In 2021, an edgier version of the Chronomat emerges in the form of the Super Chronomat collection that is larger than the one that precedes it – including a model that incorporates its famed B01 Manufacture chronograph movement, as well as a curious Four-Year Calendar model.

The modern Breitling Chronomat has its design origins in 1983, when the Italian PAN Frecce Tricolori (Italy’s National Aerobatic Team of the Aeronautica Militare) collaborated with the brand for a modern chronograph that could withstand the rigours of the cockpit. As a pilot himself, then-CEO Ernest Schneider knew of the frequency of broken watches after a flight. As such, the brand came up with the Chronomat’s distinctive “Rider Tabs” that protected the crystal from any knocks, as well as serving as a countdown or a count-up bezel – this could be achieved by swapping the 15 and 45 minute tabs simply by unscrewing them from the bezel. The design of this chronograph would then go on to serve as the basis for the new Chronomat model that was unveiled on the brand’s 100th anniversary, in 1984.

The new Breitling Super Chronomat collection has been upsized to 44mm, compared to 42mm of the refreshed Chronomat released in 2020. Common to all of the new Super Chronomat watches is the ceramic bezel that is a first for the Chronomat line. The signature Rider Tabs are also interchangeable like its historical counterparts at 15 and 45 minutes to enable either a countdown or a count up bezel, and its numerals are coated in SuperLuminova for night time legibility.

Breitling Super Chronomat B01 44

The Super Chronomat B01 44 is the chronograph version of the watch, and is available in stainless steel cases with blue or black dial and bezel combinations, or a luxurious and hefty 18k red gold version with a brown dial and bezel combination. All have silver contrasting chronograph counters, giving a ‘reverse panda’ look. The signature Rouleaux bracelet is available for both the steel and red gold versions, as well as an injection moulded rubber strap inspired by the emblematic bracelet, emulating the textures of a woven material with matte and slick finishes. The case is water resistant to 20 bar, with a screw locked crown.

Particular to the black dial model is a version of the Rouleaux bracelet with the UTC module embedded into it. A feature of Breitling watches in the mid 80’s and early 90’s, and through the 00’s and 10’s with the Co-Pilot module, the UTC module of this latest release incorporates a quartz movement into the bracelet that can keep track of another time zone. Like the case of the Super Chronomat B01 44, the UTC module is also water resistant to 20 bar.

This model is powered by the Breitling Manufacture B01 movement that has been a mainstay of the higher-end Breitling chronograph models like the Navitimer, Aviator 8 and the Premier collections. The movement is column wheel controlled, with a vertical clutch, and is COSC certified – being Breitling’s first in-house movement first unveiled in 2009, it was an impressive feat for the brand’s first movement to be a chronograph, not to mention incorporating all of the niceties of modern mechanical chronographs.

Breitling Super Chronomat 44 Four-Year Calendar

The Super Chronomat 44 Four-Year Calendar introduces complications to the collection, with a chronograph and calendar indications such as date, month and day incorporated into the chronograph subdials, and a moon phase given its own space on the dial at 3 o’clock. The watch is available in stainless steel with a black dial featuring tone-on-tone subdials, black ceramic bezel with 18k red gold bezel elements and an all-steel Rouleaux bracelet. Alternatively, a two-toned version in stainless steel and red gold is available with a blue dial featuring tone-on-tone subdials, blue ceramic bezel inlaid into a red gold bezel, and a steel and red gold Rouleaux bracelet. Injection moulded rubber options are available for both variations as well. 

Powering the Super Chronomat 44 Four-Year Calendar is the Breitling Calibre 19 – a COSC certified chronograph movement that incorporates what Breitling terms a “semi-perpetual” calendar. In the past, Breitling watches housing this movement would often incorporate “1461” into their names, referencing the only time that this requires adjustment is once every leap year, or once every 1461 days. This movement is a curiously engineered version of the ETA 2892 that adds significant complexity and functionality to the movement.

