Reviewing the Breitling Chronomat B01 Six Nations Wales Limited Edition
Monday - 06 February 2023
There are many reasons why you may be in search of a robust sports watch and to be honest, the Breitling Chronomat is a tried and tested model that has been on the market for years. It just never fails. Its faultless design ensures that you’re going to get everything you need in one compact and reliable design that has been a much-loved part of Breitling’s catalogue since the 1940s. Breitling’s relationship with sports is also growing. This year it became the Official Timekeeper for the Guinness Six Nations Rugby Championship and to mark this, the brand has released a set of six limited edition Chronomat watches.
The 42mm stainless steel models represent the six national teams taking part in the tournament and also signify Breitling’s role as luxury watch partner for all six nations. The England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Italy and France editions of this new line of B01 Chronomat watches are all identifiable by their respective team emblems which are showcased at the 9 o’clock sub-counters, displaying the small seconds. Secondly, they also feature the emblem printed upon the surface of their exhibition casebacks. Each of the new Breitling Chronomat models is limited to just 150 pieces worldwide and is endowed with the key characteristics of the beloved Chronomat watch. These features include the stylish Rouleaux bracelet, crafted from stainless steel and designed especially for the Chronomat watch, an onion-shaped crown at 3 o’clock and the raised rider tabs upon the bezel for measuring count-up and count-down timings. There’s also the legible chronograph layout on the dial to appreciate and an integrated date feature at 6 o’clock. On top of that, you get a whole host of innovative features that come as standard with any Breitling watch: a robust stainless steel case with a superior water-resistant rating, a movement that runs within chronometer testing standards, luminous applied hands and indexes, and a brand backed by provenance and authenticity.
Alongside the England, Ireland, Scotland, Italy and France editions of the new Breitling Chronomat B01 Six Nations watches, there's the Wales edition presented in deep red colours and stamped with the Wales Rugby team emblem. It's a design that is sure to appeal to anyone supporting Wales during the Guinness Six Nations championships 2023. Each watch representing its respective country is also promoted by a team of seven Rugby players, including George North with over a century of Welsh Caps, who sports the ox blood-red dial with black-filled chronograph counters on his wrist this season. The Welsh player is known for injecting pace and brawn into any game, reflecting his abilities through a mechanical wristwatch that, like him, never falters.
The new Breitling Chronomat B01 Six Nations Wales Limited Edition Watch
Like the rest of its siblings, the new Breitling Chronomat B01 Six Nations Wales Limited Edition watch promotes the faithful DNA of the Chronomat series in its design whilst injecting a new colour into the collection. Its durable stainless steel case design is topped with a polished steel unidirectional ratcheted bezel that features the raised rider tabs at its cardinal points, along with a legible 60-minute scale for measuring elapsed time. By aligning the bezel with the minute hand, it becomes incredibly easy to measure time thanks to a luminous pip at 12 o’clock.
The indexes and hands of the new Breitling Chronomat B01 Six Nations Wales Limited Edition watch glow in a rich-coloured Super-LumiNova material. In this design, the sub-dial hands and the central chronograph seconds hand are finished in bright green. The 3 o’clock position offers a 30-minute counter and the 6 o’clock location offers a 12-hour totaliser. The other side of the dial is where the Welsh Rugby team’s emblem can be seen, nestled inside a small second sub-dial. Adding balance to the display is a date window at 6 o’clock, framed by a black tachymeter scale around the edge of the dial to match the black-filled chronograph counters executed with a concentric circling finish.
The entire dial of this new Wales Limited Edition from the new Breitling Chronomat B01 Six Nations series is protected by a strong piece of cambered anti-reflective and scratch-resistant sapphire crystal glass. This material combines with the model’s 200-meter water resistance to protect the in-house developed Breitling 01 Calibre. A water-resistant environment inside the case of the watch is also reinforced by the model’s screw-down onion-shaped crown with two gaskets. The automatic movement lying with the case of this new Breitling Chronomat watch is capable of producing a 70-hour power reserve once fully wound and performs at a rate of 28,800 vibrations per hour. It is also displayed behind an exhibition feature, crafted from matching sapphire crystal. This surface is also stamped with the red feather emblem representing the Wales Rugby team’s emblem. The symbolic design is inspired by the Prince of Wales’s feather and is accompanied on the back by the watch’s limited edition number.
Completed on a stainless steel Rouleaux bracelet with polished rounded links and a refined butterfly clasp, the new Breitling Chronomat B01 Six Nations Wales Limited Edition watch comes displayed inside a genuine Breitling presentation box with full paperwork and a certificate of authentication, making it a perfect gift idea for any rugby fan this year.
