140 Years of Major Firsts

While Breitling may not be the first Manufacture to be celebrating the 140th anniversary of its founding, one thing is for sure: the brand founded in 1884 by Léon Breitling can look back on 14 decades of technical innovations that have established themselves as key firsts in the history of chronometry.

From the outset, its founder set the tone by focusing on the measurement of time, speed, heart rate and sound. In short, anything that could be measured with a pocket chronograph. The man was a visionary, as was his son Gaston. In 1915, the latter launched the first wrist-worn chronograph with an independent pusher at 2 o’clock to start, stop and reset chronograph seconds independently of the crown. In 1934, Léon’s grandson, Willy Breitling, patented a second independent pusher at 4 o’clock, a construction that most watchmakers use today in the design of their chronographs. 

In 1969, the adventure continued with a major first in the history of timekeeping with the co-development of the first self-winding chronograph. The groundwork for Breitling’s success had already been laid and in 2009 the brand naturally launched its first chronograph movement developed in-house, the Breitling Manufacture Caliber 1. Since then, Breitling has continued to distinguish itself with exceptional chronograph calibers. Whether the B02 with its 24-hour function, the B03 split-seconds chronograph or the B04 chrono with GMT function, Breitling continues to build on its success under the leadership of CEO Georges Kern. The aim is to take short-time precision measurement to the highest level.

SHORT TIMES + LONG TIMES = CALIBER B19

While the brand excels in the measurement of short times, it is propelling itself into an entirely different time scale on the occasion of its 140th anniversary with a new big first, a mechanical beast named Caliber B19, combining a chronograph and a perpetual calendar. The mechanical magic of this type of complication lies in its ability to deliver complete calendar and moon-phase indications without requiring any adjustment for almost a century, since its mechanism automatically takes into account 28-, 30- and 31-day months as well as leap years. “With the Caliber B19 and our anniversary limited editions, we’re making history again” says Georges Kern. “This launch is about being as groundbreaking as our 140 years of responding to the demand for firsts.”

To welcome this exceptional caliber, Breitling is counting on three emblematic collections that have made a major contribution to the history of Breitling. The Premier, Navitimer and Super Chronomat are available in three anniversary models to mark the brand’s 140th anniversary. On the back, they bear the brand logo on the solid gold rotor of the B19 movement, adorned with an engraving representing Breitling’s historic Montbrillant factory in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. It was here, in the villa-like west wing, that three generations of the Breitling family lived. Once again, it was here, that the brand developed the watches that forged Breitling’s destiny for more than 80 years. A subtle and discreet nod to the brand’s origins.