Breitling has doubled-down on the 80s and 90s aesthetic and made it larger for those looking for a watch to make a statement. The connection to the era of VHS and Walkmans is further reinforced through the reintroduction of the UTC module for the Super Chronomat B01 44, proving that what is old is new again. Through this new collection, however, Breitling continues its reputation for tough and rugged watches, as well as reinforcing its modern manufacturing prowess through the incorporation of the Four-Year Calendar as well as its virtually bulletproof B01 manufacture movement – hats off to Breitling for being able to dip its feet in the past and yet remain resolutely modern.

But what’s cooler is seeing Georges Kern, Breitling CEO going back to the past to have conversations with each of them, using what looks like Deepfake video technology. 

It’s only 8 minutes long and I promise that it’s worth it. 

Meanwhile, check below for more information about the watches.

Full text from Breitling’s press release: 

Inspired by the inventive spirit of Breitling’s founders, the new Premier Heritage Collection is for the modern and discerning man of impeccable taste. These exquisite timepieces are the brand’s most elegant and refined.

“This heritage-inspired design with a stylish modern twist embodies some of Breitling’s most famous innovations, and revives Breitling’s legacy of inventing the modern chronograph. This truly is our heritage revived,” says Georges Kern of Breitling’s timelessly elegant new collection.

The Premier Heritage Collection pays homage to Breitling’s very own Founders Squad: three generations of men who changed the history of timekeeping and made Breitling what it is today. Léon Breitling founded the company in 1884; later, he patented a simple timer/tachymeter that could measure any speed between 15 and 150 km/h, an invention featured in the 1906 Vitesse pocket watch.

In 1915, his son, Gaston, created one of the first wrist-worn chronographs with an independent pusher at 2 o’clock. This innovation separated the start, stop, and reset functions from the crown, making it infinitely more practical for timing sports.

In 1934, Léon’s grandson, Willy, patented the second independent chronograph pusher at 4 o’clock. Among Willy Breitling’s celebrated pioneering achievements was the establishment of the Huit Aviation Department in 1938.

Impeccable taste

Besides being bold and tech savvy, Willy Breitling understood people’s desire for a touch of elegance and glamour. This inspired him to design the original Premier wristwatches in the 1940s, Breitling’s first step in linking purpose with style. As Willy saw it, “When a man puts on his watch, it is the unmistakable stamp of impeccable taste.”

The latest generation of Premiers – Breitling’s Premier Heritage Collection – brings this timeless elegance back to life. The collection includes six watches divided into three distinctive categories: The Chronograph, The Duograph, and The Datora.

All feature Arabic numerals, vintage-inspired hands and semi-shiny alligator straps with tone-on-tone stitching. Every watch is a COSC-certified chronometer and water-resistant up to 100 meters.

Groundbreaking functions

The 40 mm Premier Heritage Chronograph is manually wound, just like its 1940s predecessors. It is powered by the Breitling Manufacture Caliber B09, which is based on the Breitling Manufacture Caliber 01. It comes in two variations: with an eye-catching pistachio-green dial encased in stainless steel or a stately silver-colored dial encased in 18 k red gold.

With stainless-steel and 18 k red gold cases measuring 42 mm, the Premier Heritage Duograph comes with a blue or black dial, respectively. Its rattrapante function – one of the most elaborate in watchmaking – enables the wearer to measure two elapsed times simultaneously thanks to its two superimposed chronograph hands. This piece houses the mechanical hand-wound Breitling Manufacture Caliber B15, which is based on the Breitling Manufacture Caliber B03.

Like its 1940s predecessor, the 42 mm Premier Heritage Datora also stands out for its highly visible and complex functions, namely its day, date, and moon-phase displays. It is powered by the Manufacture Caliber B25. The Datora’s copper-colored face is framed by a stainless-steel case, while its silver-colored dial comes in an 18 k red gold one.

All three models of the Premier Heritage Collection highlight Breitling’s mastery of timekeeping as it has evolved over the generations.

