Breitling’s path in the world of watchmaking, from the very first steps to the first three generations of its founders, is inextricably linked to the history of the chronograph. When Leon Breitling opened his first watchmaking workshop in Saint-Imier, Switzerland in 1884, he specialized in pocket chronographs. In 1914 he was succeeded by his son Gaston Breitling, who applied his father’s methods in revolutionary wrist chronographs. As early as 1915, he created one of the first chronographs with an independent pusher at 2 o’clock, which separated the start, stop and restart functions from the crown. Five years after his death, his own son Willy Breitling was forced to take over the reins of the company at the age of just 19, in 1932, and almost immediately, in 1934, he invented something revolutionary: a second pusher at 4 o’clock. , with which it was possible to reset the chronograph and start a new measurement. By 1943, Willy had built a solid reputation for aviation and watchmaking tools to meet the needs of wartime people. But Willie also foresaw a post-war era when utilitarianism would be replaced by unbridled optimism. With this in mind, he designed a series of elegant chronographs, dressed in the finest materials, finishes and movements. He called this series “Premier”, which means “first”, but also “highest”, “most important”, “optimal”.

First, the mechanism

Nowadays, Breitling fans will surely remember the launch of the Premier Heritage Chronograph collection in 2021, which revived Willy’s vision of impeccable looking chronographs that combine functionality and ease of use with unparalleled elegance. Breitling is now bringing back the new Premier B01 Chronograph 42 collection, consisting of six Premier chronographs.

All of them are equipped with the Breitling Manufacture Caliber 01, a first-class automatic movement of their own production, which guarantees precision, reliability and functionality. First released in 2009, this chronograph is one of the most recognizable in the world of haute horlogerie. Like all Breitling movements, this chronometer is COSC certified to within -4 to +6 seconds per day.

The endurance tests that new chronographs undergo are also impressive. It is worth noting that they correspond to 16 years of stress with shock tests (about 60,000 blows at 500 G), crown test (at least 100,000 revolutions), rotor winding (3,456,000 revolutions) and chronograph pusher test (about 5 840 initial pressures). .-pause-reload). Hidden inside the new Premier chronographs, the latest generation Caliber B01 caliber has been redesigned for 2022 with a slimmer profile and a more compact rotor that can be admired through the transparent sapphire crystal on the watch case back. The mechanism has a five-year warranty and provides approximately 70 hours of battery life.

high aesthetics

Many design elements of the new collection are based on the design of the original Premier chronograph. Sleek fixed bezel, double counter dial, elegant rectangular chronograph pushers or applied Arabic numerals on the dial. The cabinet is 42mm in diameter and is slightly larger than the 40mm cabinets on existing B09 tuners.

The dials are dominated by the monochrome basis of both counters (30 minutes at 3 and a small second at 9). The stainless steel versions come in five new shades – blue, black, salmon, green and cream.

The most luxurious 18K red gold version is paired with a classic cream dial.

The chronographs are paired with either thin alligator leather straps or elegant seven-link metal bracelets.

Watch also the video about the Breitling Premier collection…

All Premier chronographs are water resistant to a depth of 100 meters. As for their prices? €8,600 (steel with strap) and €8,950 (with bracelet).

More information about Breitling Here.

Breitling boutique in Athens (tel: 210-3629832)