Introducing: Two Breitling Top Time Editions With A Motorcycle Twist And Upgraded Chronograph Movements
Coinciding with the Wheels & Waves surf-and-motorcycle festival in Biarritz, France, Breitling unveils two motorcycle-themed Top Time watches. Kickstarting the event is the third collaboration between Breitling and Australian surf-style brand and motorcycle customizer Deus Ex Machina. Also returning is the Triumph Top Time edition, both now part of Breitling’s permanent collection. The watches now use the Breitling manufacture B01 chronograph caliber instead of the Valjoux-based Breitling 23. Upgrading the mechanism jolts up the price for both watches, but making them unlimited raises some questions.
Breitling describes the Top Time as the “unconventional” chronograph. While the most recent limited editions with quirky colorways are certainly a departure compared to the Navitimers and Premier models, the Top Time was only sometimes unconventional. Initially, the 1960s Top Time was a simplified style to appeal to a younger, more frugal audience. The youthful style persists in the new watches with greater exuberance and experimentation. This demographic is why the Top Time only had the Breitling 23 chronograph caliber to keep the price at the entry level and entice with the left-field designs. The B23 uses the Valjoux 7753 base, beats at 28,800vph, and delivers 48 hours of power reserve. These specs are suitable for a Swiss chronograph but cannot match the in-house cachet of the Breitling B01 nor the extended 70-hour power reserve.
Breitling Top Time B01 Deus
With the B01 movement, both watches now join the Top Time Classic Car Editions, which also got an upgrade this year. As the previous limited editions are sold out (or at least “sold in” to retailers), all Top Time editions are powered purely by the B01 manufacture movement. That’s good for one to enjoy these watches with the in-house caliber, but the price jumps. For instance, the second Deus edition was £4,950, whereas the third is now £6,250 — and that’s just on the leather strap. With the steel mesh bracelet, the price is £6,600. Also, what sets the models apart is the addition of the 12-hour totalizer on the Deus model at the 6 o’clock position. This cushion-shaped sub-dial replaces the hand-drawn Deus logo, which now sits beneath the stylized Breitling logo. The typeface for “DEUS” appears unconventionally with the handwritten style as before.
A consistent feature of the Deus model is the funky central chronograph seconds hand in the form of a red lightning bolt. Along with the red accents on the hour and minute totalizers, it’s a clear way to distinguish the elapsed timing functions from the regular time-telling. The contrasting black and white scales make the new Deus model far more legible than the sky-blue and cream editions. In keeping with the range is the Deus mantra, “In Benzin Veritas” (in gasoline we trust), scrawled on the tachymeter bezel where “units per hour” would typically sit. The third Deus Top Time remains a striking watch thanks to the flashes of red and orange. I also appreciate the reverse-panda style reminiscent of the ’60s and ’70s Top Times. Another vintage quality is the reduced case height from 14.27mm to 13.3mm, with the B01 visible via the exhibition window.
Breitling Top Time B01 Triumph
The Top Time Triumph brings back the same design cues from the 2022 edition. Namely, contrasting vertical and radial brushing gives the ice-blue dial its “Zorro” motif. Whereas previous Deus models had a limitation of 1,500 pieces for the first edition and 2,000 for the second, the Triumph had a different approach. Each of the 270 owners of the co-branded Triumph × Breitling motorbikes could purchase the watch with a unique engraving to match the bike. However, the Breitling × Triumph Top Time without the engraving was still available, albeit only briefly. Therefore, Breitling collectors still clamored to own one. This new collaborative watch is part of the regular collection and again employs the same approach as the Deus and Classic Cars by incorporating the B01 movement. That said, the difference between the models is less evident as this edition maintains the twin-register layout.
Like the Deus, the stainless steel case’s height drops to 13.3mm while keeping the same 41mm diameter. It’s a proportional case that wears well on various wrist shapes and sizes, even with the outsized pump-style chronograph pushers. The mesh bracelet that contours to the case is a dressy option with the ice-blue dial. This bracelet complements the dial design more harmoniously than on the Deus edition above. Once again, pricing increases compared to £4,950 previously, with the leather-strap version at £6,250 and the bracelet version at £6,600. As with the Top Time B01 Deus, the solid case back concealing the former B23 opens to reveal the B01 via a sapphire window. However, unlike the Deus model, no logo is on the underside of the glass above the rotor’s center bearing.
Top Time B01 Classic Cars Mustang case back (for illustrative purposes)
A cautionary tale
With all that said, I do have some issues with both of these watches. The problems are not concerning the watches themselves, merely the intent around them. If you’re looking to buy one of these new Top Times purely on the merits of the timepieces, you will surely end up with a great watch. But if you’re like me and have been following the releases closely and participating in collector communities, the releases are somewhat irksome. It all centers around the sanctity of a limited or special edition. Of course, a watch brand can do whatever it wants with its collection. But as a cautionary note, a special edition must remain special and stand out within the lineup. Destroying the notion of something being “limited” will turn off prospective buyers and collectors who lose faith in the design’s uniqueness.
Breitling folding clasp (for illustrative purposes)
It happens a lot in all forms of manufacturing where something limited becomes regular production. I wonder if brands study the demand for a particular finite model and are left to decide whether to make more. Ferrari did this in the 1980s with the F40. Initially, only 400 examples were in production, which ballooned to 1,315 due to the immense demand. This increase in volume hardly wrecked prospective values, but the first batch of customers was slightly peeved over the decreased rarity. I spoke to a few collectors about the update to the Classic Cars edition who believed the new B01 versions undermine the purchase of previously rare timepieces. Some even suggested it was an insult and felt they subsidized Breitling’s marketing survey by purchasing the first edition. Whether it happens again is unclear, but tread carefully, Breitling.
Details to note
The Deus and Triumph editions with the Breitling B01 movement become part of the permanent collection without a limitation. This is also a rare time when I’d recommend the leather strap over the bracelet. At least for the Deus edition, the Ocean Classic bracelet is quite an acquired taste against the classic styling of the reverse-panda dial. The black calfskin racing strap with cobra-yellow inner lining, white stitching, and a folding clasp nicely complements the dial tones of the Deus model. Just regarding the “cobra yellow” term, it’s one we often use to describe Breitling’s signature color tone.
Breitling yellow dates back to the late 1950s and was first used in advertisements in the USA. Breitling also updated user manuals worldwide to yellow in the same era. Later, in the 1960s, the packaging changed to yellow for Europe and stuck around until the 1970s. However, brown “Twin-Jet” boxes were used instead of yellow in the USA. There certainly was a corporate push for this hue but no clear explanation on why precisely yellow was chosen nor why it became known as “cobra yellow.” Yellow is a distinct color and stands out against the competition, whose advertisements were often black and white in those days.
The steel bracelet meshes better with the ice-blue Triumph, but there’s no massive difference between the pricing, so it depends on your style preference. Despite neither watch appearing seaworthy, each timepiece has a 100m water resistance rating and a non-screw-down crown. You can find out more on the Breitling website.
