Breitling Veers Back Into Bigger and Bolder Territory with New Super Chronomat Collection


Just over a year ago, Breitling rolled out its revived Chronomat collection, which brought the watches’ design more in tune with their most direct inspiration, the Frecce Tricolori models released in 1984, and winnowed their case sizes down to a more modest but still assertive 42 mm. This week sees the releases of the Super Chronomat, a “supercharged, all-purpose sports watch” that takes the base Chronomat model in a bigger and bolder direction, one that will likely appeal to longtime fans of Breitling who fondly recall some of the brand’s more defiantly macho timepieces.

The Breitling Super Chronomat family has a variety of dial, case, and bracelet combinations.

Differentiating the “Super” version of the Chronomat from its siblings are primarily its case size, 44 mm, upsized from 42 mm; its use of colored ceramic inserts in its unidirectional, ratcheting bezel; and the choice of either Breitling’s Rouleaux-style steel bracelet or an all-new rubber strap with three distinctive textures (matte, slick, and woven-look) achieved through state-of-the-art injection molding. Like last year’s first wave of modern Chronomats, and the 1980s model that served as their template, the Super Chronomat models feature interchangeable “rider tabs” at 3 o’clock and 9 o’clock on the bezels, which the wearer can use for countdowns or count-ups.

Super Chronomat B01 44 with blue dial, blue ceramic bezel insert, and rubber strap.
Super Chronomat with black dial, black ceramic insert, and bracelet with UTC module

Two of the three total variants of the Super Chronomat B01 44 have stainless steel cases, one with a black dial-and-strap combo, the other with blue; the third uses 18k rose gold for the case and features a rich brown hue on its dial, bezel insert, and strap. All three have tricompax dials, with silvered subdials at 3, 6, and 9 o’clock, for chronograph readouts and running seconds. All contain the Breitling manufacture Caliber B01, a COSC-certified automatic movement integrating a column-wheel chronograph function with a vertical clutch and a 70-hour power reserve, which is on display behind a sapphire caseback window. For those seeking an even more high-tech tool-watch look, Breitling offers the black-dial model on a special bracelet with an embedded, 1980s-inspired UTC module, powered by Breitling’s quartz B61 caliber, to track a second time zone.

Super Chronomat with 18k rose-gold case, brown dial and bezel insert, and rubber strap

The other member of the new family combines the signature chronograph function with a rare “semi-perpetual” calendar display. The Super Chronomat 44 Four-Year Calendar is available in two executions, both in stainless steel cases, with tone-on-tone subdials for the calendar indications and chronograph counters: one with black dial and black ceramic bezel insert, with 18k rose gold details, the other with the same elements in blue. The bezel of the latter model is in 18k rose gold and its Rouleaux bracelet (all the models are offered on both the bracelet and the rubber strap) is similarly two-tone, with both steel and rose gold components.

Super Chronomat 44 Four Year Calendar with black dial, bezel insert, and rubber strap

Inside both models, behind a solid steel caseback, beats another self-winding, COSC-certified caliber, the Breitling B19, which is built on an ETA 2892-A2 base. In addition to its central hour and minute display, small seconds, and 1/4-second chronograph, it is equipped with a calendar function with day, date, month, and moon-phase that requires adjustment only every leap year, or precisely every 1,461 days — a very user-friendly complication that occupies the middle ground between an annual and perpetual calendar.

Super Chronomat 44 Four Year Calendar

The Breitling Super Chronomat collection is available at retail now, with pricing set as follows: $8,500 for the steel versions of the B01 44 on the rubber strap; $9,000 for both those models on steel bracelets; $10,000 for the B01 44 on steel bracelet with the added UTC module. For the 18k gold B01 44, it’s $23,650 on the strap, and $35,000 on the gold bracelet. The Four Year Calendar in steel with black dial retails for $14,600 on the strap and $15,200 on the bracelet; and the blue-dialed, two-tone version, for $15,750 on the strap and $17,250 on the bracelet.

Breitling’s manufacture Caliber B01 powers the chronograph models.
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  1. Marty

    I would stay away from Breitling. I purchased a 43mm Navitimer with B01 movement . Originally under warranty it went to service center to fix hour counter not returning to zero. It had to go back to the service center 4 times in the same year. After the full movement service the reverser wheels locked up and needed another service . Dial ,crystal and hands had to be replaced due to being scratched. The case back which still have the plastic back on it without a scratch , came back all scratched up, it was sent back to be polished.When the watch had to be sent back again, the service center rescratched the caseback and it has to be polished a 2nd time, the caseback looked deformed from this. Also my engraved initials,were deformed from the scratches . This was bought as a employee purchase. I am a watchmaker and went to a certified watchmaking program at a 4 year college so it’s not something I have no knowledge about what is acceptable or not acceptable. Also the watch had to go back to get the avg rate adjusted. The delta was worse compared to before the service center got their hands on it. I would spend my money on Rolex. I ended up selling the watch. Breitling does not hold its resale value , expect big time depreciation. Buyers beware.

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  2. Marty

    I would avoid Breitling, for that price I’d spend it on a Rolex. I had to send in my 43mm Navitimer with B01 movement back to the Breitling service center for warranty. It had to go back multiple times. It originally went back due to hour counter not resetting. It came back with with a terrible rate and was losing time at full wind in the pendant positions. Delta increased. Was sent back, caseback was really scratched up bad, never looked right after it was sent back to be polished. Deformation of certain areas on caseback, had to again send back after they did another full service due to reverser wheels locking up, the caseback was rescratched after it was polished. Sent back again to regulate rate and polish caseback , caseback was now looking bad from getting comets from the scratches being distorted, and my engraved initials were deformed now. I am a watchmaker and went to watchmaking school so I’m not some idiot just complaining. The initials were put on the caseback due to employee purchase. Also the dial, hands and crystal were replaced due to being scratched. Also the side of the case was scratched. Big piece of lint inside of crystal noticeable without loupe. I was so upset and got rid of the timepiece. I wasn’t going to send the watch back 5 times in a year. I personally would stay clear and invest in Rolex. Not to mention the poor resale value of Breitling.

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  3. Nicholas

    Occasionally turned into “Shop NBC” to see what featured brand has morphed into. LARGE watches that go beyond a “fit, look at the presenter wrist. Now upto 62mm, diam. Very ornate cases, some what bizarre with cartoon characters on dials. A creative approach.

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  4. Steve Carlson

    Very interesting. I have been a subscriber for over 15 years. I also own 4 Breitlings as well as 4 Omegas and 6 Rolex. I will never buy another Breitling since they changed their logo. Like the US changing the flag. Very disappointed. I have spoken to others and they feel the same. Change CEO, change logo, lose business!

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