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A Bentley on the road is an awesome sight – almost as awesome as the
sight of a Breitling on the wrist. One of the key attributes of the
cars from Crewe is their commanding presence; it is an attribute
shared with the chronographs from Grenchen.
The link between Bentley and Breitling is interesting in that the
marques enjoy many synergies. Both proudly bear the names of two of
the leading engineers of their day. Just as last year Breitling
celebrated the fiftieth birthday of an important model, the
Navitimer; so Bentley marked the fiftieth anniversary of the iconic
R-Type Continental. During the 1980s and 1990s, the Bentley Turbo R
revived the fortunes of the car from Crewe; so, during the same
period, did the Breitling Chronomat revitalise the lustre of the
Chronograph from Grenchen. And now, just as a new generation of
Bentleys is being made at a totally modernised headquarters at
Crewe, so a state of the art, truly 21st century watch factory is
making a thoroughly modern wristworn Breitling. Even the logos of
the brands are uncannily similar.
And just as the new Bentley Continental GT is a paradigm of power
and design; so the Breitling being made for Bentley is an arresting
example of the technical virtuosity and breathtaking aesthetics of
which Breitling is capable.
Over recent years Breitling has tested accepted limits with the
daring styling and extreme performance of a range of eyecatching
watches. From the life-saving Emergency, the watch that also happens
to be a wristworn distress beacon; to the bling bling of the of the
diamond set Breitling Crosswind, as worn by David Beckham, the
Breitling is a watch that gets you noticed and therefore it is only
right that Breitling is making the Bentley watch.
This vast, horological masterpiece, with its uncompromisingly rugged
case, does not disappoint. Hewn from a large hunk of steel and
bristling with design cues from Breitling’s classic chronos; even by
early 21st century standards this is a very very big watch. Moreover
the styling is subtly reminiscent of the more extreme timepieces of
Breitling’s most creative period; the late 1960s and early 1970s,
when a Breitling was de rigueur on all style-leading wrists; whether
it was the hirsute, caber like forearm of Sean Connery’s James Bond
in Thunderball, or the more delicate limbs of that era’s leading
sex-kitten Raquel Welch, who sported a Breitling Co-Pilot in Fathom.
With the watch that it has made for Bentley, Breitling’s stylists
have delighted in heightening the interplay between curvature of the
dial and the uncompromisingly linear, almost chiselled edges of the
case. The result is an arresting timepiece with a gnurled bezel that
echoes some of the finishing on the instrumentation of the new
Bentley Continental GT.
This is a not a Bentley watch but a special edition Breitling made
for Bentley and says as much on the handsome dial. Moreover, Bentley
has drawn upon Breitling’s heritage as a maker of in-cockpit
instrumentation for aeroplanes, with the result that the Breitling
signature is to be found on the Bentley’s dashboard clock as well as
on its driver’s wrist.
This stunning new chronograph has all the horological refinements
that the connoisseur has come to expect and the professional has
come to rely on from a Breitling. As long ago as 1900 Leon
Breitling, eponymous founder of the marque, was advertising his
timepieces under the legend ‘Specialité de Chronographes’.
Breitling is the watchmaker that has taken the chronograph from the
intrument panel and put it on the human wrist. It has, however, been
a long journey, which began in the latter half of the 19th century,
when Leon was acclaimed as one of the most gifted and innovative
watchmakers of his generation. In 1884 he opened a specialist
workshop making chronographs and precision instruments for
scientific use. By 1915 his son Gaston had created the first
wristwatch chronograph – an early example of the imaginative
application of technology that would become a hallmark of
Breitling’s unique approach to horology.
This was quickly followed by the development of the first
independent chronograph pushpiece in 1923 and the invention of the
second, return-to-zero pushpiece in 1934. As well as a technological
refinement, this invention established the distinctive profile of
the wristworn chronograph, which endures to this day. As the century
wore on and aviation became increasingly popular, Breitling became
the default timepiece of the jet set, whether in the instrument
panels of airliners or on the wrists of playboys in their private
planes.
The beauty of the Bentley Breitling chronograph is that, like the
Bentley Continental GT, it takes traditional characteristics of the
marque and then re-interprets them for the 21st century. In this
timepiece classicism meets innovation head on. Such is the precision
of this movement that the second hand, which sweeps round the dial,
makes two circuits in every minute. This feature, unique in the
world, enables the user to take full advantage of the awesome
precision of this Breitling Calibre 25 COSC certified, self-winding,
high frequency movement. At 28,800 vph (vibrations per hour), this
highly tuned movement provides remarkable accuracy for a wristworn
timepiece.
This horological innovation, coupled with the enhanced visibility of
special dial configuration enabled by the clever overscaling
employed by Breitling’s design studio, allows a more precise read
off of fractions of a second than is to be found on most wristworn
analogue chronographs; in the case of this remarkable watch, the
wearer is allowed to read off elapsed time to the nearest one-eighth
of a second.
Not that one needed recourse to such tiny units of time at this
year’s Le Mans, where Bentley dominated the race by a margin more
comfortable than mere fractions of seconds.
This year, almost three quarters of a century after the British
racing green Bentleys last won at Le Mans, a new generation of
Bentley boys were back at the top of the winners’ podium. This win
came at the right time to cement the sporting reputation of a
Bentley Motors no longer associated with Rolls Royce and will of
course help with the launch of the 560 BHP Bentley GT Coupe.
As remarkable, from an horological viewpoint, was the debut this
year of the Breitling Le Mans Chronograph, with its twenty-four hour
dial and case size that nudges close to 50 mm; this is both one of
the biggest and most horogically intriguing Breitlings available
today. It owes a debt to the Breitling Cosmonaute; featuring a
twenty-four hour dial this watch had made its debut in May 1962 when
Scott Carpenter took it into space aboard the Aurora Space Capsule.
Breitling had entered the Space Age and the twenty-four hour dial,
although slightly confusing to use on earth (at noon for example,
the hands adopt the position on the dial most of us associate with
six o’clock), it made perfect sense in space.
A unique Breitling for a unique motor race, this watch is a perfect
companion to the Bentley Breitling. While sharing a similar
appearance with its stablemate there are striking differences. Where
the bezel of the Bentley Breitling is gnurled, the bezel on the Le
Mans Breitling is engine turned, as were the dashboards of the
original Bentleys, which dominated Le Mans in the Roaring Twenties.
Then of course there is the twenty-four hour dial; which is rendered
even more striking by a bronze colour.
Limited to 1000 pieces in steel and three sets of 24 in 18kt yellow
gold this is destined to become a collector’s piece for automotive
and horological enthusiasts alike. Decorated on the back with the
relief silhouette of the race-winning Speed 8, the car which
returned the victor’s laurel’s to Bentley motors; it is significant
a watch to commemorate a significant moment in Bentley’s history.
Alexanders Jewellers
3 Castle Stret Farnham Surrey GU9 7HR
Tel: 01252 737373
41-43 High Street Reigate Surrey RH2 9AE
Tel: 01737 222987
Beards
70 The Promenade Cheltenham GL50 1NA
Tel: 01242 516238 Fax: 01242 226410 |