Results for Breitling

Breitling Navitimer Automatic GMT Review: A Cleaner, Leaner GMT

The Breitling Navitimer Automatic GMT is a broadly appealing travel watch, here we review it with original photos, analysis, and price.

New: Breitling Top Time B01 Eddy Merckx

Breitling makes a coup with a partnership with the greatest cyclist of all time - Eddy Merckx. Here is the news on the Tip Time B01 Eddy Merckx.

Breitling Honours Eddy Merckx With A B01 Top Time

Allez, Allez, Allez! Introducing The Tour De France Yellow Breitling Top Time B01 Eddy Merckx

The Grand Départ of the 2026 Tour de France is just days away, and what better moment to introduce the Breitling Top Time B01 Eddy Merckx? It’s a watch honoring “The Cannibal,” the man who won five Tour de France titles and 525 victories in total. The Belgian legend earned his ferocious nickname due to […] Visit Allez, Allez, Allez! Introducing The Tour De France Yellow Breitling Top Time B01 Eddy Merckx to read the full article.

Watches and Wonders 2027 welcomes Breitling and even more into the fold

Next year's major trade show looks to expand even more with the addition of the House of Brands and even more.

Breitling Celebrates America's 250th Birthday With Pair of Avenger Limited Editions

Breitling launches two Avenger America250 limited editions celebrating America’s 250th anniversary.

Breitling, Universal Genève, and Gallet Join Watches & Wonders 2027

As the summer begins, next year’s Watches & Wonders (and the larger trade show agenda) is beginning to take shape. News broke this morning that Watches & Wonders will be adding several new brands to their show, which is slated for April 5-11 in Geneva, and will once again be held at Palexpo. The big story is that House of Brands, the new group fronted by Georges Kern including Breitling, Universal Geneve, and Gallet, will have space at Watches & Wonders 2027. Breitling has never participated in Watches & Wonders, but for as long as the show has existed, the brand has held parallel events in Geneva or events timed just before the show itself. Now they will be in the thick of it, along with their two sibling brands in a newly formed luxury group, each sitting at different ends of the market. We covered Universal Geneve’s return here. Gallet, to this point, has not made any announcements as far as products or availability, but they are expected to sit at a price point a tier below Breitling.  The Breitling news comes a week after the surprise announcement of an entirely new show to be held in Basel next year. The new fair, Basilia, is set to debut in April and is a product of MCH Group and Informa Markets. According to a press release, Basilia expects to attract more than 400 exhibitors, including “manufacturers, designers, brands, retailers, wholesalers, distributors and sourcing specialists from around the world.” No word yet on any specific brands that have signed...

Business News: Breitling's House Of Brands Joins Watches And Wonders For 2027 As Dates Unveiled

One of the largest watch group holdouts is heading to Watches and Wonders in 2027 as Breitling's House of Brands will join the world's premier luxury watch fair for the first time. Scheduled to take place April 5 to 11 in Geneva at Palexpo, with supplementary programs and exhibitions including the In The City events that debuted at the most recent edition, brands including Breitling, Gallet, Universal Genève and Italy's Damiani will exhibit alongside founding partners Rolex, Patek Philippe and Richemont brands, among others, according to a statement from the non-profit Watches and Wonders Foundation. The inclusion of the House of Brands group marks a significant addition for Watches and Wonders, underscoring its position as the most important annual gathering of Swiss and international luxury watchmakers, retailers, media, and the public each spring. The announcement follows news that Basel will return to the watch fair schedule with a new watch and jewelry show called Basilia that will follow during the same month, and leaves Swatch Group as the only major Swiss watchmaking conglomerate not participating in Watches and Wonders.  "The arrival of these new names represents an important milestone in the evolution of Watches and Wonders Geneva, and reflects the desire of major watchmaking Maisons to unite around a shared vision," Watches and Wonders organizers said in a prepared statement.  A record 65 brands participated in the event in 2026, including, for the first time...

Auctions: The Last Steve McQueen Heuer Monaco From Le Mans Is Coming Up For Sale At Sotheby's

When lot 71 hammers at Sotheby's New York Auction this weekend, it will punctuate a story that was started nearly sixty years ago in France—the lot number surely a nod to the year Le Mans debuted, 1971. The story of Steve McQueen and the film has been well told over the past half century, immortalizing a man and bolstering two industries in the process. It's essentially canon at this point, yet the story was never complete—until now. A cache of documents from the film's property master, held onto for decades after production closed, has finally set the record straight. And the last watch is coming up for sale this weekend. The Heuer Reference 1133B Monaco Screenworn by Steve McQueen in Le Mans, Circa 1969, up for auction at Sotheby's this weekend. Photo courtesy of Sotheby's. The 1960s were a formative decade for Heuer. The Autavia launched in 1962, the Carrera in 1963, and the Monaco in 1969—the latter completing a trio of Heuer chronographs all released that year with the Calibre 11, a movement developed jointly by Heuer and Breitling, built around a Buren micro-rotor with a Dubois-Depraz chronograph module layered on top, creating the first commercially available automatic Swiss-made chronograph. The Autavia and Carrera received redesigned cases for the occasion. The Monaco was something else entirely: a completely new watch, built around a patented square case sourced from EPSA, creating the world's first water-resistant square chronograph. With its angular form,...

