a unique niche in that its well respected in WIS circles but still known outside of those circles. Despite being on the edge of public awareness its not totally mainstreamed to the same degree as say Rolex or even Omega for that matter. The brand carries a pedigree including history and innovation. Finally the aero-nautical and general association to aviation (much in the same way Tag does to racing or Omega to space) gives the brand unique element or flavour. Over engineering (i.e. auto HEV and superfluous depth rating) are standard fair on most items in their collection and these not only help justify cost and provide a tangible sense of "superiority" over cheaper options but also allow for interesting conversation notes and can help give a watch that special something to set it apart. While many of these notes are not unique to Breitling the combination offers appeal. The biggest brand weaknesses in my eyes (as I'm sure others would agree) include overly busy dials (especially on chronographs) and too much helf and/or "B'ling" for many.

On to the Steelfish specific review:


















*
Design Notes:
*
It's hard to talk about watch design without first looking at the dial. The Steelfish dial boarders on being too busy for me (enter Navitimer) but it at least walks just inside the safe side of that line. The numeral rings include standard 12 hour markers (with Arabic numerals at 12, 9 and 6) as well as military/24 hour markers to the inside. These markers are oddly off set at 9 and 3 which i find unappealing. Minute makers can also be found on the chapter ring. While each of these are useful to me (at least some of the time) they do add to erroneous clutter and I would have preferred to see the chapter ring w/ 24 time and the minute markers removed, alas its not my design and I'll touch on that later.










As the Arabic markers/date are not luminescent, the eight remaining markers glowing takes getting used to and can feel a little unbalanced, albeit symmetrical, if only because its unusual. The half markers between the hour are wasted on me and hurt the overall look with again more clutter. The Breitling emblem in addition 1887, COSC, automatic, superocean and depth rating again rather too much for my taste and I would prefer to see a departure towards some cleaner dials as was done with the Crosswind for example. Alas I digress. The small splash of red for the second tip and automatic text are welcomed. The applied numerals, indices and Breitling emblem are wonderful. The date window is also applied and I find this a looks stunning and speaks of attention to detail. Both the numerals and the hands have a lovely polish that play with lighting well, I'm told this is because they are white gold rather than nickle etc. but I don't know this for certain. All are well chosen in terms of shape and size and suit the design well. The dial itself has a spiral texture. I'm a sucker for dial textures. On the black it allows it to look grey in some lights, on the white it alters lighting less drastically but in both cases do give a sunburst appearance.










The windrider tabs on the bezel at each quarter are trademark Breitling but I have mixed feelings on them, they can get caught on things, collect dirt and get bumped but do protect the crystal AR somewhat. Design wise again I flip flop between them, if nothing else they are fairly distinctive Breitling. Countdown on the bezel allows for diving functionality, there is also a lume pip on the bezel. These things are expected by me when a watch purports to be diver with HEV and excessive depth ratings (Attention Anonimo owners ). I will note this renders the chapter ring superfluous and I would argue again it thus could have been eliminated in favour of reducing the dial clutter. Hefty crown guards and a thick chunky bracelet all contribute to a youthful, masculine and adventurous look. Further aided but robust yet balanced measures in terms of bracelet thickness as well as lug width (22mm lugs) diameter (44mm) overall thickness (16mm) and reasonable lug to lug length compared to many bigger watches 44mm+










The size isn't as scary as it might seem, my wrist size is 7 1/4" and while having more presence than a 40mm watch with 20mm lugs I don't feel its out of place or obnoxious. Reasonable lug to lug length really helps it here and wears much better on my wrist than say the 45mm Planet Ocean or some of the bigger (esp longer) divers (i.e. Korsbek). The lugs also have a lovely curve to them which aids in wearability and offers lines that are visually pleasing. (Note #2: Green drawing in picture). The rounded case back does add to the thickness some and may detract from wear ability a little as it adds more height and allows the watch to slide a little more (Note #3: Blue drawing on picture). Added with a lot of head weight (120g+) the watch can rotate a touch on the wrist even when properly sized, let alone for those who like a little extra space. On this note I also found the clasp hard to center perfectly and a half link would have been welcomed. I suspect this impression is made worse by the aforementioned sliding (Note #1: Yellow drawing on picture).

Excuse my art but I though it might help visualize some of the above explanations, most can also be seen in the unedited above picture, esp #3.










The bracelet with its slanted links are ingenious. The look is distinct and unique and really helps break away from the standard bracelets that are everywhere. I truly appreciate care in engineering these things and to truly appreciate it you should really perform a size change if only to better appreciate how it works. I feel the same way about other novel links (i.e. Tag Heuer Link bracelet even if I don't care for its appearance) and find them far preferable to a standard oyster styles if only for their innovation. Futhermore, its far more comfortable than the the typical bracelet. Simply wonderful. Screws rather than push pins are again welcomes for ease, longevity, security and care in craftsmanship. As per ususal the clasp is a bit of a scratch magnet. The Steelfish enjoys a mostly brushed finish that helps keep the Steelfsih from getting to flashy. Other strap options also help "de-bling" the watch and can add a whole new look. Examples are the honey calf or rubbers. Breitling makes nice thick padded calf leathers with excellent texture to them, unique water proof shark for a different look, there are excellent deployment options as well. On the other end of things the rubbers are top notch and ever so comfortable. They are also unique, distinctive and durable. I tried blue and black, I know there are brown as well. This wealth of OEM strap options can really change the look and either allow the versatility for a all in one watch OR keep refreshing things to keep it in a watch rotation. It's also note worthy that 22mm lugs offers a wealth of aftermarket straps as well.














































