The New Breitling Premier Collection: Combining Purpose and Style
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THE NEW BREITLING PREMIER COLLECTION: COMBINING PURPOSE AND STYLE The Breitling Premier collection reintroduces a name that has a special significance for the prestige watch brand. In the 1940s, Breitling introduced its first collection of truly elegant watches, which were defined by their fash- ionable flair. The new Breitling Premier collection combines purpose with style, delivering quality, performance, and timeless design that are worthy of the watch brand’s proud legacy. The New Breitling Premier Collection Like the original Premier family, which was highly regarded for its elegance, the new watches make The new Breitling Premier collection introduces five an uncompromising style statement. The collection distinct models whose elegance is worthy of their his- includes chronographs – the cornerstone of the toric name and whose quality and performance are brand’s global reputation –, day and date models, and pure Breitling. While Breitling is highly regarded for its understated three-hand watches with a discreet, small aviator and diver’s watches, these eye-catching time- second subdial. pieces have been created especially for use on land, which was, of course, Breitling’s first environment. Breitling Premier: Style, Purpose, and Action Breitling CEO Georges Kern is clear about the role the The original Breitling Premier watches made power- Premier watches play in the brand’s product portfolio: ful fashion statements and were perfect accompani- “This is the first modern Breitling collection dedicat- ments to the remarkable changes taking place all over ed to everyday elegance. With outstanding quality and the world in the 1940s. The models in the new collec- performance, these watches bear our unmistakable tion extend that legacy – they reflect the heritage and brand DNA, but they have been created with a focus on the historic design codes of a great brand, but they style that beautifully complements their purpose.” also express an urban flair and a passion for excel- lence. They reflect a proud history, yet will never go The new Breitling Premier collection takes not only its out of style. Further, their elegance, performance, and name, but also design inspiration from the Premier quality are everything you would expect from Breitling, watches manufactured in the 1940s. Like the great which now, more than ever, is an authentic brand for films that were released in this era of global conflict individuals of style, purpose, and action. and economic uncertainty, those watches offered a form of escape through a certain elegance that people Premier B01 Chronograph 42 were craving. The Premier B01 Chronograph 42 models, equipped with While the collection is specifically dedicated to the Breitling Manufacture Caliber 01, are the flagship Breitling’s “land” environment, the design team were watches in the new collection. Developed in-house by also influenced by some of the brand’s early models. Breitling, the Caliber 01 has established itself as one of BREITLING SA - P.O. Box 1132 - Schlachthausstrasse 2 - CH-2540 Grenchen Telephone +41 (0) 32 654 54 54 - facebook.com/breitling BREITLING.COM the finest mechanical watch movements in the world. nometer movement. It is available with an anthracite, The self-winding, chronometer-certified chronograph blue, or silver dial. Each dial option is available with ei- has an impressive power reserve of over 70 hours. ther a nubuck or alligator leather strap or a stainless- steel bracelet. The clean dial is encircled by a white The Breitling Premier B01 Chronograph 42 is presented minute track and elegantly finished with a small sec- in a robust 42-millimeter stainless-steel case with a ond subdial at 6 o’clock. transparent caseback, and is available with a dark blue or silver dial. The blue-dial version offers the choice of Premier Automatic Day & Date 40 either a blue alligator leather or brown nubuck strap with white stitching or a stainless-steel bracelet. The The Breitling Premier Automatic Day & Date 40 displays silver-dial model is available with a black nubuck or not only the time but, as its name suggests, also the alligator leather strap or a stainless-steel bracelet. day of the week and the date, which are located at 12 and 6 o’clock, respectively. Powering this automat- The clean dial design features contrasting black subdi- ic wristwatch is the Breitling Caliber 45 self-winding als with a chronograph minute counter at 3 o’clock and chronometer movement. The Premier Automatic Day a small second subdial at 9 o’clock, along with a date & Date 40 watches are available with either a black or a window at 6 o’clock. Each model has a white tachy- silver dial and feature either a stainless-steel bracelet meter scale on a black inner bezel around the dial. or a nubuck or alligator leather strap with white stitch- ing. Premier Chronograph 42 