Gold Breitling 140th Anniversary Collection

This June, Breitling invited me to their chronometry factory in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. The tour gave me the opportunity to see a variety of Breitling in-house calibers in various stages of production. The result of meticulous and efficient assembly is the robust and reliable B01 chronograph movement, along with modules for calendar and GMT functions. To celebrate Breitling’s 140th anniversary, the Swiss watchmaker has further enriched this impressive repertoire with the new caliber B19. This technical masterpiece mechanism includes Breitling’s first in-house perpetual calendar chronograph. The B19 also boasts an astounding power reserve of 96 hours when fully wound. Along with this honorary announcement, Breitling has unveiled new calibers in three of its flagship watches: the Chronomat, Navitimer, and Premier, housed in 18K red gold cases that represent important eras in Breitling’s 140-year history.

Breitling is synonymous with the chronograph function in wristwatches. In 1915, Gaston Breitling developed the independent start, stop and reset pushers for wristwatches. Previously, this operation was integrated into the crown. Then, in 1934, Gaston’s son Willy Breitling patented a second independent pusher at 4 o’clock for optimal usability. This advancement established the modern wristwatch chronograph as we know it today. Along with the DNA of founder Leon Breitling, the DNA of these pioneers is reflected in all Breitling chronographs. You could call the crown and two pushers Leon, Gaston or Willy. In 1969, Breitling competed with Heuer Leonidas and Buren Hamilton to launch the first automatic chronograph. The Chronomatic was launched on March 3, 1969, making its first appearance on the international market.

Super Chronomat B19 44 Perpetual Calendar 140th Anniversary

In recent years, and still today, a key milestone is the Breitling 01 (B01) automatic chronograph manufacture movement. The brand’s lengthy and expensive research and development resulted in the creation of an in-house automatic chronograph. This caliber is a boast movement that is rarely available from Swiss watch brands and forms the backbone of Breitling’s catalog. In fact, with Breitling’s recent updates to its core collection, the B01 has largely replaced off-the-shelf chronograph calibers. The Chronomat was the first model to feature the B01 movement in 2009. So, as the first of our 140th anniversary watch trio, we present the Super Chronomat B19. The Super Chronomat takes the already macho Chronomat platform and beefs up each element. Launched in 2021, the Super Chronomat features a 44mm case, scratch-resistant ceramic bezel, and oversized pushers.

In 2024, Breitling has further developed the Super Chronomat to incorporate the B19 perpetual calendar chronograph. The B19 includes a full calendar for the various months of 28, 29, 30, and 31 days. Because it takes leap years into account, the B19 can theoretically continue to run for almost 100 years without adjustment. Of course, the mainspring may wind up during that time, and maintenance will be required every five years. Still, the pleasure of seeing the date subdial display February 29th in a leap year is worth it. The Super Chronomat is partially skeletonized on the dial side, with a moon phase indicator taking up the top half of the dial. With the date function integrated, the dial maintains a 30-minute chronograph totalizer at 3 o’clock. Additionally, the subdial at 6 o’clock displays the leap year and month, and the day and seconds hand at 9 o’clock.

Navitimer B19 Chronograph 43 Perpetual Calendar 140th Anniversary

Each model in the trilogy is powered by the B19 movement and shares the same display arrangement. They also share a similar black and red gold theme, which I find particularly appealing on the Navitimer. As CEO Georges Kern revealed, the Navitimer is Breitling’s best-selling watch. The 18K red gold hue stands out on the dial, with red accents showing the slide rule markings. Like all three watches, the B19 can be viewed through a see-through caseback. Through a sapphire window, you can admire the engraved 22K red gold rotor from Breitling’s historic Montbrillant factory. While I love the 140-year-old black and gold motif, the Navitimer B19 is a model I can’t wait to see more variations on. The Navitimer B19 is in steel with a reverse panda dial and gold touches, which could be the holy grail for me.

Premier B19 Datra 42 140th Anniversary

Lastly, we have the Premier B19 Datra, which replaces the Navitimer’s gold dial with a pure black one. The tuxedo-worthy style matches the Premier’s dressy nature and neat approach. That said, the moonphase disc features a more distinctive design that mimics calendar watches from the 1940s, an era that echoes Breitling’s earlier Premier models, which debuted in 1943. The dial features polished gold Arabic numerals, and the central hour and minute hands are the only ones to feature Super-LumiNova. Unlike the Pilot Navitimer and the sporty Super Chronomat, the Premier isn’t as interested in everyday practicality. Instead, the Premier is all about glamour, with only flat rectangular pushers indicating the chronograph function. The strap is an elegant, shiny black alligator leather with an 18K gold folding buckle.

Final specifications and prices

The Knifetimer is also available on a black alligator strap, but with a more matte texture and contrasting white stitching. An unusual offering is the SuperChronomat on a rubber strap, which mimics the look of the brand’s famous Rouleaux bracelet. Breitling plans to produce 140 of each of these watches.

All of Breitling’s 140th anniversary limited editions are priced at the same price of £48,000, and each watch comes in a suede-lined wooden box with space to display the three watches. The box also has a storage drawer and comes with a removable travel pouch. In a year celebrating 140 years of firsts, the B19 movement is the true star of this launch and we look forward to seeing it join the series in the future. For more information on these releases, visit Breitling’s website

Watch Specifications