With the launch of its new Superocean Heritage II Chronograph 44 Ocean Conservancy Limited Edition, Swiss watchmaker Breitling takes its recent partnership with one of the world’s most renowned and effective international eco-charities to another level. Here’s the scoop on this week’s Watch to Watch, from Breitling’s vintage-inspired dive watch collection.
Limited to 1,000 pieces, the watch was launched at an event in Bali in which members of Breitling’s “Surfers Squad” of brand ambassadors — the U.S.’s Kelly Slater and Australia’s Sally Fitzgibbons and Stephanie Gilmore — joined 100 invited guests for a beach cleanup initiative that resulted in hundreds of kilometers of trash and plastic being removed from polluted shores. The launch of this new timepiece, which is marked as a special edition by the engraved Ocean Conservancy logo on the solid caseback, is the latest move in Breitling’s dedication to ocean-related environmental issues under CEO Georges Kern, which kicked into high gear with the release of the Heritage Superocean II Outerknown edition, developed in cooperation with the sustainable clothing brand co-founded by Slater.
Like the Outerknown watch, the Ocean Conservancy Limited Edition belongs to the revamped Superocean Heritage II Chronograph 44 family of timepieces, whose designs hearken back to the original Breitling Superocean from 1957. Its 44-mm-diameter stainless steel case features a unidirectional ratcheting bezel, made of scratch-proof, shock-resistant ceramic in ocean blue, with a luminous dot at 12 o’clock for a diver’s underwater orientation. The tricompax, silver-colored dial, with 30-minute chrono counter at 12 o’clock, 12-hour counter at 6 o’clock, running seconds at 9 o’clock, and day and date in windows at 3 o’clock, is shielded by a convex, doubly nonreflective coated sapphire crystal. The blue highlights include the central seconds hand, chronograph subdial hands, and “Superocean”inscription below the day-date display. The hour and minute hands, as well as the orientation dot on the bezel, are coated in a blue-glowing Super-LumiNova rather than the standard green.
The dial layout hints at the movement inside the watch, the self-winding Breitling Caliber 13, built on an outsourced ETA 7750 base movement and featuring a COSC chronometer certification, an integrated chronograph function, a 28,800-vph frequency, and a 42-hour power reserve. The screw-locked crown and caseback that securely house this workhorse caliber help to ensure the Superocean’s professional-grade water resistance to 200 meters, or 660 feet.
The other element shared with the Outerknown model is the NATO-style strap — two of them, actually, are provided with each watch: one blue with a striped pattern, the other in plain blue — woven from ECONYL yarn, a material produced from recycled nylon waste, chiefly from discarded fishing nets from oceans around the world. ECONYL is used in clothing produced by Slater’s Outerknown brand, and the pattern used for the strap is based on the fabrics used for the clothing.
The Breitling Superocean Heritage II Chronograph 44 Ocean Conservancy Limited Edition is priced at $6,250 and comes packaged in a color-coordinated container made from 100 percent recyclable materials.
As you know, Breitling has significantly changed its logo. No long is the wings and anchor part of the face, second hand and back. I have 4 Breitlings and they will be my last. As a US veteran, the logo related to me. Yes it is only the logo, but it still it part of the experience. I also have 6 Rolex, and 3 Omegas. These brands maintain my logo experience plus are excellent time pieces. Sorry Breitling but you have lost at least one customer. I am sure it does not matter.
Steve Carlson
The superocean heritage has never had the winged B logo. They will continue to use the winged B for sporty watches and script B for elegant watches
what price
Love the beautiful blue !!!! Just like a beautiful South Pacific Ocean in Bora Bora!!
Nkr
I’m interested if purchasing this watch
Great looking watch, symmetrically inspiring….
Looking fwd to when the slighly smaller non-limited versions are available to us mere mortals :-) …