Breitling is teaching its signature sports watch some new tricks.
The Swiss brand just unveiled a revamp of its Chronomat lineup today, adding a modern flair to the sleek timepiece it created for the Italian Air Force’s aerobatics team in the 1980s. The updated collection offers up 22 new timepieces for both men and women, with the aim of combining all the model’s history with some upgraded watchmaking tech.
And the Chronomat has quite the pedigree. Back in the ‘80s, Breitling’s then-owner Ernest Schneider teamed up with the Frecce Tricolori, the Italian Air Force squad who execute precise, choreographed routines in the sky, to create a timepiece that could perform in the cockpit and look good back down on earth, too. As a result, the Chronomat was born, a chronograph powered by a mechanical movement during the quartz-watch era that could withstand up to 20 g-forces. (The human body, meanwhile, can endure just 7 g-forces.)
The Chronomat B01 42, with a striking icy-blue dial.
Breitling
Other standout features include its rider tabs and Rouleaux bracelet, two details that the new collection gives a subtle update. The former semi-integrated bracelet is now a fully integrated case and bracelet design; but you can still swap out the strap at your leisure, since the new model’s lugs are located behind the case. The bracelet on the steel and two-tone watches is also home to a micro-adjustment system, making it so you can add a link to the bracelet on each side while you’re wearing it. Overall, the lineup has been tweaked with the goal of improving wearability and creating a more erogonmic look on the wrist, according to Breitling.
That streamlined effect starts with the new Chronomat B01 42. Breitling slimmed down the case here from 15.1 mm to 13.77 mm, and it also took away the 1/100 scale to increase legibility on the wrist. Powered by the brand’s Caliber 01 with a 70-hour power reserve, the model has plenty of fun iterations to play with, including a platinum version with an icy-blue dial, a red-gold model with a deep-brown dial, and a two-tone stainless-steel and red-gold number, too.
Joining its sibling in the collection is the new Chronomat Automatic B31 40. This slim number marks the first time a time-and-date Chronomat has been released in 40 mm; it also houses Breitling’s Caliber B31, which just made its debut last year, and has a power reserve of 78 hours. Here, you’re getting five variations of the model, with that icy-blue dial making an appearance once more alongside green- and white-dialed options pair with stainless-steel bracelets.
Austin Butler donning a white-dial B01 42.
Breitling
Last but not least, the Chronomat Automatic 36 rounds out the trio. Measuring in at, you guessed in, 36 mm, this timepiece gets its 42-power reserve from Breiling’s Caliber 10, which is a Sellita-based automatic movement. You’ll get a tad more bling in this model, thanks to iterations adorned with mother-of-pearl dials and lab-grown diamond-set bezels—as well as one brown dial paired alongside diamonds, too.
“The new Chronomat refines what made it iconic in the first place,” Breitling CEO Georges Kern said in a press statement. “We’ve evolved the design while keeping it true to its identity.”
Breitling also tapped brand ambassadors Austin Butler, the NBA’s Giannis Antetokounmpo, and soccer star Erling Haaland to show off the new lineup. To snag a watch from the collection, priced from $5,950 to $49,900, for yourself, you can head to a brand boutique or Breitling.com.
Click here to see more of the new Chronomat watches.
Breitling
