Breitling Chronomat
The Breitling Chronomat is a sports chronograph considered as a leader model by the Swiss watchmaker. For many, Breitling’s leader model is the Breitling Navitimer but for Breitling, the leader model truly is the Breitling Chronomat. Breitling’s engineers even nicknamed it “The Reference” because of the great significance it has to the brand. The very first Breitling Chronomat was designed and manufactured for Italy’s Frecce Tricolori Flight Team, the aerobatic demonstration team of the Italian Aeronautica Militare. Just like aviation has evolved over the decades, the heart of the Breitling Chronomat has changed, turning into a very accurate selfwinding chronograph. The Breitling Chronomat is considered by many as having the world’s most reliable and accurate selfwinding chronograph movements.
Breitling Chronomat
Breitling is widely considered as a pioneer in aviation timekeeping. The Swiss company, which started to design and manufacture watches for pilots following World War I, has rapidly become a market leader. Breitling watches have remained the top choice for many, and particularly for commercial pilots. The Breitling Chronomat was even named the official watch of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. It rapidly asserted itself as the reference in the specialized field of mechanical chronographs. In 1952, the Breitling Chronomat was the only watch equipped with a log scale calculator. The watch has constantly evolved over the years, both technically and aesthetically, but has retained a unique style charaterized by the rorating rider-tab bezel.
Breitling Chronomat
The Breitling Chronomat is powered by an automatic movement and has several distinctive design elements, such as the rider tabs, which make it a signature of the Breitling brand. The Caliber B01, which is the first chronograph motor designed and manufactured entirely in-house, uses a column wheel and a vertical trigger mechanism and has a selfwinding, high frequency (28,800 vibrations per hour) movement. It was officially chronometer-cerfitifed by the COSC. The Breitling Chronomat is available in a steel, steel and gold and 18K rose gold case. Its water resistance varies from 100 meters down to 500 meters, depending on the case.
Breitling Chronomat
The most recent version of the Breitling Chronomat won crucial early recognition thanks to German magazine Uhren-Magazin. The magazine highlighted the exceptional performances of the chronograph movement, entirely developed and produced in-house by Breitling. Uhren-Magazin, widely acknowledged in professional circles as the world’s most serious watch magazines, gave it a score of 6 out of 6! The author of the article was particularly enthusiastic about the result of the rate precision tests. During the tests, the chronograph also displayed a minimum 72-hour power reserve, which is two hours more than originally announced by Breitling, and a performance directly linked to the excellent rating results. The article also emphasizes on the quality of the design and the impeccable finishing of this chronograph.
