Breitling unveils new Super Chronomat watch collection

There are so many reasons as to why the Breitling Chronomat watch became such an icon of its time. It not only inspired the famous Navitimer watch but became a very distinct and well-loved collectable thanks to its no-frills architecture and unwavering legibility, utilized by explorers of the skies and seas. Now the Chronomat has been redesigned once more with new materials for its bezel and some variations powered by an in-house movement. The new Super Chronomat watches launched by Breitling for Watches & Wonders 2021 make for a bold and fresh new line-up, with models that comprise the Super Chronomat B01 44 watches in blue, black and brown dial colours, a Chronomat with an innovative UTC dial built into its bracelet and a functional Super Chronomat Four-Year Calendar watch.

It was the Breitling Chronomat’s particular arrangement of scales and its phenomenally useful slide rule bezel that made it such a distinct and highly recognisable instrument during the 40’s. Most importantly, it served as inspiration for the Breitling Navitimer watch, yet it is not always this design that we think of when we talk about the Chronomat. The watch was relaunched back in the 80s during the quartz crisis, breaking away from the norm with its hefty case and bulky chronograph push-pieces that subsequently marked a centenary of successful and authentic watchmaking for Breitling. Since then, its design has radically changed, adapting to the 21^st century man as well as sports-goers, pilots and diving enthusiasts.

The 1984 release of the Breitling Chronomat was inspired by Italy’s Frecce Tricolori aerobatic squadron watch designed just a year earlier, with many of its original design codes still present in the Super Chronomat watches we see today. In addition to the Chronomat becoming a more refined version of itself - lending its sophisticated aesthetic to evening attire or a professional suit when the need arises - the new Breitling Super Chronomat watches also feature coloured ceramic inserts on their unidirectional rotating bezels for the first time ever. The watch is now offered in a Four-Year Calendar version as well as a UTC iteration. Let’s take a look at the new Breitling Super Chronomat watches in a little more detail…

The Breitling Super Chronomat B01 44

The new colourful trio of Super Chronomat B01 44 watches are available in blue, black and brown dial colours – each offered on a stainless steel Rouleaux bracelet or a Rouleaux-inspired rubber strap in a colour to match their respective dials. The black and blue models are both available on a stainless steel Rouleaux bracelet or a black or blue Rouleaux- inspired rubber strap, while the brown dial option imparts a more luxurious and indulgent aesthetic, encased within 18ct rose gold. The sub-counters on each of the dials are filled with silver, offering 1/4^th of a second, 12-hour and 30-minute options. Powered by the in-house Breitling Manufacture Calibre 01 – each 200-meter water resistant watch provides a 70-hour power reserve and guarantees a performance of 28,800 vibrations per hour.

At a glance:

• Case: Width: 44mm - height; 14.45mm – stainless steel/18ct rose gold– fine-brushed and polished finishes – ratcheted unidirectional rotating bezel with corresponding-coloured ceramic inserts and rider tabs – 200-meter water resistance – cambered sapphire crystal glass with anti-reflective treatment on both sides – sapphire crystal glass caseback
• Dial: Blue/black/brown – silver-filled chronograph counters at 3, 6, 9 o’clock – 1/4th of a second, 12-hours, 30-minute counters – date at 6 o’clock – Super-LumiNova coated hands and hour markers – red-coated central chronograph seconds hand
• Movement: Breitling Manufacture Calibre 01 – 70-hour power reserve – 28,800 v.h.p – column wheel with vertical clutch – 346 components – hours, minutes, seconds, 1/4th of a second, 12-hours, 30-minutes, date
• Strap: Stainless steel or 18ct rose gold Rouleaux bracelet – butterfly clasp – blue/black/brown Rouleaux-inspired rubber strap – folding clasp
• References: AB0136251B1A1 - black dial steel case on steel bracelet / AB0136251B1S1 – Black dial steel case on black rubber strap / AB0136251C1A1 – blue dial steel case on stainless steel bracelet / AB0136251C1S1 – blue dial steel case on blue rubber strap / RB0136E31Q1R1 – brown dial 18ct rose gold case and 18ct rose gold bracelet - RB0136E31Q1S1 – brown dial 18ct rose gold case and brown rubber strap

