The Breitling Endurance Pro Lost 6mm And Seems In Better Shape Than Ever
You know the Breitling Endurance Pro as a 44mm sports watch with a Breitlight case and a SuperQuartz movement inside. Now there’s a new size in town. The 38mm version of the Endurance Pro is positioned as a universal watch, although two of the five colorways available are probably perceived as feminine. Anyway, the color will not affect the watch’s performance. When we look at that, we need hard data, like the fact that the 44mm version weighs 64.5 grams. According to Breitling, the Endurance Pro 38 comes in at exactly 53 grams. So not only is it smaller and (marginally) more aerodynamic, but it’s also lighter and will save the athlete wearing the watch a couple of watts.
Are you looking for the ultimate luxury sports watch? And by “sports watch,” I mean a watch you will actually wear while doing your sport of choice. In most cases, that excludes luxury “sports watches” like the Royal Oak and Nautilus, and most sporty Rolex models are out too. The timing wrist instrument I have in mind is made by a renowned, high-end watchmaker and features the right specs to get the job done. In other words, it’s light and easy to read and operate. Functionality always comes first when trying to reach your best level of performance.
Is the Breitling Endurance Pro 38 the ultimate performance watch?
A 44mm watch is not for everyone. I consider a watch with a 44mm case diameter an XL timepiece. And please tell me if I’m wrong, but I believe the vast majority of people prefer size L or M watches. Sure, when a watch like the 44mm Endurance Pro only weighs 64.5 grams, as long as it sits still on the wrist, it could indeed be a perfect sports instrument. However, an XL watch will not fit a large percentage of sporty people who want to wear a luxury watch during their workouts. Breitling realized that, and the result of that brainwave is the Endurance Pro 38.
A matter of size and colors
Breitling calls the 38mm diameter, 45.7mm lug-to-lug, and 12.1mm thickness “universal.” A few of the available colors are on the traditionally feminine side, though. In addition, the smaller case couldn’t house the chronometer-certified and thermocompensated SuperQuartz caliber 82, so it got the slightly smaller caliber 83, which delivers the same performance. Other than those things, the 38mm model is the same as the 44mm Endurance Pro. The watch comes standard on a comfortable, form-fitting rubber strap in the color you also see on the pulsometer scale and rubberized crown. You can be the judge of how universal the colors are.
The biggest pro of the Endurance Pro is its lightweight case made of Breitlight. It kind of feels like carbon or ceramic. Despite being so light — three times lighter than titanium and nearly six times lighter than steel — it’s very robust. It also doesn’t reflect light, and its black hue makes the Super-LumiNova-coated hands and Arabic numerals very easy to read. I recently learned how a black sports watch with a lightweight case and an easy-to-read dial works as a great timing companion while chasing Cancellara from Bern to Zermatt.
Non-solar-powered quartz inside
The biggest con is the quartz movement. Yes, it’s super precise, but it also requires a battery change roughly every 3–4 years. I wrote it once, and I will write it again: we need luxury solar-powered quartz watches. Or at least we need a mechanical movement that can handle shocks, although the weight of the watch will go up slightly with this type of movement inside the case.
New colorways for the Endurance Pro 44mm model
By the way, while Breitling was developing and designing the €3,300 Endurance Pro 38, the brand also decided to create new straps and colorways for the 44mm model. Currently, these straps are available on new references with matching colors on the dial and crown for €3,450 each. Eventually, though, all the straps should be available separately if you want to spice up your current Endurance Pro 44.
The 44mm version of the Endurance Pro in action
Sprinting towards the end with the Endurance Pro
Today’s Endurance Pro is the evolution of the 1970s Breitling Sprint chronograph that came in many funky designs and with a mechanical chronograph movement inside. That leads me to think about my ideal Endurance Pro. The Endurance Pro of my dreams has a 42mm Breitlight case with the in-house B01 automatic chronograph movement beating inside. It will come in a plethora of sporty shades, including the three colors of the Grand Tours — yellow for the Tour de France, pink for the Giro d’Italia, and red for the Vuelta a España. A navy, green, orange, and white version should also be available, I guess.
What do you think? Would you prefer the Endurance Pro with a quartz or a mechanical movement? And what do you think of the new 38mm version? Is it universal enough for your taste? You can check all five variants on the Breitling website and let us know in the comments.
