Breitling announced a new partnership today with another British motorcycle manufacturer, Triumph.
Following a collaboration in 2019 with Norton Motorcycles — a company that closed down in 2020 but recently reopened under new management — Breitling presumably moved on to a brand that was more stable. Breitling has one of its largest customer bases in the United Kingdom, which is likely why the decision to go with a British motorcycle maker again.
Triumph Motorcycles was founded in 1983, around 100 years after Breitling, which was founded by Léon Breitling in Saint-Imier, Switzerland (now located in Grenchen) and has always been focused on aviation, however, as Georges Kern (the CEO and minority shareholder) continues to grow the company, he’s clearly looking to expand the audience whether that’s by way of motorcycles, cars, or other means.
For this first collaboration, there are two nearly identical timepieces, one to be offered as a serial production piece, and another limited to just 270 pieces. Interestingly, the limited edition is only available to those who purchase the Triumph collaboration motorcycle that’s been cobranded with the Breitling “B” logo on the seat and flank of the motorcycle.
Whether you get the motorcycle, the regular production timepiece, or the Breitling Premier Top Time Triumph limited edition timepiece, the ice blue color is prominently visible on all three products. According to Breitling, a blue Triumph Thunderbird 6T from 1951 and a rare blue-dialed Breitling Top Time Ref. 815 from the 1970s were the source of this unique color light blue color hue.
In addition to the icy blue dials, each watch has the Breitling Premier Top Time Triumph logo at 12 o’clock, and a laser engraved Triumph parallel-twin engine design sketch on the caseback. The watches are actually exactly the same, except that the ice blue dials are slightly different, the caseback of the limited edition (Ref. A233111A1C1X1) variant has XXX/270 engraved instead of “TOP TIME” which is what shows on the standard production version (Ref. A23311121C1X1).
What’s perhaps most intriguing to me, is that the bow-tie motif dial, also known as the “Zorro dial” — which consists of the straight grain brushing of the ice blue dial — is offered on the standard Breitling Top Time Triumph model, not the limited edition. Instead, the limited edition has the exact same color, with a standard sunburst finish. The regular model may be the best option, although if you don’t care much about Triumph, neither dial is probably a good choice.
The Breitling Top Time Triumph and the Breitling Premier Top Time Triumph Limited Editon feature a 41 mm x 14.27 mm case is stainless steel, with a push-in crown, a domed sapphire crystal, and a solid snap-on stainless steel caseback (the depth rating is 30 meters). A 4Hz, 25-jewel, with a 48-hour power reserve, outsourced Sellita automatic caliber SW500-1 measuring 30 mm x 7.9 mm powers the hours, minutes, center chronograph seconds (accurate to a 1/4th second), and a 30-minute chronograph counter.
If you’re a Triumph owner and have to have this, the orders must be placed with Triumph by August 22, 2022, in order to get the matching set, with the motorcycle’s production number engraved on the caseback.