Breitling Chronomat B01 Titanium 42 WOS Watch Review
The Breitling Chronomat B01 Titanium 42 WOS (Watches of Switzerland Group Centenary Exclusive) marks the 100th anniversary of the prestigious watch retailer. It’s a hectic year for the Swiss watchmaker too as it also celebrates an important milestone, ‘140 Years of Firsts’. Angus Davies explores the specification of this limited-edition model while offering some sage advice to absentminded husbands.
Breitling watch
A forgotten anniversary has led to many a panicked middle-aged man hot-footing it to the nearest petrol station and hastily purchasing a bunch of half-dead flowers and a flimsy glitter-clad greetings card. It’s only on reflection, having rushed home, armed with their ill-considered purchases, that these foolish husbands realise such paltry gestures could constitute reasonable grounds for divorce.
Watches of Switzerland Group (1924)
It would seem that Watches of Switzerland Group and Breitling are more adept at remembering significant milestones and marking them appropriately. Established in 1924, the ‘UK’s largest luxury watch retailer’ is celebrating its centenary in style, releasing a limited edition Breitling chronograph, sporting a rich olive green dial and housed in 42 mm titanium case. Likewise, Breitling is also in party mood this year, celebrating ‘140 Years of Firsts’.
Breitling – 140 years of innovation
Back in 1884, Léon Breitling founded his eponymous firm in St. Imier. From the outset, the Swiss marque was a pioneer in timing know-how, initially creating pocket chronographs before producing ‘wrist-worn chronographs’. Capable of measuring elapsed periods of time, these wrist-worn watches had many applications. Indeed, they were used for calculating the speed of moving objects over a known distance (tachymeters), establishing the pulse of a patient (pulsometer) and were invaluable for artillery use, where the proximity of an enemy could be determined using a telemeter scale.
Chronographs have also proved suitable for navigational tasks, something that led to Breitling becoming the default choice for many aviators. In 1931, the Swiss brand began making cockpit instruments and has since forged alliances with several airlines and military squadrons. Many of these relationships continue to endure. For example, earlier this year Breitling celebrated 34 years of working with the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team.
The ability to ‘start, stop and return to zero’ using pushers at 2 o’clock and 4 o’clock is typical of most chronographs on sale today; however, the origins of this highly intuitive approach can be traced back to both Gaston Breitling (1915) and Willy Breitling (1934).
Breitling Chronomat B01 Titanium 42 WOS (Watches of Switzerland) – 100 pieces
Created to mark the 100th anniversary of the Watches of Switzerland Group, the Breitling Chronomat B01 Titanium 42 WOS is aptly limited to 100 pieces. Unequivocally new and fitted with a ‘unique green and anthracite dial’, this rare timepiece is also reassuringly familiar.
Breitling Chronomat B01 Titanium 42 WOS (Watches of Switzerland) – dial
The rich dial of the WOS is adorned with a fine sunray-brush motif that readily flirts with light, bestowing a myriad of hues from emerald green to an almost abyss-like black with virtually every verdant shade in between. Silver-coloured hands and indexes, lined with a sliver of luminescent treatment, aid readability in restricted light conditions.
Three grey, snailed subdials, again fitted with luminescent hands, punctuate the dial’s epidermis. These slightly recessed subdials consist of a 30-minute chronograph register, a 12-hour chronograph register and a small seconds display. Moreover, a date display nestles discreetly within the counter at 6 o’clock.
A grey flange, just beyond the track, incorporates a tachymeter scale. In conjunction with the chronograph seconds hand, the scale allows the wearer to determine the speed of a moving object over a known distance based on the time elapsed.
Breitling Chronomat B01 Titanium 42 WOS (Watches of Switzerland) – case
Based on the tried and tested Breitling Chronomat B01 42, the WOS model is housed in a titanium case. This lightweight metal is corrosion-resistant, non-magnetic and hypoallergenic; all attributes that in recent years have seen its popularity grow exponentially.
The watch brims with lots of Breitling signature elements. For example, the onion-shaped crown seen on former Breitling references graces the right flank of the WOS model, proffering a tactile means of adjusting the time indications as well energising the mainspring. The crown nestles between the shoulders of a suitable protector, aiding robustness and accentuating the masculine character of the watch.
Moreover, the bezel unites polished and brushed surfaces to bestow seemly contrast. Once again, Breitling aficionados will recognise the iconic rider tabs, a feature that proffers ‘precise countdown or count-up functionality’. Finally, the Breitling Chronomat B01 Titanium 42 WOS is fitted with a titanium rouleaux bracelet, a retro detail beloved by many watch aficionados.
Breitling Manufacture Calibre 01
In terms of making chronographs, Breitling’s legitimacy is unimpeachable.
Back in 2009, the company released the Caliber 01, a movement that attracted numerous plaudits for its specification. The fully integrated movement features a column-wheel and vertical clutch, a marriage that ensures that once actuated the central chronograph seconds hand commences its journey without hesitation. Moreover, the pushers operate with a sublime smoothness.
Assuming the mainspring is fully tensioned, the movement will run autonomously for approximately 70 hours. In addition, the movement is subject to COSC (Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres), providing independent assurance of its timekeeping capabilities. To meet the requirements of COSC and to be certified a ‘chronometer’, a movement of this diameter must have an ‘average daily rate’ of -4 to +6 seconds per day.
Breitling Chronomat B01 Titanium 42 WOS (Watches of Switzerland) – closing remarks
In what promises to be an action-packed year for the Grenchen-based firm, this latest collaboration between Watches of Switzerland Group and Breitling proves a highly desirable ownership proposition. Furthermore, it seems both brands are adept at marking significant anniversaries – husbands take note.
Further reading
Technical Specifications
- Model: Breitling Chronomat B01 Titanium 42 WOS (Watches of Switzerland)
- Reference: EB01341A1L1E1
- Case: titanium, diameter 42 mm, height 15.1 mm, water resistant to 20 bar (200 metres); sapphire crystal to front and exhibition caseback.
- Functions: hours, minutes, small seconds, date, chronograph
- Movement: Breitling Manufacture Caliber 01, self-winding movement, frequency 28,800 vph (4 Hz), power reserve approximately 70 hours.
- Strap: titanium Rouleaux bracelet with a butterfly clasp
- Price: £9,850 on bracelet (as of 2.8.2024)
- Limited Edition: 100 pieces