A timepiece born out of hope for a more beautiful world, Willy Breitling created the Breitling Premier line in 1943. Released in the midst of the second world war, the third-generation Breitling founder dreamt of a time when “utility would give way to unbridled optimism.”
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Designed to effortlessly take you from the cockpit to the cocktail bar, the Breitling Premier line saw tool chronographs take on an elegant, dressy tone, crafted with premium materials and equipped with high-performing calibres. Revived in 2021, the Premier Heritage chronograph collection brought back Willy Breitling’s functional yet elevated approach to tool watches, with each piece bearing, in the third-generation founder’s words, “the unmistakable stamp of impeccable taste.”
Now, eighty years after the original line’s debut, Breitling has added a sextet of new references to the Premier Heritage collection, each powered by the self-winding Breitling Manufacture Caliber 01, a movement designed with precision, reliability, and functionality in mind and is COSC-certified.
Each of the six Premier B01 Chronographs takes on a vintage aesthetic, save for their 42mm case size. Five are crafted from stainless steel while the other is composed of 18k red gold. An aviation-inspired layout sees the tone-on-tone subdials appear at 3 o’clock and 9 o’clock for the chronograph minutes and running seconds, respectively. The smooth, largely monochromatic dials are complemented by applied Arabic numerals and hour, minute, and second hands in the timepiece’s case metal. Featuring a slim profile — thanks to a redesign of the Breitling Manufacture Caliber 01 in 2022 — the Premier B01 Chronograph is able to effortlessly slip under shirt sleeves, yet continues to provide optimal legibility on the go.
The stainless steel models are available with a choice of a salmon, blue, green, black, or cream dial, while the red gold is available in cream. Each Breitling Premier B01 Chronograph is water resistant to 100m and is presented on either an alligator leather strap or a seven-row metal bracelet.
With the original Premier line created during a time of turmoil, the addition of six new timepieces to the current Premier Heritage collection seems timely. Showcasing the ability to find beauty in the utilitarian, the Breitling Premier B01 Chronograph is a timepiece for the hopeful.
The Premier B01 Chronograph is now available via the Breitling webstore, with each watch accompanied by a copy of Premier Story by Breitling historian Fred Mandelbaum. The third release in the Swiss watch manufacturer’s Watch Stories series, Premier Story chronicles Willy Breitling’s mission to liberate the humble chronograph from the confines of the cockpit and onto the wrists of global trendsetters.
Words by T. Angel
