Results for Breitling

Introducing: The Breitling Top Time B31 With A New And Exclusive Three-Hand Movement

In 2020, Breitling revived its Top Time collection. Since then, we’ve seen many two- and three-register chronographs with playful and colorful dials. Many of those watches were part of a collaboration with Deus, Ford, or Triumph, for example. In a sense, Breitling’s Top Time collection is like its Hot Wheels department. Today, the Grenchen-based brand […] Visit Introducing: The Breitling Top Time B31 With A New And Exclusive Three-Hand Movement to read the full article.

First Look – The New All-Black Versions of the Hamilton Intra-Matic Auto Chrono (Incl. Video)

The Intra-Matic’s origins are rooted in Project 99, developed with Büren, Heuer, Breitling and movement specialist Dubois-Depraz. The result of this joint effort was presented in 1969 with one of the first automatic chronograph movements called Chrono-Matic, or Calibre 11, depending on the brand using it. Alongside, Hamilton presented in the late 1960s the Chronograph […]

Breitling Acquires Gallet

After several weeks of speculation, Breitling has made an official announcement that they have acquired Gallett, the Swiss watchmaker that traces its roots back to 1826. The news was first reported by Tony Traina and a small handful of other outlets back in February, but this is the first time Breitling has acknowledged the deal in a public way. Breitling had previously announced their acquisition of Universal Genéve in 2023, a move that immediately led many to wonder of Georges Kern, Breitling’s CEO, might be looking to make additional expansions to bolster his business. Now, with the Gallett acquisition, his plans and those of the Partners Group (the investment firm which has had a stake in Breitling since 2017) appear to be coming into focus.  “This acquisition is a natural next step in Breitling’s expansion,” Kern said in a statement. “We are reviving Gallett under the umbrella of Breitling’s expertise and craftsmanship. Our vision is long-term – reviving Gallett as a strong brand in watchmaking, while honoring its legacy and innovation in chronographs.”  Unlike watches in the upcoming Universal Genéve collection, it is expected that Gallett will be sold alongside Breitling in the brand’s boutiques and, presumably, other authorized channels. This will provide potential Breitling customers with a lower priced option and is something of a  tacit admission that the asking price of a new Breitling has crept up to a level that some new customers might...

Business News: Breitling Adds Gallet to Portfolio

One of the badly kept secrets in Swiss watchmaking has just come true: Breitling has acquired Gallet. Backed by Swiss private equity firm Partners Group, Breitling has been slowly building itself into a group of brands. The Gallet acquisition comes a little over a year after Breitling took over Universal Genève. According to Breitling chief executive Georges Kern speaking to Fratello Watches, Gallet will be positioned in the sub-CHF3,000 range, topping out at CHF5,000. This puts its squarely in the segment of established brands like Tudor and Longines, which enjoy unparalleled economies of scale, as well as online-only micro brands that lack the overhead of established brands. The rationale of acquiring Gallet is clear. As Mr Kern mentions in his Fratello interview, it gives Breitling a stronger position vis a vis third-party retailers since the brand can now offer products across the price spectrum, with Universal Genève at the very top. This is particularly relevant as many brands owned by luxury groups like Richemont continue to withdraw from third-party retailers. Another factor that is left unsaid in the interview is the enlarged group presumably improves the odds of an exit for Breitling’s private-equity backers. Partners Group bought a majority stake in Breitling at end 2022 from CVC Capital, another private equity firm that bought Breitling in 2017. According to news reports at the time, CVC divested part of its Breitling stake at over five times the 2017 valua...

My Short List Of Gallet Watches You Might Consider Adding To Your Collection 

I dare say there isn’t another site on the internet where you can find more in-depth articles about vintage Gallet watches. Following yesterday’s announcement about Breitling’s acquisition of the brand, we will briefly look at the most interesting Gallet watches ever produced. I made an effort and counted; over the last six years, I have […] Visit My Short List Of Gallet Watches You Might Consider Adding To Your Collection  to read the full article.