Introducing: The Autodromo Group C Turbo Sport Chronograph

What We Know It's been a while since we've heard from Autodromo. The motorsports-inspired boutique brand is a longtime favorite of many here at Hodinkee. Heck, we did a pretty cool LE with them back in 2023, featuring a special-edition series of Group B Chronographs. That same year, the brand unveiled its Group C, a watch that captured the spirit of digital '80s watches rather nicely.   Today, Autodromo is launching its first totally new model since then. Meet the Autodromo Group C Turbo Sport, a fresh take on the practical analog-digital (ana-digi) watches like the Tissot Two Timer, the Heuer Manhattan Chronosplit GMT, and, of course, Breitling's Aerospace and Pluton that once adorned wrists behind the wheel and at the track a couple of decades back.   The case is 38.5 millimeters in diameter and made from anodized aluminum – that's the alloy that your BMX bike parts used to be made from back in the day – or at least mine were. The new Group C Turbo comes in three anodized aluminum flavors, clear, grey, and gold. Each has a stainless steel caseback and features a grid dial that's meant to evoke the tachymeter instruments of the Group C Turbo racing era that ran from the early 1980s until about 1993, and was defined by European endurance events including the 24 hours of Le Mans. The Group C cars of the era that inspired these watches featured clean lines, ground effects that delivered high downforce, and turbochargers, offering outsized horsepower that demanded physi...

Sunday Morning Showdown: Breitling Chronomat B01 Chronograph 42 Vs. Zenith Chronomaster Original

It’s Sunday morning, which means it’s time for another showdown! This week’s battle pits two modern versions of classic chronographs against each other. Mike picked the recently revamped Breitling Chronomat, while Jorg picked the Zenith Chronomaster Original, the modern version of the Zenith El Primero A386. The roots of the Zenith date back to 1969, […] Visit Sunday Morning Showdown: Breitling Chronomat B01 Chronograph 42 Vs. Zenith Chronomaster Original to read the full article.

Gallet Returns And Immediately Wants To Leave Again

Two centuries after its founding in 1826, Gallet returns — finally. And I don’t mean “finally after a hundred years,” but “finally after all the teasing.” The marque that’s now part of House of Brands, which also includes Breitling and Universal Genève, is back, but don’t run to the Breitling dealer right away to see […] Visit Gallet Returns And Immediately Wants To Leave Again to read the full article.

Every update to the Breitling Chronomat you need to know

Everything you need to know about the three updated Chronomat models from Breitling to get you up to speed.

Announcements: You Can Now Reserve The New Watches From Universal Genève Right Here

If there's one brand that remains near and dear to the heart of Hodinkee, it's Universal Genève. In some ways, my own love of watches may not have flourished the way it did without the incredibly broad range of designs and concepts from Universal in that period. Simple chronographs, calendar chronographs, calendar watches, dress watches, oversized Aviator watches, and even convertible watches were all part of the Universal story. It just did SO many things back then, and when it was announced that the House of Brands (the parent company of Breitling, and now Gallet and Universal) would be re-launching it in full force, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. And I think it's fair to say that many felt that way. But Mr. Kern, who led the project along with a great team of young enthusiasts, knew they needed feedback from the long-standing group of collectors to ensure what they made hit all the right notes. So they assembled a group of advisers to give feedback along the way. The group included Mr. Fred Mandelbaum, Mr. Eric Wind, myself, Mr. Alessandro Fanciulli (Mr. A), Mr. Auro Montanari, and many more die-hard Universal lovers. You can see some photos of one of our meet-ups right here, dating back more than two years ago. The advisory board would give notes, and the internal team would process them accordingly – mostly in design details. And in the end, Universal Genève was fully reborn with an astonishingly wide range of watches just last month in Geneva. It includes tw...

