Premium watchmaker Breitling is continuing its anniversary celebrations with the debut its first exclusive perpetual calendar chronograph movement in three special edition flagship models.
The limited-edition models of the Premier, Navitimer and Chronomat are equipped with the revolutionary Caliber B19, which promises a century of precision without major adjustments and an impressive 96-hour power reserve.
The company’s CEO, Georges Kern, said: “The Premier, the Navitimer and the Chronomat are the most impactful collections in Breitling’s history. We couldn’t single one out to showcase the new Caliber B19 for our anniversary – it had to be all three.”
Founded in 1884, Breitling is marking its anniversary with a year-long celebration of its ‘140 Years of Firsts’ and the three ‘One of 140’ limited-edition timepieces add to this legacy.
Breitling is one of only a handful of independent watch companies producing its own manufacture movements. The new Caliber B19 is the brand’s first exclusive perpetual calendar movement and, naturally, it is also a chronograph – the brand’s speciality from the beginning. It features a full calendar and moonphase, automatically correcting for leap years and months of 28, 30 and 31 days, so it can run for nearly a century without a major adjustment.
Premier B19 Datora 42 140th Anniversary:
The Premier made its debut in 1943 as the watch that took the chronograph out of the cockpit and into society. It was the gentleman’s chronograph, a symbol of good taste that also happened to be a highly functional tool watch. The anniversary edition, in solid 18-carat red gold, retains the Premier’s distinctive Arabic numerals, contrasting minutes scale and signature square pushers. The strap is black alligator leather with elegant tone-on-tone topstitching and an 18- carat gold folding buckle.
Navitimer B19 Chronograph 43 Perpetual Calendar 140th Anniversary:
The Navitimer was the first watch for pilots to combine a chronograph with the brand’s proprietary wrist-worn circular slide rule. Originally developed in 1952 for members of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), the Navitimer quickly found favour with a broader audience that included celebrities and astronauts – in 1962 it became the first Swiss wristwatch in space. The anniversary edition features the famous slide rule in black on an attention-grabbing 18-carat red-gold dial. The strap is alligator leather with contrasting topstitching and an 18-carat gold folding buckle.
Super Chronomat B19 44 Perpetual Calendar 140th Anniversary:
The Chronomat first launched in 1983 as the official watch of Italy’s aerobatics team, the Frecce Tricolori. The popularity of its design led to a wider release a year later. This quartz-era timing was significant—the Chronomat was instrumental in restoring the popularity of mechanical chronographs. The anniversary edition features the model’s distinctive design with four raised rider tabs at the 15-minute marks, an ‘onion’ crown and a rubber version of the model’s classic Rouleaux bracelet. Ceramic inserts give it a supercharged look. Plus, it marks another first for Breitling: a dramatic skeletonised dial.
Exclusive Anniversary Collector’s Items
Each anniversary limited-edition is presented with a sumptuous suede-lined wooden watch box that can be configured to display up to three timepieces. Owners will also receive a deluxe edition of the book Breitling: 140 Years in 140 Stories (Rizzoli, 2024) personalised with their selected anniversary piece on the cover.