Breitling is almost a synonymous of chronograph, and in 2009, Breitling has officially launched the Breitling Chronomat B01 with their latest in-house automatic-winding chronograph movement, recognized as Caliber B01. The Breitling Chronomat B01 will be available at only about 35 stores in the U.S., with more online retailers coming quickly. As of mid-2009, about 2000 pieces had been manufactured. Manufacture will finally reach about 50,000 pieces per annum.

The Chronomat B01 has been in development for almost five years, and its launch coincides with Breitling’s 125th anniversary. The movement incorporates a column-wheel switching device 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 busy. The Chronomat B01 has central chronograph seconds, nonstop seconds at nine, and a jumping 30 minute totalizer at three. The instant-change date is positioned at 4:30. The time and date can be modified at any given time, ever near 12am. The movement includes a patented mechanism for adjusting the start, stop and reset hammers. The 47 jewel movement uses a smooth hairspring and a flat balance wheel. A single barrel brings 70 hours of power reserve. The Chronomat B01 ticks along at 28,800 vph, and as with all Breitlings, the Chronomat B01 is of course COSC-certified.

At Basel in Switzerland, Breitling’s VP Jean-Paul Girardin said that the company decided to manufacture Caliber B01 to satisfy market demand for a production movement, and to guarantee Breitling’s future. The company felt that it should have a stable supply of chronograph movement mechanisms, as this kind of watch accounts for more than 50% for Breitling’s sales.

The watch measures exactly 43.5mm in diameter and it will be available in 4 versions, all steel, steel with gold, steel with steel and steel with 4 gold quarterkers and 18K red gold. That’s 18 different dials. The unidirectional bezel turns easily with 240 teeth. The steel and 2-tone versions are water resistant to about 500m, while the all-gold version can only be taken down to 100m.

The Breitling Chronomat starts at about $6500 for the steel version on a leather strap, and the opening price tag for the 2-tone edition on a bracelet is almost $8000. All all-gold watches on a strap will begin at more than $20,000. The Chronomat B01 tops out at more than $40,000 for the red gold and diamond version, which is on a beautiful red gold bracelet.

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