After conquering the skies, in 1957 Breitling set course for the sea with the launch of the original Superocean, equipped with a highly readable dial, armored glass, and a monohull case watertight to 200 meters or 660 feet – quite a feat for the time. Originally designed for professional and military divers, the watch soon developed a following among enthusiasts and leisure divers. At Baselworld, Breitling launched the latest Superocean with an entirely new design.

The 42mm stainless steel case is water resistant to 1500 meters or 5000 feet. Dive-specific features include a screw lock crown, helium escape valve, unidirectional rubber-molded ratcheted bezel, and a thick, cambered sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating on both sides. Oversized numbers, hour markers and hands with Superluminova assure excellent legibility even in low light. The movement is Breitling Caliber 17 with date display at 3 o’clock. It is officially chronometer certified by COSC. It offers automatic winding and runs in 25 jewels at 28,800 vph.

Colored inner bezel rings add a touch of style. The rings are available in black, white, red, blue and yellow. The ring’s color is also picked up in the arrow-shaped tip of the seconds hand. The new Superocean is available on either a Diver Pro or Ocean Racer rubber straps with either a tang or deployant buckle, the latter offering fine size adjustment and a diver’s extension. The watch is also available on a steel Professional bracelet. The entry point on rubber strap with tang buckle is $2695. The deployant takes the price to $2995, and on the steel Professional bracelet the MSRP is $3085.

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Each year, Breitling creates a unique piece named Bentley Masterpiece: a mechanical magnum opus combining tradition, performances and the finest craftsmanship. This year at Baselworld, Breitling will unveil its new, one-of-a-kind Grande Complication pocket watch dedicated to the Bentley’s founder. The 2010 Masterpiece combines two sophisticated complications: a perpetual calendar displaying the date, day, month, leap years and moon phases, and a minute repeater.

The movement, based on a late 19th century blank of which Breitling found just a few examples in its workshops, comprises almost 700 parts. The refined finishing – hand polishing, chamfering, and Côtes de Genève – is visible through a transparent caseback. In tribute to Walter Owen Bentley, the cover of the 18-carat yellow gold case is adorned with an engraving depicting him at the wheel of one of his racing models. This portrait is accompanied by the famous “W.O.” initials by which the engineers and craftsmen of the British firm – like all devotees of fine automobiles – still refer to the revered founder of Bentley.

In the past, Breitling’s unique pocket watches have been sold at auction or to private clients at prices in the $250, 000 to $300,000 range.

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At Baselworld 2010, Breitling will unveil a special version of the Avenger Seawolf Chrono – the only chronograph that is watertight and fully operational at a depth of 1,000 meters or 3,300 feet. The new Blacksteel limited edition features a 45.4 mm steel case sporting a black carbon-based treatment. The standout feature however is Breitling’s patented magnetic pushpiece system.

This system, a Breitling exclusive, activates the chronograph controls through the metal of the case, without any direct mechanical contact. This approach circumvents the Achilles heel found in traditional chronograph cases – the holes in the case and the mechanical pusher-movement interface. Breitling’s unique system eliminates the holes, allowing this chronograph to function at extreme depths. This diver’s chronograph is also equipped with a decompression valve and a glareproof sapphire crystal for optimal readability. Breitling’s SuperQuartz caliber provides a level of accuracy ten times superior to that of standard quartz movements.

The Avenger Seawolf Chrono Blacksteel, issued in a 2,000-piece worldwide limited edition, is priced at $5015 on a black Diver Pro rubber strap, and it is also available on a perforated Ocean Racer strap.

Additional technical information appears below the images.

Movement: Breitling Caliber 73, thermocompensated SuperQuartz™ movement, officially chronometer-certified by the COSC. 1/10th of a second chronograph, 60-minute and 12-hour totalizers with split times (split-second hand).
Calendar.

Case: black steel, limited series of 2,000. Water-resistant to 1,000 meters (3,300 ft) with functional pushpieces. Screw-locked crown. Unidirectional ratcheted rotating bezel. Cambered sapphire crystal, glareproofed on both sides. Diameter 45.40 mm.

Dial: Volcano black.

Straps: Diver Pro or Ocean Racer.

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the launch of their first automatic chronograph movement, Breitling is introducing two limited editions of its Chrono-Matic model. The first is the Chrono-Matic 1461, a stainless steel edition of 2,000 pieces combining a chronograph with a calendar that requires adjustment once each leap-year. The second, in red gold, is a chronograph with perpetual calendar in red gold, limited to just 125 pieces and called the Chronomatic QP.

The numeric component of the Chrono-Matic 1461 name refers to the number of days the calendar can “remember” the date. The day, date and month are displayed via subdials with straight hands that create an instrument panel look. The 1461, shown below, comes on a woven steel Aero Classic bracelet.

The Chrono-Matic QP’s movement consists of almost 500 parts. The movement displays the date, day, week, month, season, and moon phase, taking account of leap-years. Both the QP and the 1461 are COSC-certified chronometers.

The Chono-Matic 1461 is available in a limited series of 2000 pieces in steel starting at $8,960 on a leather strap. The Chono-Matic QP is available in red gold with a limited series of 250 pieces starting on a leather strap at $51,085.

You can learn more about the Chrono-Matic limited editions at the official Breitling website.

