Breitling Premier Bentley Mulliner

Both Bentley and Breitling are renowned for absolute luxury products in their respective fields. While we at Secret Classics naturally deal more frequently with automobiles, here is a brief look at the history of Breitling. This company was founded in 1884 by the watchmaker Léon Breitling in Saint-Imier, Switzerland. Six years later it was relocated to La Chaux-de-Fonds. Under Gaston Breitling, the son of the company’s founder, a chronograph was developed in the 1910s, i.e. a watch with an independently controllable second hand, for example for measuring time. Breitling devoted particular attention to this technology in the decades that followed. From 1936, Breitling also supplied the Royal Air Force in the UK with on-board clocks for aircraft and special wristwatches for pilots. Other armies followed, and the development of these watches moved towards even more complicated devices with bezels allowing various calculation options for aircraft pilots. In addition, diving watches were added to the product range in 1958. In 1979 Ernest Schneider took over the family business and in 1982 moved it to new headquarters in Grenchen, while the factory in La Chaux-de-Fonds continued to operate.

Since 2002 there has been a close relationship with Bentley, who at the time ordered a new dashboard clock for the first model generation of the Continental GT from Breitling. This partnership is celebrated not only through sponsorship on the works racing cars, but also through exclusive special editions of the watches. On the occasion of the 17th anniversary, the new Breitling Premier Bentley Mulliner was jointly launched, whose color scheme is based on the Bentley Continental GT Mulliner Convertible. The 42 millimeters stainless steel case is polished on the outside and features a white dial with a dark blue rim and dark blue inlays for the additional displays. It is fastened to a crocodile leather strap in the same Imperial Blue that is also found in the Bentley interior. The internal Breitling Manufacturer Caliber 01 movement has a power reserve of around 70 hours.

As a visual link to the Bentley Continental GT Mulliner Convertible, the wristwatch bears Arabic numerals at 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10 and 11, while the analogue clock on the cars’ dashboard displays these at 3, 6, 9 and 12. On the left-hand side of the case is a plaque engraved with the Bentley letters and on the transparent underside is the words ‘Mulliner Edition – Breitling – One of 1000’, indicating the limited edition of this model. The price for this exclusive wristwatch is 8,100 € or 8,650 US$.

Images: Bentley, Breitling