The Breitling Chronomat holds a special place in the hearts of watch enthusiasts all over the world. The watch is a symbol of mechanical superiority and horological prowess. It was originally released in 1984, an era when extra-thin quartz timepieces were the hottest things in the market. Breitling, however, had different ideas. The Swiss watchmaker made the boldest of moves by releasing a mechanical watch that was nothing short of impressive. The watch, Chronomat, proved to be a winner and eventually became something that people associate with that era.
The All-New Breitling Chronomat For Men
It has been over 40 years and the Chronomat seems to not be in the mood to hang up its proverbial boots. The all new Breitling Chronomat is out and about. The watch is all set to appeal to the current generation of watch aficionados and enthusiasts. The new timepieces aim at projecting an aura of purpose, action, and of course, style.
For those who do not know, the Breitling Chronomat is an all-round sports watch in the truest sense. The watch can hold its own at red carpets, at official board meetings, and at the occasional home parties. In 1984, the Chronomat marked a glorious return of Breitling as a master of mechanical chronographs, something that the Swiss watchmaker based its entire reputation on.
What Does The Chronomat Stand For?
The Chronomat moniker is a brilliant combination of the terms ‘chronograph’ for ‘Chrono’ and ‘automatic’ ‘Matic’. This watch has been a constant in Breitling’s watch catalogue ever since its launch in the year 1984. Mind you, this was an era when Japanese quartz movements were bringing in havoc over the mechanical watch industry and releasing mechanical watches was considered a grave mistake. The Chronomat, however, proved otherwise.
What’s New?
The 2020 collection of the Breitling Chronomat puts special emphasis on the B01 series. There are multiple variants of the same to choose from. All the new watches carry the Manufacture Calibre 01, which just happened to make their debuts a decade ago with the Chronomat 01. The Calibre 01, as you may now is a fantastic mechanism with a power reserve of up to 70 hours.
In terms of design, the new Chronomat successfully retains the soul of the collection’s DNA. For instance, the watch has continued the tradition of rider tabs at quarter hour markers (12 o’clock, 3 o’clock, 6 o’clock, and 9 o’clock). They serve an aesthetic purpose as well as a functional one. The idea is to provide additional grip to watch users so that rotating the bezel is not a big task even if the user is wearing gloves.
The watches have a water resistance to up to 200 meters and have Super-LumiNova for better legibility.
What’s The Different?
Despite similarities in design, the watches have definitely undergone certain changes. For instance, the case size has shrunk from 44 mm in the past to 42 mm. Another major aesthetic tweak is the change in the bracelet. Earlier Chronomats has a ‘Pilot Style’ bracelet whereas the new 2020 Chronomat has a ‘Rouleaux Style’ bracelet. This kind of bracelet was last seen in the watchmaker’s Windrider collection.
Getting Into the Details
The Chronomat B01 42– Full Production Model
Let us begin with the full-production model, the Breitling Chronomat B01 42. The watch comes in a silver, copper, blue, and black dial colours. The former three dials have black chronograph register while the black dial has silver coloured chronograph registers.
The Chronomat B01 42 – Bentley Edition
The next in line is the Chronomat Bentley limited edition. The Swiss horologist has once again joined hands with long time partner in crime Bentley and has released a limited edition timpeeice. The Chronomat Bentley Edition dons a green dial with black chronograph registers. It has the same stainless-steel body as well as steel Rouleaux bracelet with “BENTLEY†engraved on the caseback.
The Chronomat B01 42 – Frecce Tricolori
The third watch in line is the commemorative reference which takes inspiration from the Frecce Tricolori, the 1983 watch that laid down the whole pathway for future Chronomat timepieces. The limited edition will be made available in 250 pieces. The watch will possess a blue dial, tone on tone registers, and the Frecce Tricolori logo in place of the Breitling logo at the usual spot near the 12 o’clock marker.
The Chronomat B01 42 – 18-K Red Gold and Stainless Steel
We now come to the more luxurious references among the new 2020 Chronomat watches. Breitling has something to offer to those who look for a bit of luxury in their watches in order to set themselves apart from the rest. The brand has offered a B01 Chronomat 42 mm in 18-carat red gold. In this model, the crown, the pushers, and the rider tabs are beautifully crafted in 18-carat red gold. The dial is silver in colour and features tone on tone chronograph registers.
Two other variants of this watch are available with a blue dial and tone on tone registers, and an anthracite dial with black registers. These models have the bezel crafted in 18-carat red gold as well. The Rouleaux bracelet in these two variants is also two-tone.
The Chronomat B01 42 – 18-K Red Gold Case and Rubber Strap
At last, if you claim to be a purist and do not fancy yourself with anything other than red gold, Breitling has a 2020 B01 Chronomat 42 just for you. This reference has an 18-carat red gold case and comes with a black rubber strap with an 18-carat red gold folding clasp. The timepiece offers an anthracite dial with black chronograph sub-dials.
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