Breitling celebrates its 140th anniversary with a Navitimer, Chronomat, and Premier trio of perpetual calendars
Russell SheldrakeIt’s been a big year for Breitling, celebrating 140 years of operation. And now we get to see how the brand is truly celebrating this big anniversary, by treating all of us to three perpetual calendar chronographs. A Navitimer, a Chronomat and a Premier complete this celebratory lineup, all cased in rose gold, all featuring the new B19 calibre, and all limited to a fitting 140 pieces per model. So let’s get hands-on with these watches with Andrew, and find out how they stack up and what you need to know about each one.
The movement
It’s only right that we start with the movement on these as it connects all of them. The B19 contains my favourite combination of complications, a perpetual calendar chronograph, which instantly places these three watches in the upper echelons of the watch world. We have seen Breitling use a movement called the Breitling 19 before, based on the ETA 2892-A2 architecture with a Dubois Dépraz module on top, with just a 42-hour power reserve and an advanced annual calendar functionality. Admittedly, the new B19 calibre may cause some nomenclature confusion, but there is a significant difference. While the Breitling 19 was based on a common ETA modular chronograph, the new B19 builds on top of the Breitling B01 in-house, vertical clutch chronograph movement with the addition of a true perpetual calendar module. Whether or not this module is built in-house or is another case of Breitling working with a renowned module partner like Dubois Dépraz is unclear at this stage.
As many of you will know, Breitling played a key part in the development and popularisation of the chronograph, so it is only right that these anniversary models take this legendary complication and elevate it. By making an automatic, perpetual calendar chronograph, these three models are set to stand out in the Breitling catalogue. Having a solid gold rotor with a depiction of the brand’s first factory at 3 Rue de Montbrillant in La Chaux-de-Fonds is the icing on the cake for me. But it is impossible (or at the very least supremely difficult) to pack all of this into a slim package, with 374 components that include a column wheel, a vertical clutch, and a balance that beats at 28,800 beats an hour (4Hz), it has no choice but to measure 8.53mm thick. But that only builds into the presence that these watches have on the wrist.
The cases
Now we can begin to talk about the points of difference between these three watches. All three come in the prototypical styling of their respective product lines, but in 18k rose gold. We’ll being with the Navitimer. 43mm across, it has everything you would want from the most recognisable of Breitling models. The knurled bezel that controls the internal rotating scale still dominates the entire look and feel of this watch, and is accompanied by the razor-sharp, sloped lugs that when measured from one set to the other reach the very precise measurement of 49.07mm. There are mushroom pushers at 2 and 4 to control the chronograph, and correctors at 8 and 10 for the perpetual calendar and moonphase setting.
Next we get to the Super Chronomat, the biggest and most substantial of this collection. Measuring 44mm across and 15.35mm thick, there is certainly no missing this watch. As Andrew says in the video above, it is akin to putting on armour. The bezel here features a black ceramic insert, and of course includes the model’s four rider tabs that always give this model a great sense of dimensionality. The Super Chronomat has an epic wrist presence, and here the rose gold and black colour scheme only amplifies it. The 100-metre water resistance also makes it pretty practical, although I can’t imagine any of the 140 owners of this watch taking out for a quick dip unless they are jumping off the diving platform of their yacht.
Finally, the Premier. Almost diminutive compared to the other two at 42mm across, 15.6mm thick, and 50.03mm lug-to-lug, it’s the dressiest out of the trio with its smooth, polished bezel and rectangular pushers. The Premier line speaks to an entirely different aesthetic, and as Andrew talks about, that is because of its origin story when Breitling’s customers were in need of something different. That’s exactly what this watch delivers. All three models have sapphire casebacks, allowing you to see the engraved rotor and the many layers of the B19 movement.