Breitling Super Chronomat 44 B01 UTC

Powered by the same in-house movement, the Breitling Manufacture Calibre 01 also drives the hands of this new Super Chronomat UTC model, yet the watch’s independent UTC dial, uniquely embedded into the watch’s steel bracelet, is governed by its very own quartz movement for unbeatable precision. The Chronomat features chronograph dials placed in the familiar 3-6-9 layout on a black dial, along with Super-LumiNova filled hands and indexes to match the additional UTC dial. This design concept was founded back in the 1980s and has been re-engineered with new materials and technology to offer young watch collectors and avid travellers the perfect companion to help keep on track of two time zones simultaneously. Both modules are 200-meter water resistant, crafted from stainless steel and topped with a sapphire crystal glass – the Breitling Calibre B01 movement of which can be admired through the back of the Chronomat case.

At a glance:

• Case; Stainless steel – brushed and polished – 200-meter water-resistant – cambered glare-proofed sapphire crystal glass  – screw-down crown with two gaskets – sapphire crystal glass caseback – black ceramic and steel ratcheted unidirectional rotating bezel with luminous indexes on rider tabs
• UTC Module - stainless steel – 200-meter water-resistant – flat anti-reflective sapphire crystal glass front – fixed steel bezel with engraved numeral markings
• Dial: Black – Super-LumiNova indexes and hands – silver-filled chronograph counters at 3, 6 and 9 o’clock – red-coated chronograph seconds hand -date at 6 o’clock
• UTC Module – black – Super-LumiNova-coated Arabic numerals and hands
• Movement: Breitling Manufacture Calibre 01 – self-winding – 70-hour power reserve – 28,800 v.h.p  COSC-certified – column-wheel chronograph – vertical clutch – 346 components – hours, minutes, seconds, 1/4th of a second, 30-minutes, 12-hours, date
• UTC Module – Breitling Calibre 61 quartz movement – second time zone - central hours and minutes
• Strap: Stainless steel Rouleaux bracelet – integrated UTC dial – folding clasp engraved with Breitling logo
• Reference: AB0136251B1A2

Breitling Super Chronomat 44 Four-Year Calendar watch

Now the distinct Chronomat design codes are fused with an innovative and practical four-year calendar option for travelling businessmen or those in need of a companion for the office. The semi-perpetual mechanism inside this new Breitling Super Chronomat 44 watch only needs adjusting once every four years and comes dressed in a timeless black and 18ct rose gold-accented dial with a steel case and matching steel Rouleaux bracelet. Alternatively, the blue dial option injects more 18ct rose gold tones into its steel case and bi-colour bracelet for an even more luxurious finish. Both options are offered on a colour-matched Rouleaux-inspired rubber strap too. The watches are powered by the Breitling Calibre 19 which offers a practical 42-hour power reserve. The watches are 100-meter water resistant and feature a unidirectional rotating bezel along with chronograph functions that include 1/4th second, 30-minute and 12-hours.

• Case: Diameter: 44mm – height: 14.55mm – stainless steel or stainless steel and 18ct rose gold– brushed and polished finishes – 100-meter water-resistant cambered sapphire crystal glass front with anti-reflective treatment on both sides – screwed steel caseback – screw-down crown with 2 gaskets – ceramic filled ratcheted unidirectional rotating bezel with easy-grip rider tabs
• Dial: Blue or black – baton indexes and hands filled with Super-LumiNova - 1/4th second, 30-minute and 12-hour counters - day, date, month and moon phase features – red-coated central chronograph second hand
• Movement: Breitling Calibre 19 – 42-hour power reserve – 28,800 v.p.h  - hours, minutes, seconds, day, date, month, moon phase, 1/4th of a second, 12-hours, 30-minutes functions – vertical clutch – COSC-certified
• Strap: Stainless steel or steel and 18ct rose gold bi-colour Rouleaux bracelet with butterfly clasp – black or blue Rouleaux-inspired rubber strap with folding clasp
• References: U19320161C1U1 – blue dial with stainless steel and 18ct rose gold case with steel and 18ct rose gold bracelet / U19320161C1S1 – blue dial, stainless steel and 18ct rose gold case with blue rubber strap / I19320251B1A1 – Black dial with steel case and steel bracelet / I19320251B1S1- black dial with steel case and black rubber strap