Breitling To Relaunch Gallet Confirming Ambitions To Become Multi-Brand Watchmaker

Gallet, once known for robust, sporty chronographs, will return at a mid-level price point in 2026, says Breitling CEO Georges Kern.

Will Breitling’s Gallet Acquisition Reshuffle The List Of The Top 10 Watch Brands?

About five years ago, when another vintage Gallet chronograph watch landed in my collection, I told my wife what I had been daydreaming of for quite a while: “I will buy the Gallet brand someday!” Well, it seems that I was not the only one. Immediately after I learned about Breitling’s plans to acquire Gallet […] Visit Will Breitling’s Gallet Acquisition Reshuffle The List Of The Top 10 Watch Brands? to read the full article.

Breaking News: Breitling Acquires Another Historic Watch Brand! It’s Gallet!

Following Breitling’s acquisition of the renowned Universal Genève brand, the Grenchen-based watchmaker has done it again with another iconic name in chronographs - Gallet. With Gallet, Breitling, and Universal Genève, the group will cover a wide range, from entry-level luxury to the high-end segment and everything in between. Gallet’s heritage In a separate article, Fratello […] Visit Breaking News: Breitling Acquires Another Historic Watch Brand! It’s Gallet! to read the full article.

Sign Up For The Fratello × Breitling Event In The Hague On April 11th

Together with Breitling, we will host another event in The Hague, Netherlands, to show you the new Breitling collection(s). Not everyone can or will be in Geneva at the end of March or early April to see the new Breitling watches. So Breitling and Fratello will show you the novelties in The Hague! We can’t […] Visit Sign Up For The Fratello × Breitling Event In The Hague On April 11th to read the full article.

Why the Breitling Navitimer B19 Perpetual Calendar Chronograph in Steel is the Smart Move

Fratello Favorites: The Best Vintage Watches Under €5K - Nacho’s Picks From Breitling, Omega, And Doxa

Over the last couple of weeks, you’ve seen some of the guys pick favorites among some of the best vintage watches on the market for less than €5,000. I set them out to complete this task, so it only seems fair that I join in. Today, I’ve scratched the surface of the vast selection of […] Visit Fratello Favorites: The Best Vintage Watches Under €5K - Nacho’s Picks From Breitling, Omega, And Doxa to read the full article.

Fratello Favorites: The Best Vintage Watches Under €5K - RJ’s Picks From Heuer, Breitling, Omega, and Rolex

Our managing editor, Nacho, asked us to choose our favorite vintage watches under €5K. First, we need to define what “vintage” means. There is no clear universal definition in the watch industry, but the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie once used 20 years or older as a guideline. To some purists, a vintage needs to […] Visit Fratello Favorites: The Best Vintage Watches Under €5K - RJ’s Picks From Heuer, Breitling, Omega, and Rolex to read the full article.

Breitling’s Flagship Navitimer B19 Perpetual Calendar Chronograph in Steel

The flagship watch of Breitling’s best-known watch, the Navitimer B19 Perpetual Calendar Chronograph is now more affordable. The latest iteration with an “ice blue” dial retains the specs of the pink gold 140th anniversary edition launched last year, but trades precious metal for steel. Unlike last year’s limited edition, the new steel model is regular production and is priced under US$30,000, over Breitling’s traditional sweet spot on the price spectrum but still half the retail of the anniversary edition. Breitling Navitimer B19 Chronograph 43 Perpetual Calendar_Ref. PB1920251C1P1_RGB Initial thoughts The new Navitimer B19 keeps it affordable, relatively speaking, by combining Breitling’s excellent in-house B01 movement with the tried-and-tested Dubois Depraz perpetual calendar module. The resulting watch is thick at almost 15 mm high, but combines several complications in Breitling’s iconic slide-rule pilot’s chronograph. While the watch is pricier than most of Breitling’s offerings, it is one of the few perpetual calendar chronographs in this price range. Most of such watches tend to be a lot more expensive, although Austrian independent watchmaker Habring² offers similar for less in keeping with its focus on affordable complications. Value proposition The new B19 retains the same basic specs as its precious metal counterpart. The stainless steel case measures 43 mm in diameter and 14.94 mm in thickness. Water-resistant to 30 m, it features the Navit...

