Coronavirus has bought the watch industry to a stop. Production has been halted at Patek Phillipe, Rolex and Tudor. Factories have been shut at Audemars Piguet and Hublot. Retailers are in freefall and dozens of watch launches have been postponed by a year. Following an exit by Rolex, Patek Philippe, Chopard, Chanel and Tudor it seems likely that Baselworld, the annual Swiss trade fair that dates back to 1917 and acts as a the watch world’s equivalent of the Cannes Film Festival or SXSW, will collapse altogether. Covid-19 wasn’t its only problem. But it was the nail in the coffin.
It is somehow fitting then that Breitling, whose brand values extol derring-do and pioneering adventuring in the face of adversity, has continued to plough on. It has already released notable new watches this year, in the form of the Premier Bentley Mulliner Limited Edition (part of its long-running collaboration with the luxury car company), the Avenger Automatic GMT 45 Red Arrows (a tribute to the Royal Air Force Acrobatic Team), and the Top Time (a re-edition of the watch Sean Connery’s James Bond wore in Thunderball).
Today it doubled-down and announced its most important new releases for 2020. Among them were two new launches that build on the brand’s connection with sport and offer the unmistakable Breitling look in fresh new forms. First up is the Breitling SuperOcean Heritage ’57 Capsule Collection. Based on the brand’s original dive watch, the SuperOcean, which launched in 1957, Breitling is pitching these as ‘a tribute to the laid back lifestyle of the surfers of the Fifties and Sixties’. Among consolidations within its catalogue and a refresh of its shops, Breitling has recently sought to broaden the appeal of its key lines. Previously sold on its dive watch specs alone, the SuperOcean line has been developed to appeal to those "eager to explore the ocean" in myriad forms. The use of Kelly Slater and other world class surfers in its advertising underlines the point.
Can a luxury watch evoke a laid-back surfing lifestyle? The Heritage ’57 Capsule Collection has enough retro appeal and charm to give it a go. Originally developed to equip professional and military divers, the original SuperOcean was soon adopted by leisure divers and style-conscious watch geeks. With few diving watches today being used by actual divers, the Heritage ’57 collection amps up its style chops. The 42mm watch is available in two dial options. One with a classic black dial on a black vintage-inspired strap, the other with a blue dial on a brown strap. There’s also a two-tone version with a rotating bezel in 18k gold.
Then there is the Instagram-ready limited edition. Perhaps inspired by the Gold Rainbow Daytona, a rare, eye-waveringly expensive Rolex set with 36 baguette-cut sapphires in a rainbow gradation, which became a cult item when it was announced in 2018, the Heritage ’57 comes in a colourful limited version. Pitched as "the embodiment of pure Bohemian chic… [it] would be right at home somewhere between the Beat Generation and Woodstock" the markers at 12, 3, 6 and 9 o’clock are in yellow, blue, violet and orange respectively, while the hour and minute hands are covered with glow-in-the-dark Super-LumiNova in a rainbow gradation. It’s not a design for everyone. In fact, it will flat-out annoy some people. But you can bet its run of 250 watches will sell out overnight. It's surely one of 2020's most notable releases.
Breitling also announced another new line of sports watches. A new version of the Breitling Chronomat, a model first introduced in the mid-Eighties in collaboration with the Frecce Tricolori, the Italian Air Force’s aerobatics team. Launching at a time when skinny digital watches were all the rage, Breitling’s unapologetically weighty sports chronograph bucked the trend. A mixture of pilot and diver’s styles, the design was distinctive, and very different from other Breitling watches.
The new Chronomat family takes its cues from that original watch and adds some modern updates. The watches again come in 42mm cases and feature the Chronomat’s signature glove-friendly ‘rider tabs’ at 3, 6 and 9 o’clock. These serve several purposes: they are visual markers, grip aids and also protect the domed sapphire crystal. Unlike those of the SuperOcean, the Chronomat’s rider tabs are screwed to the bezel. As such, they are interchangeable, so the wearer can use them to either ‘count up’ (originally for aviation) or ‘count down’ (for diving). Breitling recommends you do this a boutique, rather than get the screwdriver out.
The watches come on a stainless steel integrated ‘Rouleaux’ (or ‘bullet’) bracelet – a great feature. There are several new Chronomats. The standard Chronomat B01 comes with a choice of silver, copper or blue dial with black contrasting chronograph counters. It is also available with a black dial with silver chronograph counters. The Chronomat Bentley, again in association with the car company, comes with green dial and black chronograph counters, plus the word ‘Bentley’ engraved around the case back. The Chronomat Frecce Tricolori Limited Edition has a blue dial features a blue dial and tone-on-tone sundials, as well as the Frecce Tricolori logo on the dial, and is in a limited run of 250.
There are also versions of the Chronomat B01 using 18k red gold. One comes with a silver dial and silver tone-on-tone sundials and is fitted with an 18k red gold crown and pushers, plus a bezel with red gold rider tabs, numerals and indexes. Another has either a blue dial with tone-on-tone chronograph counters or a anthracite dial with black contrasting chronograph counters, with a 18k red gold bezel, crown and pushers. The priciest option is a version with an 18k red gold case and folding clasp, on a black rubber strap with an anthracite dial and black contrasting chronograph counters.
"It remains one of the most iconic Breitling watches ever launched," says CEO Georges Kern. "We're very proud to announce we have reworked the Chronomat collection, as Brietling's all-purpose sports watch."
Breitling Heritage '57 Capsule Collection launches in May, from £4,160. The new Chronomat starts at £6,650 and is expected in May/June. Both are available for pre-order at breitling.com
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April 16, 2020 at 09:12PM
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Breitling Announces Two Sporty New Watch Collections - esquire.com
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