Breitling Crosswind Racing

Sporty, functional, and striking: These three words best describe the Crosswind Racing chronograph. The main feature of this Breitling watch is its bezel rider tabs at 3, 6, 9, and 12 o'clock. These four tabs protect the sapphire glass and make operating the bezel easy, even when wearing pilot's gloves. Thanks to its moderate, 43-mm diameter, it looks good on almost every wrist. In terms of material, you can choose from 18-karat white or yellow gold, stainless steel, or a combination of the two.

The Crosswind Racing, Crosswind, and Crosswind Special are all part of the Breitling Windrider collection. The Swiss, Grenchen-based manufacturer no longer offers these models in their current catalog. This means the market is made up almost entirely of pre-owned pieces. Never-worn models are extremely rare today, as the Crosswind Racing only had a production period of a few years. This has had a positive effect on the model's value retention and could even lead to rising prices in the coming years.

With any luck, you can get a stainless steel Breitling Crosswind Racing for just under 2,400 USD. Most of the timepieces in this price range come on a leather strap. The men's version with a five-piece link Pilot bracelet goes for about 2,700 USD. Bicolor versions in stainless steel and gold are also available. These models have gold pushers, a gold crown, and gold bezel rider tabs at 3, 6, 9, and 12 o'clock. Plan to spend around 3,300 USD on one of these watches.

A majority of the Crosswind Special models fall into this same price range. Unlike the Crosswind and Crosswind racing, the Breitling caliber 44 powers the Special watches. This movement is based on the ETA 2892. The Special is characterized by its outsize date display at 12 o'clock and the layout of its dials at 3, 6, and 9 o'clock. At almost 5,000 USD, the Limited Edition Crosswind Special is a bit more expensive. This timepiece had a limited run of 1,000 pieces and features Arabic numerals and two subdials at 3 and 9 o'clock.

You can recognize standard Crosswind models by their polished cases and Roman numerals. The hour markers and hands—even those on the subdials—are coated with luminous material. The Valjoux-7750-based Breitling Caliber 13 ticks away inside the Crosswind and the Crosswind Racing. If you're lucky, you may even find a version without a chronometer certificate for under 2,400 USD. Variants with a certificate from the Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute (COSC) cost around 3,000 USD.

The Breitling Caliber 13 is based on the ETA Valjoux 7750—one of the most prolific automatic chronograph movements. Its balance vibrates at a frequency of 28,800 alternations per hour, allowing it to accurately measure to within one-eighth of a second. The small seconds dial sits at 9, the 30-minute counter at 12, and the 12-hour counter at 6 o'clock. You can read the date from a window at 3 o'clock. The caliber also boasts a 42-hour power reserve. You can determine whether your watch is a chronometer by looking at the number in the fourth position of its reference number: If there's a 3, you have a COSC-certified caliber. If there's a 0, the caliber has not been certified as a chronometer.

Unlike the Breitling Crosswind, the Racing version has a Chronomat dial. This is why it uses baton indices instead of Roman numerals for the hour markers. Its satin-brushed case also distinguishes the Crosswind Racing from its sister model. The subdial hands at 3, 6, and 9 o'clock lack luminous material, while those on the standard Crosswind glow in the dark. The watches both feature onion-shaped crowns, onion-shaped push-pieces, and the Breitling Caliber 13.