New: Breitling Navitimer B19 Chronograph 43 Perpetual Calendar, now in stainless steel

A new Breitling Navitimer B19 Perpetual Calendar Chronograph. It is in a steel case, 43mm case diameter, and not limited.

Introducing: Breitling Navitimer B19 Perpetual Calendar Chronograph, Now In Steel

With a movement only just recently announced last year, this new release is one of the most affordable of its type on the market.

Introducing: The Breitling Navitimer B19 Chronograph 43 Perpetual Calendar In Steel And Platinum

Breitling introduced a new perpetual calendar chronograph caliber to celebrate the brand’s 140th birthday last year. The impressive movement was featured in a trio of rose gold limited editions. Today, caliber B19 gets a permanent foothold in Breitling’s collection. This is the Breitling Navitimer B19 Chronograph 43 Perpetual Calendar. With such a descriptive name, I […] Visit Introducing: The Breitling Navitimer B19 Chronograph 43 Perpetual Calendar In Steel And Platinum to read the full article.

Breitling’s platinum-bezeled, blue B19 belter – the Navitimer B19 Chronograph 43 Perpetual Calendar

For the first time, Breitling equips a non-limited edition Navitimer with one of its most technically ambitious movements – the Calibre B19.The post Breitling’s platinum-bezeled, blue B19 belter – the Navitimer B19 Chronograph 43 Perpetual Calendar appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Introducing: The Hublot Big Bang Unico Magic Ceramic - The First Production Watch Featuring Multicolored Ceramic

History repeats itself. You know of the debate about which automatic chronograph came first. Was Zenith’s El Primero, the Caliber 11 developed by Heuer, Breitling, Hamilton, and movement specialist Dubois Dépraz, or the Speedtimer by Seiko the first? Now we have a new case of “Who came first?” It involves two watches - the Hublot […] Visit Introducing: The Hublot Big Bang Unico Magic Ceramic - The First Production Watch Featuring Multicolored Ceramic to read the full article.

Is Gallet set to become Breitling’s Tudor? Discussing the rumoured acquisition with Tony Traina

We spoke with former Hodinkee Editor Tony Traina to dissect the Gallet acquisition news he broke.The post Is Gallet set to become Breitling’s Tudor? Discussing the rumoured acquisition with Tony Traina appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Bring This Watch Back: Breitling Chronoliner

Breitling is known historically for two specialties: chronographs and pilot’s watches. Despite the very real popularity of its Superocean dive watches, the legendary status of  high-tech “smart” models like the analog-digital Emergency, and the renewed dress-watch cred attained by the elegant Premier collection, it is the models most closely associated with both flying and timing — the Chronomat and Navitimer — that continue to best embody Breitling’s DNA, at least to most savvy enthusiasts.  However, both the Chronomat and the Navitimer possess distinctive features that might be, for lack of a better descriptor, polarizing. The former has those angular rider tabs around the bezel and that big, bulbous crown; the latter sports that emblematic, circular slide-rule scale that dominates the dial, which looks cool yet busy and which few wearers actually know how to use. Both are luxurious, impeccably designed watches with sporty, tool-oriented origins rooted in aviation and navigation, but neither is really a gent’s dress chronograph in the traditional sense of the phrase. To be fair, Breitling does make a chronograph family that strives for both utility and elegance — that would be the previously mentioned Premier — but as it’s not aviation-minded in its aesthetic, it’s not “quintessential Breitling” for many folks. For a short while, however — from 2015 to around 2020 or so — Breitling made such a watch, even positioning it in the market as it...