Premier B01 Chronograph 42 Bentley British Breitling has built its reputation on its great chrono- Racing Green graph watches, and the Premier Chronograph 42 mod- els continue this proud tradition. Their superb perfor- The Premier B01 Chronograph 42 Bentley British Rac- mance is assured by a Breitling Caliber 13 chronometer ing Green celebrates Breitling’s long-standing partner- movement. The Breitling Premier Chronograph 42 fea- ship with Bentley Motors, the producers of the world’s tures chronograph minute and hour counters at 12 most admired luxury automobiles. Formerly presented and 6 o’clock, respectively, as well as a small second in the separate Breitling for Bentley collection, this subdial at 9 o’clock. model and future Bentley limited editions will be intro- duced in Breitling’s existing watch families. Powered The Premier Chronograph 42 features a 42-millimeter by the Breitling Manufacture Caliber 01 mechanical stainless-steel case and is available with either a blue movement, which is visible through the transparent or a black dial featuring a white tachymeter ring with caseback, the watch has an impressive 70-hour power a black scale. This stunning Premier model offers the reserve. This watch features a striking British racing choice of either an alligator leather or nubuck strap green dial and is available with either a stainless-steel with white stitching or a stainless-steel bracelet. bracelet or a British racing green leather strap, which matches the dial. The contrasting subdials are located Premier Automatic 40 at 3 and 9 o’clock, while the date window is at 6 o’clock. Further features that distinguish this watch from The Breitling Premier Automatic 40 is a study in under- all others are the engraved plate inscribed with the stated style. Perhaps more than any other watch in the Bentley name on the left side of the case, in- new collection, it evokes Breitling’s elegant watches spired by the dashboard of the supercharged 1929 from the 1940s. Inside its stainless-steel case is the “Blower” Bentley, and the transparent caseback that is Breitling Caliber 37, a self-winding mechanical chro- enhanced with a metalized Bentley logo. BREITLING SA - P.O. Box 1132 - Schlachthausstrasse 2 - CH-2540 Grenchen Telephone +41 (0) 32 654 54 54 - facebook.com/breitling BREITLING.COM The History The Premier collection interpreted Breitling’s great watchmaking tradition for an era in which design In the early 1940s, most of the countries of Europe, played a particularly important role. They were the North America, Asia, Australasia, and northern Africa first Breitling watches to feature the product name on were involved in World War II. In historically neutral Swit- the dial, demonstrating the importance of each cus- zerland, Willy Breitling was creating onboard clocks for tomer’s personal identification with his new Premier. the Royal Air Force (RAF). The visionary – and clearly dar- ing – watchmaker had to deliver the clocks to the RAF at The original Premier watches, with their 36- to clandestine landing fields under the cover of darkness. 38-millimeter cases, were smaller than Breitling’s familiar tool watches, and were often crafted from At that time, Breitling was already a globally estab- gold and presented with leather straps. They still lished brand thanks to its timepieces for aviation and featured the chronograph movements that had made military use, in addition to its high-quality instruments Breitling famous and offered the excellent quality and for professionals. performance associated with the brand, but they were more at home at a theater opening or a fashionable While Willy Breitling obviously understood watches, he jazz club than their military and aviation watch cous- was also keenly aware of the era’s zeitgeist. His brand ins might have been. Willy Breitling once said: “When a had distinguished itself with its military and aviator man puts on his watch, it is the unmistakable stamp of watches in the late 1930s and early 1940s, but he was impeccable taste.” He, of all people, would have been also a man of great personal style and intuitively un- pleased to know that his Premier watches from the derstood that, in those calamitous times, people had 1940s perfectly set the stage for a namesake collec- a powerful desire – in fact, a need – for products that tion launched more than three-quarters of a century reflected a sense of normalcy and, more than that, had later. a touch of elegance and glamour. About Breitling It is worth remembering that Citizen Kane was re- leased in 1941, The Pride of the Yankees (a film about Since 1884, Breitling has established a global reputa- baseball player Lou Gehrig) was an Oscar nominee in tion for high-precision timepieces, its pioneering role 1942, and Casablanca won the Oscar for Best Picture in the development of the wrist chronograph, and its in 1943. These films, produced in the golden age of uncompromising commitment to design excellence.