Revisting The Breitling B19 Perpetual Calendar Ice Blue Review

The first standard production watch with the Breitling B19 Perpetual Calendar movement, of course, had to be a Navitimer. We have gone hands-on with it to see how it stacks up! What We Love That ice-blue dial is stunning! Has an amazing wrist presence and an iconic design Easy to use and adjust movement with the perpetual calendar What We Don’t The reverse-style strap can get in the way, depending on your wrist size The 30m water resistance is on the low side The 43mm size will not suit all wrist sizes if you have a smaller wrist Overall Rating: 9 / 10 Value for Money: 9.5/10 Wearability: 8.5/10 Design: 9/10 Build Quality: 9/10 Originally published as: Reviewing The New Breitling B19 Perpetual Calendar In Ice Blue When you think of Breitling, one of the first, if not the first, model that comes to mind is the Navitimer. Not only is it one of Breitling’s most iconic models, but it is also one of the most iconic watches out there, thanks to its history, unique slide-rule bezel and overall design cues that make it stand out. You can easily recognise a Navitimer on the wrist from a distance. In that regard, it’s up there with the Submariner, the Speedmaster, the Luminor, and the Royal Oak, to name but a few. So it stands to reason that it was one of the models to receive the new in-house B19 Perpetual Calendar movement as part of Breitling’s 140th Anniversary Collection. The 18k Rose Gold 140th Anniversary Navitimer B19 Chronograph Perpetual Calendar. This was my p...

The Next Chapter of the Breitling Chronomat Brings a Whopping 22 New Additions

As the saying goes, variety is the spice of life, and with Breitling’s release of a staggering 22 new models to its Chronomat lineup, it just might be true. The model is pretty iconic, starting as a pilot’s watch for military forces and later becoming a cultural phenomenon, with one of its claims to fame being its appearance on Jerry’s wrist across Seinfeld. The latest chapter of the collection covers the Chronomat B01 42, Chronomat Automatic B31 40, and Chronomat Automatic 36, giving Breitling’s signature sport watch a full refresh across size, movement, and material options.  The Chronomat B01 42 remains the main chronograph in the revamp, with a few updates aimed at making the watch look (and feel) a little better on the wrist. For starters, the case thickness has been slimmed from 15.1mm to 13.77mm, the crown guard has been reduced, and Breitling has removed the 1/100 scale from the rehaut for a cleaner dial. All of these updates may seem a bit inconsequential, but when brought together, they add up to an overall sleeker profile that’s meant to “enhance its simplicity,” as noted by Breitling’s Head of Design, Pablo Widmer.  The B01 42 is powered by the COSC-certified Breitling Manufacture Caliber 01, which offers approximately 70 hours of power reserve. In stainless steel, it comes with the choice of a white, blue, or green dial, each with black chronograph counters. The range extends with several additional variations, including a two-tone steel and ...

The Breitling Chronomat Just Got the 2026 Update It Deserved

The Breitling Of Breitlings Gets An Update: Introducing The Redesigned Chronomat

Some might say the Navitimer is the “most Breitling” watch out there. I tend to disagree. If you ask me, the Breitling that says “Breitling” the loudest and clearest is the Chronomat. The redesigned Breitling Chronomat keeps its connection to the model developed in the early 1980s in collaboration with the Italian Air Force’s Frecce […] Visit The Breitling Of Breitlings Gets An Update: Introducing The Redesigned Chronomat to read the full article.

Introducing: Breitling Refreshes The Chronomat Collection

What We Know Today, Breitling relaunches the Chronomat lineup with an updated design language that builds on the collection's major 2020 revamp and makes a few small adjustments that feel quite consumer-friendly. The refreshed collection spans the gamut of sizes and complications, with 22 variants, from chronographs to time-and-date models, in many dial colors and metals. There are three models in the new lineup: the Chronomat B01 42 chronograph, the Chronomat Automatic B31 40, and the Chronomat Automatic 36.  The steel Chronomat B01 with ice blue dial and platinum bezel. In steel, the Chronomat B01 comes with a white, blue, or green dial and contrasting black subdials, while in two-tone steel and red gold, it features a grey dial. A full red gold variant features a brown dial, while a steel case with a platinum bezel comes with an ice blue dial. Chronomat Automatic B31 40mm. There is also a new model in this update, the Chronomat Automatic B31 40. It's the first time-and-date Chronomat in a 40mm diameter, which I think hits the sweet spot for the more sporty, aggressive Chronomat design and a wide range of wrists. It's also the first time we've seen the Caliber B31 on a Chronomat, as it was previously used in the Top Time B31 and a few SuperOcean Heritage models. In steel, there are three dial colors: blue, green, and white, while a steel case with a platinum bezel comes with an ice blue dial.  For the Chronomat Automatic 36, a steel version is available in a classic bl...