Introducing: The Hamilton Chrono-Matic 50 Limited Edition In Blue And Orange

In 2019, Hamilton launched a limited-edition Chrono-Matic 50 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the legendary Calibre 11. Along with Breitling, Heuer, Dubois-Dépraz, and Buren, Hamilton was one of the original partners in the development of the automatic Calibre 11 that debuted in 1969. The 2019 version of the Chrono-Matic 50 had a black dial, […] Visit Introducing: The Hamilton Chrono-Matic 50 Limited Edition In Blue And Orange to read the full article.

Hands-On: The Breitling Superocean Heritage B20 Automatic 42 Amsterdam Limited Edition - Celebrating 750 Years Of The City

What is Amsterdam famous for? Exactly - the city’s canals. Oh, sorry, were you saying something else? Well, that’s also correct, but it’s not the answer I was looking for. I understand it, though. The district you were referring to in the city center is associated with red, the color that shines brightly in the […] Visit Hands-On: The Breitling Superocean Heritage B20 Automatic 42 Amsterdam Limited Edition - Celebrating 750 Years Of The City to read the full article.

Insight: The Chronograph Reset Mechanism

Continuing with our series focused on the mechanical chronograph – we already explained the vertical and horizontal chronograph clutches, along with the advantages and shortcomings of each – we now turn to another vital component but rarely discussed: the chronograph reset mechanism. While the clutch enables energy transmission between the base movement and chronograph, it plays no role in returning the chronograph indicators to a zeroed position. This is accomplished by an altogether separate mechanism that is synchronised with the clutch action but functions independently. The reset mechanism indexes all the chronograph indicators (hours, minutes, and seconds) back to the zero position, and keeping them securely in place until the chronograph is started once again. Any reset mechanism generally comprises of two main components: a heart cam and reset hammer. The two interact based on clever geometry and illustrates mathematics is often the underlying basis of watchmaking, or more specifically, movement construction. The chronograph works of a Breitling B01 movement, with the reset heart cams (12, 13, and 17) in purple. Image – Breitling patent The heart cam Named after its distinctive outline, the heart cam is a seemingly simple component that is in fact the product of some ingenious engineering. While the cam has a turning axis and is a rotational system – in other words, it revolves on a fixed axis – a clear analogy can be made with linear systems. In order to...

The Breitling Pop-Up Museum In Zurich And Why You Should Visit - Chapter 2: Air

On November 30th, Fratello published my first article about Breitling’s pop-up museum in Zurich, which celebrates the brand’s 140th anniversary. In that article, I covered three gems showcased at the museum under one of Breitling’s three universes - Sea. Today, we will cover three essential pieces of Breitling’s next universe - Air. Be sure to […] Visit The Breitling Pop-Up Museum In Zurich And Why You Should Visit - Chapter 2: Air to read the full article.

Built for the cockpit, the Breitling Navitimer is a true pilot’s watch

The Breitling Navitimer is probably the first name you think of when the subject of pilot's watches comes up. Here's a bit of its history.The post Built for the cockpit, the Breitling Navitimer is a true pilot’s watch appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Autodromo Introduces the Monoposto Mobil 1 Edition

From Steve McQueen’s Heuer Monaco to Breitling clocks in Bentley GTs, there’s simply no denying how inextricably linked cars and wristwatches are. The mechanical artistry exhibited in both of their productions demonstrates how creativity and engineering can produce incredible pieces of technology with a hint of style and flair. Autodromo––a watch brand inspired by the history and allure of the automotive industry––is set to release a limited-edition variant of their Monoposto timepiece in collaboration with Mobil 1 to celebrate the company’s 50th anniversary of their synthetic motor oil. Limited to 100 pieces for the stainless-steel variant and 50 pieces for the gold tone variant, this model is the first re-issue of the original three-hand Monoposto produced by Autodromo in 2012.  Let’s start off with the Mobile 1 Edition’s specs. Both steel and gold tone cases have a rather large 43mm diameter, employing the design principles utilized in “the oversized dashboard gauges of 1950s ‘monopostos’ or single seater racing cars,” according to Autodromo. The watch’s wire lugs support 20mm handmade Italian buffalo leather straps fitted with stainless roller buckles. Powering the piece is the dependable Miyota 9039, an automatic 24-jewel movement with hacking and hand winding, beating at a solid 4 Hz with a power reserve of approximately 42 hours. The movement can be admired through the exhibition caseback featuring Mobil 1 branding and other informatio...

