Introducing: The Breitling Top Time B01 Fausto Coppi And Gino Bartali Limited Editions
Fausto Coppi and Gino Bartali were each other’s opposites. Coppi was an assertive, ascetic, and ambitious athlete, while Bartali was a calm and devoted Catholic who enjoyed a glass of wine with his pasta. Coppi’s nickname was “Il Campionissimo,” which translates to “Champion of Champions.” Bartali was called “Il Pio,” meaning ”The Pious.” The great rivalry between the two cyclists who competed against each other in the 1940s and 1950s never stood in the way of deep respect for each other that later turned into a friendship. Their duels on the road were mythical clashes that enchanted and inspired a nation. The Breitling Top Time B01 Fausto Coppi and Gino Bartali limited editions aspire to catch the spirit of great sportsmanship in vibrant colors reflecting the famous jerseys “Il Campionissimo” and “Gino the Pious” wore while racing.
Both men were great champions, two of the all-time greats. Bartali (1914–2000) won the Giro d’Italia three times, the Tour de France in 1938, and the latter a second time a decade later. Coppi (1919–1960) won even more races. He bagged five victories in the Giro d’Italia and two victories in the Tour de France, but he also won the Tour of Lombardy five times, Milan-San Remo three times, and the world title in 1953.
Bartali (left) and Coppi in 1952 during the Coppa Bernocchi
An introduction to the Breitling Top Time B01 Fausto Coppi and Gino Bartali limited editions
Their rivalry’s highlight or low point was the 1948 UCI Road World Championship held in Valkenburg, Netherlands. The hilly course suited Bartali and Coppi equally, who were at the height of their powers. In front of the race was a lead group with strong riders. Coppi and Bartali were eight minutes behind, and because they soon upped the pace, they dropped all but one of the chasing peloton. But because it was just the two of them and Dutchman Gerrit Schulte, they didn’t want to help each other reach the front of the race. They didn’t want to work for each other, so they both dismounted their bikes and left the race — imagine the baffled look on Schulte’s face when that happened. The Italian Cycling Federation was not amused and suspended both riders for failing to honor Italian prestige. With that in mind, let’s look at the watches.
Symbolic turquoise and blue dials
When you have to put a color to Fausto Coppi, it is celeste, a shade of turquoise used by Bianchi, the famous Italian bicycle brand and cycling team. When you do the same with Gino Bartali, it is yellow and blue, the colors of the Bartali-Ursus team. Breitling chose the Top Time, a colorful chronograph that debuted in the 1960s, as the décor for two colorful homage watches. We should start with the Bartali edition because the man from Florence was five years older than his rival from Castellania. By the way, in 2019, Castellania was renamed Castellania Coppi in honor of its famous “son.”
The Top Time B01 Gino Bartali (AB01767A1C1A1, AB01767A1C1X1) comes with a blue dial donning yellow accents. This limited edition of 750 pieces features one of Bartali’s nicknames on the tachymeter scale. But won’t read “Il Pio” there nor his other nickname, “L’uomo di Ferro” (The Iron Man). Instead, you’ll find the words “L’Intramontabile” (The Timeless) on the watch, which is probably the most appropriate choice.
“Il Campionissimo”
The Top Time B01 Fausto Coppi (AB01768A1A1A1, AB01768A1A1X1) features turquoise sub-dials on a white dial and an orange lightning-bolt-shaped seconds hand. These colors echo Coppi’s Bianchi bike. “Il Campionissimo” is written on this watch’s tachymeter scale, and Coppi’s signature of each cyclist sits on the lower half of the dial, just as Bartali’s does on his LE.
Other nice touches are the brushed lines running through the sub-dials, symbolizing the two champions riding side by side. Not-quite-square-nor-round sub-dials at 9 and 3 o’clock indicate the running seconds and chronograph minutes, respectively. The mushroom pushers controlling the chronograph functions look retro and offer comfort to the index finger when using them.
Two tributes of 750 watches each
Both the Bartali and the Coppi come with the choice of a perforated calfskin strap (€7,800) or a stainless steel mesh bracelet (€8,200). The 41 × 50.36 × 13.3mm steel case houses Breitling’s famous B01 caliber. This 4Hz automatic chronograph movement offers COSC-certified precision and an approximate 70-hour power reserve. A transparent case back offers a look at the movement and reveals a ring engraved with either “Fausto Coppi Tribute” or “Gino Bartali Tribute” and “One of 750.”
These new Top Time models pay homage to two greats in cycling but also kind of rekindle their rivalry. In other words, these watches bring back the times when Italy seemed divided between Bartalani and Coppisti. We don’t want that. So Fratello’s top tip is to buy both limited-edition Top Time watches. After the purchase, you can wear them on different wrists simultaneously and go for a nice bike ride — even days on a vintage Bianchi and uneven days on a vintage Legnano.
