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Founded in 1884, Breitling is marking its anniversary with a yearlong celebration of its “140 Years of Firsts.” There is a new addition to that roster of pioneering achievements: Caliber B19, Breitling’s first perpetual calendar chronograph movement. The new calibre makes its debut in three limited-edition models representing brand icons: the Premier, Navitimer and Chronomat.
In 2009, Breitling released its first in-house-developed movement, Caliber 01 and continued with a progression of chronograph calibres: the B02 with 24-hour function, the B03 with split-seconds, and the B04 with GMT. Many more innovations followed. The new Caliber B19 is the brand’s first exclusive perpetual calendar movement and is naturally also a chronograph: Breitling’s speciality right from the beginning. It features a full calendar and moonphase, automatically correcting for leap years and months of 28, 30 and 31 days, so it can run for nearly a century without a major adjustment. What is more, it has a remarkable power reserve of approximately 96 hours.
The movement’s solid-gold rotor is decorated with an engraving of Breitling’s historic Montbrillant Manufactory in La Chaux-de-Fonds. Montbrillant was more than a factory: Its west wing was a villa-style home that housed three generations of the Breitling family. This building, which served as Breitling’s Manufacture for more than 80 years, had pride of place in company advertisements. Its name even appeared on watch dials in the 1930s and ’40s.
Premier B19 Datora 42 140th Anniversary: the Premier made its debut in 1943 as the watch that took the chronograph out of the cockpit and into society. It was the gentleman’s chronograph, a symbol of good taste that also happened to be a highly functional tool watch. The anniversary edition in solid 18K red gold retains the Premier’s distinctive Arabic numerals, contrasting minutes scale and signature square pushers. The strap is black alligator leather with elegant tone-on-tone topstitching and an 18K gold folding clasp.
Navitimer B19 Chronograph 43 Perpetual Calendar 140th Anniversary: The Navitimer was the first watch for pilots to combine a chronograph with the brand’s proprietary wrist-worn circular slide rule. Originally developed in 1952 for members of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), this timepiece quickly found favour with a broader audience that included celebrities and astronauts – in 1962 it became the first Swiss wristwatch in space. The anniversary edition features the famous slide rule in black on an attention-grabbing 18K red gold dial. The strap is alligator leather with contrasting topstitching and an 18K gold folding clasp.
Super Chronomat B19 44 Perpetual Calendar 140th Anniversary: The Chronomat first launched in 1983 as the official watch of Italy’s aerobatics team, the Frecce Tricolori. The popularity of its design led to a wider release a year later. This quartz-era timing was significant, as this timepiece proved instrumental in restoring the popularity of mechanical chronographs. The anniversary edition features the model’s distinctive design with four raised rider tabs at the 15-minute marks, an “onion” crown and a rubber version of the model’s classic roller-type bracelet. Ceramic inserts give it a supercharged look. Plus, it marks another first for Breitling: a dramatic skeletonised dial.
Each anniversary limited edition is presented with a sumptuous suede-lined wooden watch box that can be configured to display up to three timepieces. Additional features include a drawer for storage and a removable travel pouch. Owners will also receive a deluxe edition of the book Breitling: 140 Years in 140 Stories (Rizzoli, 2024) personalised with their selected anniversary piece on the cover and showcasing brand’s illustrious heritage in vivid storytelling and photography.
September 05, 2024