Thread: Would you put a Breitling Emergency in your collection?

There's a lot of unique pieces here, but I haven't seen anyone with the most unusual one - the Breitling Emergency.

Is it too specialist? Maybe the cost of battery replacement every 3-4 years ($600) is too high?

I'm looking at buying one right now, and wondering if I should pull the trigger. There certainly seems to be a demand for resale if other forums are anything to go by.

This watch was featured in an episode of Pawn Stars.

Rick (the owner of the Pawn shop) was saying that if you pull the emergency transmitter when you are not actually in distress, you will be fined for cost of the search and rescue... roughly $50,000!!!

The frequency it uses is slowly being replaced by 406 MHz digital.

I guess the same applies to setting off any SAR device. The BE was originally sold only to pilots - but now it is sold on the open market maybe they need a substantial fine to cope with testosterone-fueled 16 yr-old trust fund kids. I believe prospective owners have to register with Breitling and sign an agreement, that probably puts less sensible buyers off.

I like the fact it is a completely unique form of watch, the first and probably last of its kind. Maybe being a quartz makes it less of a collectible for anyone here?

I prefer the Emergency Mission. On the wanted list

I would consider Breitling Emergency for my collection. I think in some way it's special/unique.

I have wanted a Emergency mission for 8yrs now just waiting to stumble upon a good deal. Every time I have tried one on someone has a diferent story to tell about the watch claiming it has saved customers lives from kidnapping to down planes. Who knows but I want one.

all sorts of misinformation on that though.
first they are not rare at all made tens of thousands of them.
second, if you are sitting in your kitchen and deploy the device, a seal tea isn't going to bust in your door and grab you, in fact, nothing at all will happen, if you are in a raft in the ocean and they are ACTIVELY LOOKING for you and monitoring that frequency, then it can help them find you.
they are discontinued, and they are stopping monitoring/using that frequency at all.
and battery changes are about $300, first one is free.

ohh, and since they have been on the market, ZERO, people have been rescued by one, not a single soul, but they are still cool.