Omega Seamaster vs. Breitling Chronomat: Complicated Sports Watch Shootout! (VIDEO)

Cars. Motorcycles. Ballclubs. Watches. Everybody loves a good rivalry, and head-to-head tests bring out the best in top competitors.

Between this Breitling Chronomat B04 GMT and Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra 150M Chronograph GMT, we have two 44mm steel sports complications vying for enthusiast approval.

Both feature a chronograph/dual-Time/GMT/date combination, brand-exclusive or in-house chronometer movements, robust water resistance ratings, full bracelets, rotating bezels, and unique dial treatments that buck the trend within the often stolid and staid “tool watch” segment. And the price points are remarkably similar.

But there are differences.

Omega and Breitling’s champions each feature a distinctive dial, but the expressions are quite divergent. Omega‘s “Teak Concept” combines a white dial base with a recessed minutes track and prominent vertical striation designed to evoke the deck planks of traditional sailing yachts. Breitling’s Chronomat leverages a cantilevered tachymeter scale overhanging a soleil metallic brown dial base with contrasting silver guilloche subdials.

Omega emphasizes the GMT aspect of its Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra; the bi-directional bezel is calibrated to 24 hours and can be used to enable instantaneous tracking of three time zones when combined with the dual-time function. The tradeoff is the Aqua Terra‘s inability to time diving intervals with its dial, and the oblong non-screwed chronograph pushers limit the depth rating to 150M.

Breitling’s Chronomat may have made its name as a pilot’s watch, but the Chronomat B04 GMT boasts robust diving credentials. Its bezel is not the traditional 24-hour variant common to GMT watches but a unidirectional diver’s unit with a luminescent “pearl” index and a 0-60 minute calibration. The Chronomat B04‘s dive bezel permits timing of two simultaneous intervals of up to 60 minutes when used in tandem with the chronograph; a 200 meter water resistance rating bolsters the Breitling‘s credibility as a legitimate dive watch.

However, the Breitling‘s fixed and dial-printed 24-hour scale eliminates the potential to track a third time zone as in a true GMT like this Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra.

Some of the distinctions between the Breitling Chronomat B04 GMT and the Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra GMT are matters of style and taste. For example, the Omega is equipped with a sapphire case back that permits viewing of the Omega caliber 3603 co-axial movement; the Breitling, with its higher water resistance rating, employs a solid case back. Moreover, the Breitling‘s “Pilot” bracelet includes a clamshell clasp; Omega employs a twin-trigger release mechanism.

Ultimately, only the watch enthusiast can decide the outcome of this head-to-head. Both Omega and Breitling field worthy champions, and there is no wrong answer – only a right answer for each given collector.

See both the Breitling Chronomat B04 GMT and the Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra 150M Chronograph GMT with accessories in high-resolution images on www.watchuwant.com