Reviewing the Breitling Top Time Chevrolet Corvette

The new Breitling Top Time Chevrolet Corvette is one of three sporty chronographs from the brand’s Top Time Classic Cars Capsule Collection, with boundless vintage flare to show off. Its design, based on the second-generation Chevrolet Corvette named the “Sting Ray”, features a striking red dial with black-filled counters for effortless timings both on and off the racetrack.

Envisage a love note from Swiss watchmaker Breitling to vintage American car collectors and enthusiasts; “Classic car lovers deserve a classic timepiece”. And that they shall have with a set of three Top Time Chronograph watches from Breitling’s recent Geneva Watch Days 2021 releases. The Top Time Chevrolet Corvette, Ford Mustang and Shelby Cobra are dressed in remarkable colours and belong to the famous watchmaker’s Top Time Classic Cars Capsule Collection. They have hit the brand’s catalogue with a burst of colour.

The new collection has been well worth the wait. When the trio launched just a few months ago, it proved a great choice for those anticipating something vintage, eye-catching and daring from the luxury watch brand. The three new releases vary in size from 40mm to 42mm and have been inspired by American muscle cars from the 1950s and 1960s.

If high speeds and open roads are your “thang” these classic car-inspired wristwatches from Breitling are the perfect accompaniment for your collection. It’s worth mentioning before we take a closer look at the Chevrolet Corvette watch, that Breitling has tried to please both ends of the crowd when it comes to the size of these new Top Time watches. Only last year, the brand released the Top Time Zorro watch measuring a 42mm diameter which sits right in between the small and large-end scale of these three new Top Time watches from Breitling. The Chevrolet Corvette watch in particular measures a confident 42mm diameter and is based on the second generation of the popular Chevrolet Corvette – the C2, nicknamed the “Sting Ray”.

On the road

The Breitling TOP Time Classic Cars Capsule Chevrolet Corvette watch is, as its name suggests, inspired by the Chevrolet Corvette car of the 1960s. The Chevrolet Corvette had clearly established itself as an American sports car by the year 1960 and it continued to grow in popularity from then onwards. By this point in time, Corvette had been enjoying a 7-year history and was developing this model rapidly. Whilst doing so, its design was improving and evolving. Its top power rating and Ramjet fuel injection had grown and pretty soon after this, the Corvette C2 would launch with its distinct “Sting Ray” styling.

CEO Georges Kern explains a little about the importance of the experience in owning a classic car and a classic watch: “What counts is the journey, not the speed. This applies just as much to the tinkering under the bonnet as it does to a Sunday outing, where these beautiful vehicles are duly celebrated.”

It is this same attitude to owning and wearing a model like the new Breitling Top time Chevrolet Corvette watch that makes the overall relationship between timekeeping and driving so unique. Whether you’re using the chronograph daily as part of an active lifestyle, measuring a speed at the side of the race track, or just sitting at the bar admiring how the model’s piston-style pushers catch the light as you twist your wrist – there are angles aplenty to enjoy and appreciate in this attractive new chronograph.

Breitling and the chromograph

Speaking of Breitling chronographs, the brand has put considerable emphasis on classic chronographs over the last 12 months (you can take a look at the Breitling Top Time Deus Chronograph that I covered here). Somehow the manufacturer manages to shine a light on its heritage in perfecting the chronograph, whilst bringing something wholly new to the wrist each time. It was Gaston Breitling who was responsible for creating the first independent chronograph pusher at 2 o’clock during a time when the company was developing some of its earliest wrist-worn watches. In the 1930s, the chronograph was revisited once more when Willy Breitling created a two-pusher arrangement.

Test driving the new Breitling Top Time Chevrolet Corvette

The Breitling Top Time Chevrolet Corvette from the Classic Cars Capsule Collection is dressed in a striking red dial colour with three black-filled chronograph counters. Inspired by the Chevrolet Corvette C2, nicknamed the “Sting Ray”, the 42mm stainless steel model features a specially engraved caseback depicting the Chevrolet Corvette logo, along with an integrated 100-meter water resistance and a cambered anti-reflective and scratch-resistant sapphire crystal glass front. The links between car racing and timekeeping are anchored further here when you consider that carmaker, Louis Chevrolet was actually born in the watchmaking city of La Chaux de Fonds.

The case of the new Breitling Top Time Chevrolet Corvette watch is fitted with a non-screw locked crown with two gaskets and sits at a height of 13.65mm on the wrist. Underneath this sapphire glass hood is a red dial that closely echoes the Chevrolet Corvette’s shade of red. The black-filled chronograph counters create an eye-catching look and are accentuated all the more by a pop of yellow and orange colour seen in the chronographs hands.

The new Breitling Top Time Chevrolet Corvette watch is powered by a COSC-certified self-winding movement - the automatic Breitling Calibre 25. It beats at a rhythm of 28,800 vibrations per hour and delivers a power reserve of 42 hours. It features a precise 1/8th of a second chronograph function together with 30 second, 15-minute and 6-hour functions. All the while, the engine performs behind a snapped caseback and propels a set of Super-LumiNova hands around the dial. The stick hour markers comprising the hour track have all been treated with the same luminous material and the display is also equipped with a black tachymeter scale around the flange for measuring speed based on distance, or distance based on time travelled. The new Breitling Chevrolet Corvette watch is fitted with a black racing-themed perforated calfskin leather strap, securing with a stainless steel folding clasp for a secure and comfortable fit against the wrist.

If you would like more details on the new Breitling Top Time Classic Cars Capsule Collection, you can check out the range here or call and speak to a member of our Jura Watches sales team on 01335 453453

Technical specifications of the new Breitling Top Time Chevrolet Corvette watch

• Case: 42mm - stainless steel – 100-meter water-resistant – snapped caseback engraved with an image of the Chevrolet Corvette logo – anti-reflective sapphire crystal glass front – screw-locked crown with two gaskets
• Dial: Red – black filled chronograph counters at 3, 6 and 9 o’clock – Super-LumiNova-coated stick hour markers and hands –orange and yellow accents - black tachymeter scale 
• Movement: Breitling Calibre 25 – self-winding – COSC-certified – 28,800 v. P. H – 42-hour power reserve – 1/8th of a second – 30 seconds – 15 minutes – 6 hours functions
• Strap: Black racing-themed perforated leather strap – stainless steel folding clasp – engraved with the Breitling logo
• Reference: A25310241K1X1
• Price: £4,360