It was certainly a novel experience watching it, since they were introducing watches that would normally be introduced at Baselworld around this time, if it were any other year aside from this one. With the Coronavirus epidemic still raging currently, and with most communication about new watches having moved mostly online already, it was no great loss in terms of the information that was conveyed. Although from a journalistic standpoint, it would have been nice to have some hands on time with the watches and to be able to photograph the real thing in the flesh. 

Look for more brands to follow Breitling’s lead in the near future with such webcasts, as we continue down this unknown path of our current state of affairs. Hopefully things can get to normal soon, otherwise it’s gonna be new watches known via the Internet only like this. But back to the webcast – CEO Georges Kern knows how to put on a good show, with an engaging video that takes viewers deftly across the three collections that are being launched for this quarter, the Superocean Heritage ’57 Capsule Collection, the Navitimer Automatic 35 and the new Chronomat, and reminding viewers of the historical legitimacy of the brand in watchmaking, that no one can really argue with. 

The first watch, the Superocean Heritage ‘57, as its name suggests, and as the recent practice of Breitling implies, takes design inspiration from the original SuperOcean watch from 1957. As a “Capsule Collection”, it aims to take stand-out watches from the brand’s archives, to give a retro-modern twist. It also means that the watches are limited in production but not numbered, which probably means they’ll only be on sale for a short time. The new watches are meant to recall the cool, laid-back surfing lifestyle of the 1950s and 1960s which I am a little confused about to be honest. The connection is a little tenuous, and doesn’t seem to come from a specific technical or cultural aspect of the watches. 

Still they have retained the concave bezel, and the outsized indices at 12, 3, 6 and 9 of the original, and also in the process updated the new watch with a ceramic bezel. Perhaps the one watch that most exemplifies the spirit of California surfer culture that the collection is going for is the related 250 piece Superocean Heritage ‘57 Limited Edition. 

This comes with a dial that has its 12, 3, 6 and 9 indices in different colours to give a rainbow effect. It’s striking definitely, and a slightly different take from the jewelled rainbow bezel watches we’ve seen from many different brands over the past few years. It also emphasises the unique hour indices very well, especially at night when the lume appears in different colours.  

To this, buyers will have a choice of different coloured NATO straps that can be purchased separately that is made of Outerknown ECONYL® yarn, a nylon material that is made from old fishing nets. So there’s the environmental angle covered. 

Six color combinations are available: blue with dark blue stripes and lining, light blue with dark blue stripes and lining, yellow with orange stripes and lining, gray with black stripes and lining, red with black stripes and lining, and green with black stripes and liningThe second watch is the Navitimer Automatic 35, which if I have to summarise it succinctly, is the watch targeted at ladies in the collection. At 35mm wide, it is of a comfortable size for the fairer sex with smaller wrists, and the beaded bezel is modelled after the one that comes from the Navitimer Ref. 806. Breitling took the chance with this new watch to also announce their new ambassador – Yao Chen – a Chinese actress and philanthropist who has been billed as “China’s answer to Angelina Jolie.” I’m not in a position to comment if this is true, but it very well be seeing the calibre of ambassadors that they have from Hollywood. Lastly, the other icon for the brand, aside from the Navitimer, the Chronomat, also sees some radical changes. The Chronomat has been the brand’s flagship collection, and has accounted for the sales success that Breitling has enjoyed over the past few decades since it was first introduced in 1983. This was a collection that was meant for pilots, since it was designed for the Italian jet team, the “frecce tricolori”.

Over time however, it’s found favour with other users, specifically racing drivers and regatta racers who favoured the tachometer scale and the reversible rider tabs. Really however, it could be worn by anyone needing a watch that was tough, had high water resistance and a useful complication in a chronograph. 

Yet the Chronomat never made a case for itself for the horologically inclined, a crowd that preferred the storied legend of the Navitimer instead. There were two main issues with the Chronomat, especially those from the last decade that dissuaded – the large sizes and the use of too much high polish in the case and bracelet finishing. 

