In the 1950s, at a time when it had already established itself as “official supplier to world aviation”, Breitling took on another challenge by setting out to conquer maritime depths. 1957 thus saw the launch of the famous Superocean, equipped with an ultra-readable dial, an armored glass and a monohull case watertight to a depth of 200 meters (660 ft) – a remarkable feat at that time. Originally designed to equip professional and military divers, and particularly special troops, this model soon gained a following among enthusiasts in the booming field of leisure diving. It subsequently gave rise to a whole line of diver‘s watches and chronographs, which have distinguished themselves over successive generations by their extreme sturdiness as well as their peerless performances – including water resistance to depths of 500, 1,500 and even 2,000 meters. Breitling is now giving fresh impetus to this legendary collection by launching a Superocean with an entirely revamped design.

More youthful, more modern and more dynamic: while the new Superocean makes no compromises on the technical qualities that have consistently distinguished Breitling‘s diver‘s watches, it immediately catches the gaze by its stunning makeover. A fresh, sporting and original look that is bound to be equally at home in the ocean depths as on dry land. The rubber-molded bezel is particularly pleasant to the touch and is enlivened by sloping numerals and a fluted pattern accentuating its technical nature and its adventurous vocation. The strikingly distinctive dial echoes this vigorous geometrical motif with applied hour-markers and numerals standing out clearly against a matt black base. Water-resistant to 1,500 meters (5,000 ft), powered by a selfwinding chronometer-certified movement and available at a particularly competitive price, the new Superocean has exactly what it takes to break the waves and sail across changing trends while keeping several lengths ahead of the competition.

Blue, yellow, red, silver or black: the new Superocean offers a broad spectrum of colors to adorn the beveled inner bezel ring surrounding the Abyss black dial. This bright touch picked up by the tip of the seconds hand gives each model an especially strong personality.

A born diver, the new Superocean confidently faces underwater pressure down to a record depth of 1,500 meters (5,000 ft) thanks to the ultra-sturdy construction of its case, its screw-locked crown and its extremely sophisticated gasket system. The rotating bezel is equipped with a unidirectional rotating device that avoids any inadvertent disturbance of the dive time during an actual diving operation. The case is fitted with lateral reinforcements effectively protecting the crown from the hazards involved in such underwater adventures. The Superocean is also equipped with a safety valve at 10 o‘clock, an unmistakably characteristic feature of professional diving instruments which serves to balance out the differences in pressure inside and outside the watch. As soon as internal overpressure reaches about 3 bars, this valve automatically releases the helium stored up after time spent at great depths, thus preventing the case from exploding.

A steely temperament

Extreme conditions call for extreme sturdiness: the Superocean is made from a steel alloy that is particularly resistant to corrosion in a saline environment. The case is formed from a metal bar subjected to a succession of high-pressure stamping and firing operations that have endowed it with peerless endurance. The bezel is slightly hollowed to show off the slightly raised numerals and hour-markers, and then coated in black rubber finely molding the brushed metal surface.

Source : Breitling, The Watch Avenue

Black, robust and highly technical. The most remarkable feature of the Breitling Avenger Seawolf Chrono Blacksteel, its magnetic pushpiece system, is hidden inside its case. With this exclusive, patented device, the watch can be activated through the metal case without any direct mechanical contact. As most chronographs cannot be used when diving, this device means that the Avenger Seawolf Chrono is the only instrument of its kind that is totally water-resistant and functional to a record depth of 1,000 metres. Its SuperQuartz TM movement – another exclusive Breitling creation – guarantees a precision ten times greater than ordinary quartz movements; it measures times to 1/10 of a second and indicates intermediary times. Limited series of 2,000.

Technical Specifications :

Movement :
Thermocompensated SuperQuartz TM, Breitling 73 calibre, COSC-certified

Functions :
Hours, minutes, seconds, date, split-seconds chronograph, direction memory

Case :
Steel with ultra-resistant carbon coating, 45.4 mm
Flange with compass card for memorising directions – above and below water
Ratcheted unidirectional rotating bezel
Convex sapphire crystal, anti-reflective coating on both sides
Water-resistant to 1000 m

Dial :
Volcano black
Luminescent hourmarkers and hands
12-hour chronograph counter at 10 o’clock; 1/10-second counter at 2 o’clock
Central direct-drive seconds-hand and split-seconds hand
Date at 4 o’clock

Bracelet/Strap :
Black Diver Pro rubber or Ocean Racer with holes

Source: Breitling

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the launch of the first selfwinding chronograph movement, Breitling is introducing two limited editions of its Chrono-Matic model, featuring a look inspired by the 1969 original and equipped with precious leap-year or perpetual calendars.1969 was a great year for aviation, since it witnessed the first flight of the Boeing 747 Jumbo Jet and that of the supersonic Concorde, two legendary aircraft that made an indelible imprint on aeronautical history.