The year was 1962. The space race was well under way, and as a supplier to civilian and military aviation, Breitling took a keen interest in this new adventure. Using the Navitimer chronograph as a base, the brand’s technicians developed the Cosmonaute, a space-going version of this instrument indicating the daily 24 hours in a single sweep of the dial. This configuration prevented confusion between midday and midnight. On May 24, 1962, astronaut Scott Carpenter tested this instrument under real-life conditions during his orbital flight aboard the Aurora 7 capsule.

For its 125th anniversary, Breitling is issuing a limited series of the model that became the first wrist chronograph in space. Only 1,000 of these Cosmonaute watches will be produced, all equipped with an original version of the 24-hour dial. Reflecting its character as a 1960s design icon, the Cosmonaute Limited Edition is fitted exclusively with the rigid perforated Air Racer bracelet.

The Cosmonaute Limited Edition MSRP is $6575. Specifications appear below the images, which may be enlarged with a click.

Specifications

Movement: Breitling Caliber 22, officially chronometer-certified by the COSC, selfwinding, high-frequency (28,800 vph), 38 jewels, 1/5th of a second chronograph, 30-minute and 12-hour totalizers. Flyback function. Calendar.

Case: steel, limited series of 1,000; black dial. Resistant to 3 bars. Rotating bezel with circular slide rule. Cambered sapphire crystal, glareproofed on both sides. Diameter: 41.50 mm. Bracelet: steel Air Racer.

Breitling has created an application for the iPhone 3.0 and iPod touch designed to provide a detailed functional presentation of its latest chronograph, the Chronomat B01. The application provides a complete overview of the watch including a precise description, technical data, a portfolio, a video and 360° views. The application is also equipped with a unique configurator that allows you to visualize hundreds of possible customized versions of the model which is available in steel, steel and gold, or all gold, and with 18 different dials. A point-of-sale locator lets you find your nearest authorized Breitling retailer.

Learn more about iPhone apps and visit the iPhone store at the Apple website.

On Thursday May 28, Breitling’s new Chronomat B01 chronograph with manufacture movement goes on sale at 33 select retailers across the USA. See the table below for a complete list. Just in time for the launch, Breitling announced the publication of “Breitling The Book” by Hervé Genoud, the comprehensive new reference work that documents the brand’s 125 year history. With 336 pages and more than 450 images, the story covers everything from the first pocket watches created by Léon Breitling in 1884 through today’s “instruments for professionals”, and along the way the invention of the first independent pushpiece in 1915, the separation of the “stop/start” and “reset” functions in 1923, the invention of the second independent pushpiece in 1934, and the first selfwinding chronograph in 1969.

The Book also documents the close links between Breitling and the aeronautical world going back to the days of the aviation pioneers. Discover the famous onboard chronographs and the numerous wrist instruments intended for aviators, including the famous 1952 Navitimer that developed a cult following among pilots.

The Book is available in five languages: French, English, German, Spanish or Italian. It can be ordered via the www.breitling-the-book.com website, as well as from authorized Breitling retailers.

You can read all about the B01 by clicking here.

The Chronomat B01 goes on sale May 28 at these retailers:

Breitling is practically synonymous with chronograph, and on May 28, 2009, Breitling will officially launch the Chronomat B01 with their new in-house automatic-winding chronograph movement, known as Caliber B01. Initially the watch will be available at only about 35 retailers in the U.S., with additional retailers coming on-line quickly. As of late March, about 2000 pieces had been produced. Production will eventually reach about 50,000 pieces annually.

Caliber B01 has been in development for 5 years, and its launch coincides with Breitling’s 125th anniversary. A new, four-story addition to Breitling’s facility at La Chaux –de-Fonds houses the caliber’s construction. The movement incorporates a column-wheel switching mechanism and a vertical clutch, two hallmarks of a well-made chronograph. The vertical clutch assures that the chronograph seconds hand does not jump when the chronograph is engaged. The B01 has central chronograph seconds, continuous seconds at 9, and a jumping 30 minute totalizer at 3. The instant-change date is located at 4:30. The date can be changed at any time, including near midnight. The movement includes a patented system for adjusting the start, stop and reset hammers. The 47 jewel movement uses a flat hairspring and a smooth balance wheel. A single barrel provides 70 hours of power reserve. The B01 ticks along at 28,800 vph, and as with all Breitlings, the Chronomat B01 is COSC-certified.

At Basel, Vice-President Jean-Paul Girardin said that Breitling decided to produce Caliber B01 to satisfy market demand for a manufacture movement, and to assure Breitling’s future. The company felt that it must have a reliable supply of mechanical chronograph movements, as this type of watch accounts for 55% of Breitling’s sales.

The Chronomat B01 measures 43.5mm in diameter and it will be available in four versions: all steel, steel with a steel bezel with four gold quarter-hour markers, steel with a gold bezel, and solid 18K (4N) red gold. A total of 18 different dials will be available The unidirectional bezel turns smoothly with 240 teeth. The sapphire crystal is anti-reflective coated on both sides. Steel and two-tone models are water resistant to 500 meters, while the all-gold model can be taken down to 100 meters.

The Chronomat B01 starts at about $6500 for a steel model on a leather strap. The opening price for the two-tone version on a bracelet is $7770. An all-gold model on a strap will start at $21,610. The B01 tops out at $44,125 for the red gold and diamond version on a red gold bracelet.