When the Chronomat was given the new manufacture B-01 movement in 2009, it was offered at a size of 47mm. Breitling made a smaller version at 44mm and even 41mm later on, which helped matters. This is why I am glad to see the new Chronomat, coming in at a reasonable size of 42mm, which should be welcomed across the board by a wide swatch of potential buyers. Not only that, it dispenses with the super high polished look that we have come to associate with the Chronomat and opts instead for an appropriate mix of brushed and polished surfaces in its case finishing which gives it an air of elegance and refinement, yet doesn’t compromise on its tool watch origins. It is certainly not as severe as the fully brushed Chronomat we saw in 2019, which felt a little like a palette cleanser after all the high polish. 

The only areas of high polish are the bezel, with the brushed rider tabs for contrast and the edges of the mostly brushed cases. Thank goodness for Georges Kern, for getting rid of the blinding in the light high polished cases and bracelets that just made the watches too brash and ostentatious! With the case size of the new Chronomat at 42mm, and with it using the much lauded B01 in-house movement, there is much to like here, and this launch is made even better by being offered on the iconic Rouleaux bracelet, which offers a nice link to the brand’s heritage. It comes brushed with polished interlinks and a twin trigger butterfly clasp. Furthermore, with the links of the Chronomat to aviation, motorsport and regatta racing, the rider tabs can be modified, with the 15 and 45 ones in their normal positions for the countup function and swapped for the countdown function. This swap can be reversed any time since all it takes is to undo the screw that holds down the rider tabs. Lastly, with a water resistance of 200 metres this is a watch that you can wear for any purpose and for any reason. 

I think that finally, this Chronomat now has a chance to be the brand’s Rolex Daytona. By that I mean the sort of mass market luxury sports watch option that can be the go to flagship of the range. The launch collection comes with a variety of executions, the standard monochromatic panda ones, a special British racing green dial, some two tone variants, and even a full 18k rose gold option. Also, in tribute to the original “frecce tricolori”, there is a new 250 piece limited edition “Frecco Tricolori Limited Edition”, that celebrates the 60th Anniversary of the famed Italian jet team. 

There is definitely something here for everyone, and the next question is when they will launch the GMT version of this Chronomat with the B-04 movement (previous version, the Chronomat GMT 44 shown above). It will probably only be a matter of time. 

Find out more at breitling.com

One of the things I remember that collectors began clamouring for Georges Kern to do, when he became Breitling CEO, was to revive and celebrate the rich heritage of the brand through the recreation of watches from the archive. Well, he heard these voices loud and clear and he has been responding with a vigour that is simply breathtaking.

The new Breitling Top Time that is introduced today might not have the elevated horological legacy of a professional pilot’s watch such as the Navitimer 806 or theAVI Ref. 765, but it was a well-known and beloved watch all the same when it was launched in the 1960’s.

Breitling AVI Ref. 765 1953 Re-Edition

It was a lineup of watches that were targeted at the young professional, and so came with distinctive dials that were more design than technically oriented. Essentially, it was all about dressing up the technical sophistication of the chronograph to appeal to a demographic that might not otherwise buy one.

It was a hit when it was launched then, with some of its fame being derived from appearing in the 1965 James Bond film “Thunderball” in which the watch had a Geiger counter. Though that watch had a different case and also a different colour combination and dial design and looks decidedly not like the new watch that is launched today.

Instead, the reissue of the Top Time Limited Edition that launches today, comes with the collector nicknamed “Zorro” dial, on account of the black design that looks like Zorro’s mask that encircles the chronograph sub-dial. Add a few red accents here and there, and you have a bold look to an otherwise common complication.

