Each featuring the company’s new Caliber B19 movement.
Innovation in the precise world of watchmaking takes many forms, but the most intricate (and arguably, the most difficult) might be the introduction of a new watch movement, like Breitling’s new Caliber B19. It’s now found in a home within a trio of elegant yet highly functional watches.
The new movement marks a momentous occasion: 140 years of Breitling timekeeping, and the Swiss watchmaker went all-in with its Swiss-designed and assembled movement. Based on Breitling’s original manufacture Caliber 01, what’s even more impressive is the new suite of watches it helps power. Chief among them is the Breitling Super Chronomat B19 Perpetual Calendar, the company’s first attempt at the tricky complication.
The handsome watch harkens back to the 1980s, when, as Breitling says, the timepiece “was instrumental in restoring the popularity of mechanical chronographs during an era dominated by quartz watches.” This time, it’s given a dash of sporty yet elegant appeal via a rubber version of the original Rouleaux bracelet. The skeletonized dial is complemented further by raised rider tabs at every 15-minute marking, while the 18-karat red gold case is just as distinctive.
The Breitling Navitimer B19 Chronograph similarly blends a sense of refinement and aviation-ready utility, another nod to the functionality of the original model, which merged a chronograph with a wrist-worn circular slide rule, yet in the style of a handsome watch. It’s also housed in a eye-catching 18-karat red gold case, while a black alligator leather strap exudes tasteful style.
Rounding out the trio is the bold and yet beautiful Breitling Premier B19 Datora, a stunning homage to the 1943 debut of the model. Decades ago, founder Willy Breitling called the timepiece “a symbol of ‘impeccable taste,’” according to the company, and its modern-day counterpart is no less impressive. Arabic numerals and square pushers lend this watch an air of distinction, as does a tone-on-tone stitched black alligator leather strap.
While each watch is memorable in its own right, the introduction of the B19 movement at large breaks new ground for the storied watchmaker: Breitling notes that the perpetual calendar movement “can run for a century without any major adjustment.” Given Breitling’s penchant for heritage and honoring its history while nodding to modern innovation all the while, it’s a safe bet that Swiss timepieces from the company will stick around for a century to come, and then some.