This Platform Aims To Combat Counterfeiting By Giving Your Watch Its Own DNA Sequence

Year over year, it's becoming increasingly important for luxury brands to back their products with traceability for precious materials like gold and gemstones, both for regulatory and compliance bodies and for conscious consumers. Traceability has become a greater concern with the rise of counterfeiting and the growing demand for transparency in ethical material sourcing. We have seen several watch and jewelry brands taking matters into their own hands by establishing their own traceability programs, from Rolex to Breitling, as well as the entire LVMH group. Here, many brands are relying on the expansion of blockchain technology to create digital passports for their wares. However, one company is taking things even deeper to a forensic level. In 2016, Haelixa started with a mission to streamline traceability within supply chains by developing a patented DNA-based technology to verify product origin and authenticity. "The first application of our DNA markers started at the supply chain level with raw materials," explains Klemens Link, Haelixa's Director of Anti-Counterfeiting and Brand Protection. "We began with textiles but have since expanded into precious metals as well as gemstones. We can apply our DNA-based nanoparticles to rough stones directly at the mine or to rough gold directly at the refinery." On the other end of the spectrum, Haelixa can also implement its technology beyond raw materials and directly to finished goods. "Here, the value proposition is different...

Fratello Talks: There Are No Tool Watches Above €500

Mechanical watches were once essential tools for pilots, divers, scientists, race car drivers, etc. You’ve probably seen the advertisements in old National Geographic magazines, showing spelunkers proudly wearing their Rolex Explorers or a pilot checking his Breitling Navitimer, using it to calculate fuel consumption. For many years (decades) now, this has been handled digitally, as […] Visit Fratello Talks: There Are No Tool Watches Above €500 to read the full article.

In Partnership - Video: Ben Clymer, Georges Kern Discuss Universal Genève’s Revival At Watches & Wonders

Universal Genève means a lot to us at Hodinkee. It's been one of my favorite brands since the early days of our publication—one that's been with me through various moments in my career, through my growth in knowledge and passion for vintage watches, and a brand I've watched with anticipation, hoping it would come back. And today, we are sharing a conversation between myself and Georges Kern, former Breitling CEO and recently appointed CEO of House of Brands, which includes Breitling, Universal Genève, and Gallet, to chat over the recent results of a long-term project to bring Universal Genève back to the forefront. I don't think there's been a more hotly anticipated brand relaunch than that of Universal Genève. The announcement that Breitling (now House of Brands) had secured the rights to the dormant brand sent shockwaves through the industry. We—both in the industry at large and at Hodinkee—had high hopes for the relaunch, but the proof would come with the first releases. Let me tell you, I don't think anyone thought Universal Genève would go this far to knock it out of the park. Just before Watches and Wonders 2026, Universal Genève essentially stole the show before it began by launching a few dozen of its most iconic watches in both heritage-styled and reimagined forms. The Gerald Genta-designed Polerouter? Returned, not just in one size but two, and in multiple materials, dials, bracelets, and more. Oh, and a brand-new microrotor (well, three-quarter rotor...

Business News: Breitling’s House Of Brands Unveils New Executive Leadership With Georges Kern As Group CEO

'House of Brands,' the group of watchmakers including Breitling, Universal Genéve, and the soon-to-be-revived Gallet, announced executive changes that will see the flagship brand led by new leadership, with Georges Kern becoming the group's Chief Executive Officer. Jean-Marc Pontroué, a long-time Richemont executive and the former CEO of Panerai and Roger Dubuis, is the new Chief Executive Officer of Breitling, the group says in a statement. The changes take effect in May.  Georges Kern Georges Kern, who has led Breitling under new ownership since 2017, overseeing a more than doubling of annual sales to above CHF 800 million, according to analyst estimates, and one of the most dramatic turnarounds in modern watchmaking, becomes the new CEO of the House of Brands, overseeing the three marques and their leadership in a newly created role.At Universal Genève, which relaunched this month in the high-end segment in what's likely the most ambitious watch brand return and repositioning in decades, Grégory Bruttin remains Managing Director. Meanwhile, at Gallet, the approachable-priced brand known for its Flying Officer and Multichron models, to be revived in August this year, Erwan Rossignol, who is already leading the team preparing the relaunch, becomes Managing Director. The changes confirm the multi-brand ambitions of the private-equity-backed Grenchen, Switzerland-based company, and provide a structure similar to that of other groups with portfolios of several watch bra...

Breitling Navitimer Cosmonaute Artemis II: The Race to Space

Introducing: The Breitling Navitimer B02 Chronograph 41 Cosmonaute Artemis II

Astronaut Reid Wiseman and other crew members wore the new Cosmonaute model on the Artemis II mission.

Breitling Launches Navitimer Cosmonaute Artemis II With Blue Meteorite Dial

Breitling's second-ever meteorite dialMore