But 1969 was also a landmark year in watchmaking, thanks to Breitling’s pioneering launch of the very first selfwinding chronograph movement – an invention that led to the development of a whole range of aptly named Chrono-Matic chronographs. Today’s 49 mm diameter Chrono-Matic is a tribute to this forerunner of ultra-large watches. The circular slide rule confirms its family likeness with the Navitimer line, while the distinctive modernism of its seventies inspiration is expressed through a case design based on taut, angular lines highlighted by a rubber-molded bezel.

Two limited series with calendars

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of this movement and this legendary model, Breitling has created two limited series featuring refined horological complications. The first is a steel edition of 2,000 combining a chronograph with a calendar mechanism requiring adjustment only once every leap-year and thus endowed with a “memory” of 1,461 days – hence its name, “Chrono-Matic 1461″. The date, day and month are displayed on subdials by means of straight hands that accentuate the instrument panel look, while the optional woven steel Aero Classic bracelet lends an additional retro touch.

The avant-garde case of the second watch, crafted exclusively in red gold and issued in a worldwide limited edition of 125, houses a chronograph along with an ultra-sophisticated perpetual calendar system embodying a daring blend of modern and traditional elements. The mechanism of this “Chrono-Matic QP” is a miniaturized marvel composed of almost 500 parts. It is programmed to indicate the date, the day, the week, the month, the season and the moon phases while taking account of leap-year variations. Like all Breitling models, both of these limited editions are equipped with chronometer-certified movements.

Source: Breitling

Few watch brands have as much claim to legitimacy in the air as Swiss watchmaker Breitling. In fact, they also have claims to fame on land and sea. What’s gone relatively unnoticed is Breitling’s contributions outside the atmosphere.

While everyone knows that rival Omega makes and markets the moon watch, Breitling also played its part in the space race of the 1960s with the Navitimer chronograph. With the hours indicated in 24 hour increments, this model was called the Cosmonaute and was actually the first chornograph to make it into space.

Lt Commander Scott Carpenter of NASA wore this very watch on a mission to space on 24 May 1962. In honor of Breitling’s 125th anniversary, the brand is revisiting this episode of its recent past by issuing a limited edition version of the Cosmonaute.

The Breitling Cosmonaute Limited Edition is issued in a series of 1,000 pieces, all with a new version of the 24-hour dial and fitted with the perforated Air Racer bracelet. The automatic watch is of course a chronograph, with COSC-certified movement, featuring the rotating Breitling bezel with slide rule and the flyback function.

It is water resistant to 300 meters and measures 41.5mm in diameter.

Originally created as the official timepiece of the Frecce Tricolori flying team, the Breitling Chronomat has long been considered the leading timepiece within the prestigious field of mechanical chronographs. To this day, the Chronomat remains the most popular throughout the Breitling Collection.

Although Breitling has made numerous improvements and additions to the model in both design and functionality, the Chronomat is still best recognized by the uni-directional rider-tab bezel. Form meets function with this gentleman’s Breitling Windrider Chronomat timepiece, reference A13356. A round stainless steel case with stainless steel uni-directional bezel surrounds the grey dial that houses the date display and three sub dials of the chronograph; 12 hour register at six, seconds register at nine and 30 minute register at twelve.

A pair of silver and white hands marks the automatic Breitling 13 caliber movement, which is shown through the applied silver and white stick indicators as markers. Finishing this piece is the original Breitling black leather bracelet and stainless steel buckle. This watch is in very good condition with minor scuffing on the case and case back and slight wear to the bracelet.

The Breitling Aerospace is a wildly popular model that underwent a series of minor visual updates over the years. The watch has recently sort of been off the radar as Breitling focused on other watches -  especially those mechanical ones with higher profit margins. The turn in the economy has allowed (forced) them to re-shift their focus on some of their more reasonably priced luxury instrument watches.

At Baselworld this year they released a brand new Aerospace model (actually two watches that share the Superquartz (thermoline quartz) movement, but only one called the “Aerospace”), what recaptures some of what people loved in the original – but maybe not enough. The functions are the same, and so is most of the appeal, but the design seems to be getting less “professional” and more formal