Sketchy dudes wear Breitling (Emergency)

Nono01
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"Better late than never"

This belongs to the "mini-Grail" realm for me for almost 15 years, harking back to a golden era when watch brands crafted no-frills timepieces designed for rugged use. It possesses a distinctive quality: tailored for both commercial and military aviators in the 90s, the Breitling Emergency featured an integrated Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) transmitting an "E" signal on the 121.5 MHz rescue frequency. Activating the PLB involved unscrewing the sizable lower crown and extending the 1.5m antenna. Prospective buyers were required to sign a contract in six different languages, pledging to deploy the locator exclusively in emergency situations; failure to do so incurred a substantial fine for rescue services. In essence, it's unequivocally the wrong watch for a Saturday night out with friends at a bar trying to make a new record in tequila shots.

And that's precisely why I adore it. It stands as one of the watches that truly embodies the spirit of "The right stuff."

I only have few shots, but I'll keep this thread updated. Thanx for reading/looking

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Duracuir1
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I like it! Looks great on the bracelet and that strap is terrific. I am sure I can look it up… but will they test it upon servicing the watch?
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Nono01
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Duracuir1 Duracuir1
I like it! Looks great on the bracelet and that strap is terrific. I am sure I can look it up… but will they test it upon servicing the watch?

Agreed mate. Yes, if you send a watch to a service, they exchange all the gaskets and make sure that the emegency module plus the timekeeping movement works inside the factory parameters

OnTopic:

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DrmexicoII
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Remember seeing the adverts for these and lusting after an emergency Breitling in the late 90s / early 2000s. Just too cool. Excellent point about Saturday nights though!
 
gbesq
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Ok, ^^ this ^^ is very, very cool. I do a lot of sea kayaking and I carry a PLB tethered to my life vest as part of my safety gear, but it would be great to have something like that on my wrist! ENVY, ENVY, ENVY.
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RevZMan123
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I used to use a Spot GPS tracker when I rode out in the woods alone. It came with helicopter extraction service but nothing like this!
 
Snooz
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This is my example from 2007 which I've owned for about 7 years (old pic) - they are cool, but trying to find a local watchmaker who will perform a simple battery change can be challenging - something mine needs at the moment!
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duc
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Snooz Snooz
This is my example from 2007 which I've owned for about 7 years (old pic) - they are cool, but trying to find a local watchmaker who will perform a simple battery change can be challenging - something mine needs at the moment!
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An owner of one of these posted details, pictures included, of him changing the two batteries on his Emergency (on the Breitling sub forum over at the other site). One battery for the beacon and one for the watch module.

If you are remotely mechanical, and have the correct tools, it looks pretty basic. Included are battery universal numbers.
 
Snooz
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duc duc
An owner of one of these posted details, pictures included, of him changing the two batteries on his Emergency (on the Breitling sub forum over at the other site). One battery for the beacon and one for the watch module.

If you are remotely mechanical, and have the correct tools, it looks pretty basic. Included are battery universal numbers.
Thanks mate. Like most I'm a bit hesitant because of the fine if the transmitter goes off by accident, but i'll certainly take a look. There is also this video which I'll post for reference -
 
Nono01
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Doesn't have solar function, but I'm gonna charge it a bit anyway

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WatchTimes
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They quit making the old one as the frequency is no longer actively monitored.
Took them quite some time to get the last one approved by various Govt agencies.
If you go missing and someone knows you have one they will start searching for the signal but from what I understand they don't just actively monitor that frequency anymore.
 
Jones in LA
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Really enjoy the update, keep 'em coming!
 
JwRosenthal
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I have no comment on the watch but your photography is excellent- I can tell these were shot with a period correct Motorola Razr to go with the watch, in red no doubt- thus the stellar images.
 
Fallout Boy
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Nono01 Nono01
"Better late than never"

This belongs to the "mini-Grail" realm for me for almost 15 years,

8 o´clock in the morning: I just read: "MIMI-grail " 😁

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Thommas
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Great to see a dude getting so much enjoyment out of his watch. Cool pics too!

Here's an extra thought for the "emergency" feature: If it ever gets stolen, odds are high enough that the thief has no idea what the beacon is or how it works and just decides to unscrew the damn thing. Could be another cool way to get out of a sketchy situation!
 
Nono01
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Thommas Thommas
Great to see a dude getting so much enjoyment out of his watch. Cool pics too!

Here's an extra thought for the "emergency" feature: If it ever gets stolen, odds are high enough that the thief has no idea what the beacon is or how it works and just decides to unscrew the damn thing. Could be another cool way to get out of a sketchy situation!

Haha, another way to shoot your own knee so to speak. Love it!
 
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