The latest announcement that has stirred up luxury watch enthusiasts is the debut of a new Breitling Chronomat Arrows edition. This new watch represents the enduring partnership of Breitling with its partner, the Red Arrows.
The new Chronomat Red Arrows Limited Edition features a blue RAF dial and set on the unique “Rouleaux” bracelet. However, the blue dial exhibits a sportier look with contrasting black sub-dials. And the “Diamond Nine” Red Arrows logo at the 12-hour side represents the long-time collaboration.
Breitling produced the new Chronomat Red Arrows in a limited 160 pieces. However, this production number “160” depicts the number of pilots who have been a significant part of the aerobatic team since 1965.
Breitling’s Illustrious History with Aviation
It’s pretty tricky to attest to a pilot’s watch features if you are not a pilot. You won’t have the understanding of a circular slide rule’s usefulness while the left engine goes down. However, it’s hardly necessary for most people to know the functionality of a pilot’s watch.
What typically you can analyse is the performance quality and that too through the attestation of actual pilots. Keeping this in mind, several watch brands, including Breitling, are obsessive about bagging collaborations with aviation or military companies.
Well, Breitling indeed has a legendary association with the aviation world. Let’s look back at the thirties when the brand’s “Department 8” section created flight instruments for the RAF. Breitling was privately commissioned to design timepieces for the RAF squadron. Interestingly, this occurred soon after the founder’s grandson, Willy Breitling, sold their family business in 1979 to Ernest Schneider.
Schneider was a watchmaker, pilot and entrepreneur. The watch community indeed acclaimed the watchmaker back then. However, Breitling was not pretty the luxury brand that it is today.
Breitling’s collaboration with the Red Arrows played a significant role in boosting the brand’s luxury status and acclamation. The watchmakers began manufacturing more than a dozen limited editions. Moreover, Breitling became the RAF centenary’s official timepiece partner in 2018.
It produced many limited editions for the RAF 100 charity that included 100 watches each of an Aerospace, Colt Skyracer and Avenger GMT II.
The New Breitling Chronomat Red Arrows Limited Edition
Last year, Breitling introduced the Avenger Automatic Red Arrows GMT 45. This watch was another blue, white and red branded limited edition. As you can expect, the watch flaunts the signature colour of the aerobatic team in the front and an arrow-shaped GMT hand to the centre.
Moreover, the second markers surround the beautiful blue dial, and the “Diamond Nine” Red Arrows logo on the left will catch your quick sight. If you turn the watch back, you will see the Red Arrows symbol carved on the case-back along with the edition number. Breitling produced only 220 pieces of the Avenger Automatic Red Arrows GMT 45.
Now it is the turn of the Breitling Chronomat. Many of you may wonder why the brand has chosen the Chronomat as this edition’s base model. The Chronomat is considered a more formal and variable of the brand’s all pilot watches.
If you check, the Navitimer sports a vintage-inspired design representing the legacy side. On the contrary, the Avenger series is serving as heavy-lifters for professionals.
Maybe the Chronomat’s sporty design is specifically a suitable match for the Red Arrows. Breitling’s Managing Director of the UK, Gavin Murphy, asserted –
“The Red Arrows represent the best of British – their professionalism, positivity and commitment to excellence are values that inspire each and every one of us.”
The new Breitling Chronomat Red Arrows Limited Edition features a 42mm watch case and the acclaimed stainless steel “Rouleaux” bracelet. Together with the emblematic “rider tabs” on the bezel, the new Chronomat offers the feel of an everyday sports watch.
However, the RAF blue dial with the “Diamond Nine” Red Arrows logo at the 12-hour side set the watch apart from other standard models. The new timepiece houses the automatic Calibre 01 movement. It is the brand’s ever-ready in-house chronograph movement.
Interestingly, you can have a smidgeon view of the movement via a sapphire crystal case-back that mainly flaunts the Red Arrows emblem. Moreover, here are two final touches for a little added boost in appeal –
Breitling made 160pieces of the new Red Arrows Chronomat for each pilot who was part of the team since its establishment in 1965.
And second, the brand offered every piece a Red Arrows-branded hand-stitched double watch roll. And you will be fascinated to know that Ettinger, the British leather goods expert, produced it.
With the new Chronomat, Breitling is paying homage to the enduring 30years partnership with the Red Arrows. Gavin Murphy added –
“We are proud to continue our relationship with the team who have become our good friends over the years, and we are delighted to be presenting our flagship model, the Chronomat bearing the Diamond Nine formation, in celebration of each of the 160 pilots who have earned the right to wear the ‘red suit’.”