*Quality:*

I recognize its often hard to separate where Design and Quality meet and depart but setting much of the above aside and trying to avoid repetition I'll try to "briefly" touch on some of those notes. I can not go far in the Breitling Quality without readdressing the Bracelet. IMO it is the bar against which I measure other bracelets and this is unfortunate for most as they tend to fall short. Top notch fit and finish with smooth interaction between links and with the case itself. There is a slight depression from lug horn to end piece but this appears intentional and the fit is secure and tight. There is also a nice notch for removing the bracelet, not all offer enough space to change the bracelet out easily. The whole things feels of heft and quality. It feels made right. The buckle itself is also secure, all the stamping is deep and well done. The whole clasp functions firmly and securely without erroneous rubbing etc.

The fit and finish on the whole case is top not and follows suit with the case. The crown guards have a nice slant down to match the case lines and how it recedes as it goes away from the wrist (akin to the whole case on an Oris Diver). (Note #2: Green drawing on above picture). The crown itself is also quite thick being both sturdy and easy to adjust. The bezel clicks nice (120 vs. standard 60 clicks), smooth but discreet in each click. The the solid bezel speaks volumes, few things disappoint more than an expensive diver with a bezel that doesn't stand up in quality with the rest of the watch (I felt this of the Omega Planet Ocean). The lume is very good. The crystal remains clear at steep angles. This may seem unremarkable but those having owned divers with thick domed crystals will have noted distortion at steep viewing angles. While I find this entering in some senses, it really speaks of quality to me for it to remain clear as I understand not all sapphire is created equally.










Heavy, I find this gives a reassuring sense of quality. While i recognize heavy does not necessarily mean quality just as light does not necessarily mean cheap, I can't help but feel a correlation between the two. Despite being the watch feels well balanced and feels well tooled. Few watches I've handled have comparable fit and finish. Accuracy was good. Given chronometer grade timing, good is expected. My first was better than my second (well with in COSC @ +1-2s/d vs just with in +4s/d) but Ive still had non COSC Damasko, Stowa, Ball and Korsbek outshine both. I consider this par for the course, meeting expectation with out exceeding them. .

Hefty crown guards, good thick crown, smooth and quiet wind. Tick on the second was a little louder and distinct that the first but both quiet overall. Minimal rotor noise. The case back while perhaps not inventive is very well finished and would easily double as a signet. Over-engineering such as 2000 meter water resistance, auto helium escape valve as well as more standard fair dual coated sapphire crystal are the elements that make an adventurous watch and an interesting conversation piece as well as a sports watch capable of being well used.










Since no review is complete without pictures, I've included plenty of those. While not perfect, this watch is a pleasure to own and IMO speaks of quality craftsmanship and a youthful adventurous spirit.


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## novedl (May 20, 2009)

breitling products evoke such a tangible sense of quality that is noticable upon touching one. as an aside, one of my good mates is a bonafide rolex man. we were playing a round of golf when he informed me why he/and i should only buy rolexes..........then i removed my headwind and allowed him to inspect it. his response, " damn! this is a nice watch." my response,......a knowing smile;-)
wonderful review!


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## fjcamry (Aug 13, 2012)

I inherited the Breitling superocean steelfish in blue dial from my recently deceased cousin. I looked at the production date and it reads 3706.


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## jonnieb (Feb 11, 2006)

What an excellent and balanced review. I just bought a pre-owned Breitling SF black dial, and I concur with almost everything you say.

My criticisms of this watch are few: I wish the crown was more sharply fluted (a la the SuperOcean models), and the triangle of lume on the rehaut at 12 should have been a little bigger, as it doesn't easily distinguish from the 3-6-9 squares at night. Also, I found the more protuberant bezel screws on the previous generation of Breitling Colt models made the bezel even easier to turn. 

That said, this is a great and probably slightly more dressy update to the venerated SuperOcean models that preceded it.


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## Doc J (Aug 1, 2012)

Great review and pics thanks!


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## Minion (Aug 14, 2012)

Wow, old review but very detailed! Thanks!


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## eddiea (Mar 26, 2006)

Outstanding review , played a factor in my decision to look for one recently....


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## rm7pr (Apr 7, 2011)

Old review but good review. The Steelfish is definitely one of my all time favorite watches. I sold the one I had a few months back and have been regretting it ever since. By the way anybody have one for sale?


Sent from Southern California using an iPad


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## swissra (Sep 27, 2014)

Fabulous shots! I appreciate your review.


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## fjcamry (Aug 13, 2012)

jonnieb said:


> What an excellent and balanced review. I just bought a pre-owned Breitling SF black dial, and I concur with almost everything you say.
> 
> My criticisms of this watch are few: I wish the crown was more sharply fluted (a la the SuperOcean models), and the triangle of lume on the rehaut at 12 should have been a little bigger, as it doesn't easily distinguish from the 3-6-9 squares at night. Also, I found the more protuberant bezel screws on the previous generation of Breitling Colt models made the bezel even easier to turn.
> 
> That said, this is a great and probably slightly more dressy update to the venerated SuperOcean models that preceded it.


I like the bezel screws on this one. They are easier to polish with a flattened profile as I do the mirror sides of the bezel.


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