Even Luxury Watches Save Lives

Earlier this fall, luxury watchmaker Breitling made unlikely headlines across the country when one of their timepieces saved not a man's social life, but his actual one.

While hunting grizzly bears across the wild backcountry of Alaska, Mark Spencer and his party became stranded when their vessel tore a hole in the unforgiving waters of the Susitna River. With more than 100 miles between them and Anchorage, Spencer risked it all by leaving his group in search of help and braving hypothermia in the fierce and brutal Alaska Range.

Fortunately, Spencer wore a professional Emergency watch made by Breitling. Used primarily by aircrews, this unique watch features a short, extendable antenna that broadcasts an emergency frequency, which lasts for two days, and can be heard up to 100 miles away. After surviving frigid temperatures for more than 48 hours, Spencer and his party were finally rescued by a helicopter and brought to safety.

Surprisingly enough, this was not the first time a Breitling watch served a man in peril. It seems in 1965, a certain Agent 007 also availed himself to the brand. Yes, Sean Connery wore a Breitling timepiece for the one and only time in the fourth James Bond movie, "Thunderball."

In the film, Q travels to the Bahamas to suit up Bond with Breitling Top Time. Of course, this one is modified with a sweeping hand that--what else?--detects radioactivity. Sadly, this line of watches suffered a premature death after its cinematic debut and has since garnered a bit of a cult reputation for designer watch feigns. You can fetch a Top Time today for anywhere from $500 to over $3,000.

As far as luxury watches for men go, Breitling appears to be the alpha and omega of life-saving timepieces. At the moment, the deluxe mainstays like Cartier, Tag Heuer, U-Boat, and Ebel will continue to go well with your cufflinks more than your emergency kit.

If you are more concerned about function over fashion, Silent Call introduced the Silent Touch Watch for the vision and hearing-impaired a few years ago. This particular watch lets the user know of incidental sounds like the doorbell or telephone, but also urgent alerts like a ringing fire or burglar alarm with vibrations and clear visual displays. Ultimately, you do not need to be James Bond to sport a watch that is either life-saving, stylish, or even both. Not that being James Bond would not help, at least a little.

Source: http://www.artipot.com/articles/1426602/even-luxury-watches-save-lives.htm

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