Wow, it’s so hot! Wear Breitling Avenger’s stopwatch 45 Night Mission and you’ll be greeted with just such a welcome. The chronograph is part of a new line of 14 sleek Avengers replica watches launched last fall, including four that have replaced the Colt line.
Such enthusiasm for our test watch! It’s no doubt owing to its sporty, striking design with a military green dial and strap together with its dark-coated case, which gave the watch its “Night Mission” name. All about it exudes strength and robustness: the wide stepped bezel, the sturdy ringed chronograph pushers, the big screw-down crown with a crown guard, the striking hour markers, and the calfskin band with an industrial-looking embossed pattern.
Size alone is not the final factor in making its powerful impression – even though the watch measures 45 mm across and a strapping 16.5 mm in height, neither dimension is really all that noticeable, and surprisingly, the wearing comfort is still perfect. With its smooth underside, supple leather strap, and flat buckle, the watch fits snugly on the wrist. Certainly, the light 120-gram weight also plays a role, owing to Breitling’s use of titanium.
The solid fake watch case has a DLC (diamond-like carbon) coating that increases the surface hardness and adds to the industrial/military look of the watch. The carbon coating Breitling uses is more anthracite in color than pure black and is a better match with the khaki green components.
The brushed finish on the case fits the overall military design of the watch. There’s only one minor drawback: in spite of the matte surface, it’s still possible to see fingerprints here and there, and they’re much harder to wipe off the stepped bezel than they would be with a simpler case design.
The dial stands out with the military-look numerals that have been an iconic part of the Avenger collection from the outset. Numerals, hands, and the luminous dot on the unidirectional rotating bezel glow brightly at night, so legibility is guaranteed for many hours. It’s just as easy to tell the time during the day as it is at night — at least that’s the idea because the dials on the edges of the dials are so finely divided that they don’t contrast much with the dark khaki background. The dark gray stopwatch hands lack contrast, thus reducing readability. What’s more, the case back is simple — solid titanium with a beige-enhanced engraving of the replica Breitling name and watch specs.
The only fault found in other sturdy and accurate stopwatch movements is the play that our test watch can detect when setting the time. To compensate for this slack, it is important to first move the minute hand forward and then back to set the exact time so that the pointer returns to its locked position and motion start running correctly under the crown.