Breitling Introduces New Six Nations Chronomat Limited Editions For Men And Women

Rugby fans worldwide are looking forward to the annual Six Nations Championship that kicks off on January 31st in Paris, France. This year’s tournament will end with a trio of matches on March 15th. It will be interesting to see whether Ireland can defend its title or if we will witness the crowning of a […] Visit Breitling Introduces New Six Nations Chronomat Limited Editions For Men And Women to read the full article.

Tudor’s Chrono Colours Continues with the Black Bay Flamingo Blue

Tudor surprised with the Black Bay Chrono Pink early last year, and it’s now done the same with the Black Bay Chrono “Flamingo Blue”. Like last year’s pink chronograph, the Flamingo Blue is based on the standard Black Bay Chrono, but with a coloured dial in a bright turquoise. And it will similarly be made in “limited” numbers, though is it not a limited edition. Initial thoughts Bright-c0loured dials used to be a novelty for Tudor, but now such “special editions” have become a regular part of the collection. It makes them a bit more predictable and thus less interesting, but they are still intrinsically appealing. Like its predecessors, the Flamingo Blue chronograph is fun and in typical Tudor fashion, excellent value for money. I liked the pink version enough that I bought one. The combination of a bright dial and “Jubilee” bracelet is a good one; it’s clearly a modern watch but many of the elements have a retro feel. But the Flamingo Blue is based on the standard Black Bay Chrono so it is a little thick and chunky. Eventually Tudor will introduce a smaller in-house chronograph movement (the current MT5813 is based on the Breitling B01), but for now this has to do. Miami vibes According to Tudor, the Flamingo Blue chronograph is meant to evoke the “classic South Beach vibe”, a reference to the coastal Miami neighbourhood. The American inspiration is perhaps because the country is now the world’s strongest watch market. The brand goes on to exp...

New: Breitling Navitimer B01 Chronograph 43 x Cortina

A new Breitling Navitimer B01 Chronograph is released featuring a magnificent bold purple satiné translucide dial. Cortina Watch Online Exclusive.

Breitling Introduces Navitimer B01 “Translucid” Purple

Breitling’s latest take on its signature aviator’s chronograph is the Navitimer B01 Chronograph 43 Cortina Watch, a limited edition for the Singapore-based retailer. The 50-piece run retains the classic Navitimer design featuring the hallmark slide rule bezel, but with a striking dial in satiné translucid purple, essentially translucent lacquer. The purple dial is matched with red gold appliqués that include the Breitling emblem, contrasting against the dial’s vibrant hue. Initial thoughts Breitling’s newest offering is one of many (maybe too many) dial variations within the Navitimer collection, such as the Navitimer Singapore Airlines Editions and the Navitimer B01 “S&S; 10th Anniversary”, but it’s distinctive for the vivid dial colour that is seldom used by Breitling. Admittedly, the colour is hardly traditional for a pilot’s watch, but it is appealing and refreshes the familiar Navitimer look. This edition is based on the 43 mm model, which some might find too big. The 41 mm Navitimer, which is also identical in size to the vintage original, is more wearable. The new Navitimer is priced at S$13,980 (equivalent to about US$10,000), which is comparable to the regular production version. Given the high-spec, in-house chronograph movement, the Navitimer B01 is reasonably priced. Even though the limited editions are arguably too numerous, this edition manages to stand out. Exquisite movement Dial colour aside, the Cortina edition is identical to the standar...