The dials
A solid rose gold dial is not terribly common in the watch industry. We are used to seeing salmon dials from many brands and differing price points, but to have a solid rose gold dial like this Navitimer is a rare luxury. The three chronograph sub-dials are pulling double duty here, as they will across all three models, with the minute counter at 3 also tracking the date, the running seconds counter at 9 peripherally tracking the day, and what used to be the 12 hour counter at 6 has now been completely taken over by the perpetual calendar for the months and leap year. Finally, at 12 we have a moonphase with a fairly minimalist Breitling marque inside of it. All of this is framed by the black slide rule scale that characterises the Navitimer.
For the Chronomat, the sub-dial layout and functionality stays the same, but the rest of dial has been done away with, exposing the workings of this new B19 calibre. While it still remains fairly covered thanks to the four sub-dials, the glimpses you do get of this complex and uniformly finished movement provides a wonderful effect that isn’t overpowering, and as Andrew alludes to in the video, almost optical illusion-like, giving off the impression of a meteorite dial.
The Premier keeps true to its roots with a rich, deep, black, glossy dial that really sucks you in. Coming off this dial we have applied Arabic numerals that get a little cut off by the sub-dials, but the ones that remain make a real impact in their large size and reserved styling. The syringe hands play well with the other components to dial up the level of sophistication that this watch carries, and gives it another point of difference to the baton hands of the other two.
The straps
Both the Navitimer and Premier come on black alligator straps with 18k rose gold folding buckles. There is a slight difference in the stitching, with the Premier having tone-on-tone black, while the Navitimer has a contrasting white stitch – just a small detail that helps mark the two out as dress and sports watches.
The Super Chronomat however, comes on a Rouleaux-inspired rubber strap, Rouleaux being the incredibly comfortable metal bracelet design that’s exclusive to Breitling nicknames the bullet bracelet. This strap choice goes great with the black bezel and continues the sporty aesthetic of the timepiece.
The verdict
I think it’s clear from Andrew’s video that we’re fans of these three watches. They celebrate the 140th anniversary of Breitling in an incredibly fitting way – bringing three of the brand’s historic lines to the fore in an extremely luxe, and horological way. While the evolution of these three models shows how far Breitling has come in the last 140 years, the use of the new B19 movement seems to signal the brand’s intent moving forwards, making a concerted effort in the realms of high horology and bringing in-house watchmaking capabilities. While these limited editions are incredible, the message they have for the future of Breitling is more exciting to me.
Breitling Navitimer, Super Chronomat and Premier B19 140th Anniversary pricing & availability
The Breitling Navitimer, Super Chronomat and Premier are limited to 140 pieces each and available exclusively through Breitling. Price: US$59,000.
| Brand | Breitling |
| Model | Navitimer B19 Chronograph 43 Perpetual Calendar 140th Anniversary Super Chronomat B19 Chronograph 44 Perpetual Calendar 140th Anniversary Premier B19 Datora 42 Perpetual Calendar 140th Anniversary |
| Case Dimensions | 43mm (D) x 15.62mm (T) x 49.07mm (LTL) (Navitimer) 44mm (D) x 15.35mm (T) x 53.5mm (LTL) (Super Chronomat) 42mm (D) x 15.6mm (T) x 50.03mm (LTL) (Datora) |
| Case Material | 18k red gold |
| Water Resistance | 30 metres (Navitimer) 100 metres (Super Chronomat, Datora) |
| Crystal(s) | Sapphire front and back |
| Dial | 18k red gold (Navitimer) Skeletonised (Super Chronomat) Black lacquer (Datora) |
| Lug Width | 22mm |
| Strap and bracelet | Black leather, 18k red gold folding buckle Black Rouleaux-inspired rubber, 18k red gold folding buckle Black leather, 18k red gold folding buckle |
| Movement | Calibre B19, Breitling manufacture movement, automatic |
| Power Reserve | 96 hours |
| Functions | Hours, minutes, seconds, chronograph, perpetual calendar, moonphase |
| Availability | 140 pieces of each |
| Price | US$59,000 |