The new Top Time is similarly aimed at the young professional, which is why the advertising visuals depict a skateboarding youth tearing it up on the streets of London, while wearing the watch.To go along with the new collection, which as I understand will be at the lower priced end of Breitling’s offerings, the new Top Time will come with the Breitling Caliber 23, which is essentially a Valjoux 7753, a variant in the Valjoux 7750 family of movements that comes with a symmetrical arrangement of the sub-dials, instead of the in-house B-01 series of movements. With a power reserve of approximately 48 hours and as a COSC-certified chronometer, there is enough on offer here movement wise to satisfy, and it accords well with the original intention of the Top Time collection when it was offered in the 1960’s.One interesting thing to note about the dial, there is a decimal scale around the chapter ring. Why? Apparently this was so that the measurement of elapsed time could be communicated in a numerical fashion. Essentially one could say, “1.25 minutes” instead of “1 minute 15 seconds”. This was a feature that was aimed at scientists and doctors and is not commonly used now. Although it does provide a nice symmetry to the dial, and is one of those talking point details that were current to the watches of the original’s era. Interestingly, it differs from the original Top Time that came with a tachymeter scale instead.The watch comes with a 41mm stainless-steel case and is paired with a brown nubuck leather strap. It is also a limited edition of 2000 pieces, with the case-back engraved with “ONE OF 2000” to announce that fact.

Also, it is the first watch from the brand to be offered with a blockchain-based digital passport, which confirms the authenticity and ownership of the watch with a single click.What can you do with this? Well, everything that you can with a standard warranty document, except that it is online, secure, and anonymous. Want to transfer ownership of the watch anonymously, or engage online services that include maintenance of the watch and so on? This technology allows you to do so.

It’ll be interesting to find out in greater detail what the digital passport can do, and this might be something that will be more widely adopted in the watch industry in the future.The Breitling Top Time is available for sale on Breitling’s website now at the following link, and will be available upon request from the brand’s global retail network at a later date.

Click here for the Breitling Top Time webpage.

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Add into the equation a CEO like Georges Kern who understands the needs of his audience and the result is a watch like last year’s reissue of the Navitimer 806 and the new AVI Ref. 765 1953 Re-Edition announced today, a limited edition of 1,953 watches in stainless steel.

The new AVI Ref. 765 1953 Re-Edition is typical of pilots chronographs from the 1950’s, with a black dial framing a three register chronograph layout, with syringe hands, large lumed Arabic numerals and a steel bezel.

In the modern watch the details have been lovingly recreated, from the dome hesalite crystal, the identically sized 41mm case (oversized for its era but perfect now) and a bezel secured by three screws in the exact same positions.

So that you feel that you are getting a watch that looks vintage out of the box, the colour of the hand-applied Super-LumiNova has been chosen to recall the original luminescent material aged appropriately. What’s more, the 15 minute counter, comes with lumed indices at every three minute spacing, a reminder to the pilot in the old days that the final plane check should not exceed 15 minutes – a detail that will please vintage Breitling enthusiasts.

Of course, not everything is exactly the same. For example, the word “Genève” on the dial of the original has been removed since the new watch is not made there. Also, the water resistance is now at 30m, up from, and you must remember that the old watch came from the 1950’s, effectively 0m.

Lastly the movement has been upgraded, and it’s the in-house Breitling Manufacture Caliber B09, a hand-wound COSC-certified caliber based on the renowned Breitling Caliber 01, which was effectively created by ditching the automatic winding rotor. It’s a great movement though, reliable and crammed with all sorts of improvements that make it desirable for everyday wear.

Ok, I have to admit, there is something quite fascinating about recreating an old watch to have as close to 100% of its aesthetic properties with 0% of the drawbacks of owning a vintage watch. Aside from that, the new watch benefits from modern production techniques that enable more reliable performance and even a modicum of usable water resistance (to 30m in the modern watch), so that fans of the old watch can keep theirs protected in the safe, and enjoy the slings and arrows of life with the new one on their wrists.

Most folks will of course gravitate to the stainless steel version of the AVI Ref. 765 1953 Re-Edition, but there will also be two premium versions of this watch – one in red gold with black dial and one in platinum with blue dial, all the better to pretend to be a 1950’s pilot in the comfort of first class.

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