Breitling Navitimer B01 Chronograph 43 Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team
Originally conceived as a wristworn cockpit instrument, the Navitimer is now dressed in a high-octane racing livery. The Breitling Navitimer B01 Chronograph 43 Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team is a collaboration between the chronograph specialist and legendary car marque. Beneath its exterior, incorporating lime accents, sits the Swiss marque’s high-performance, fully integrated Calibre B01 movement.
Breitling depuis 1884
To appreciate Breitling’s intrinsic bond with the racetrack, one needs only look to its place at the forefront of chronograph innovation during the early 1900s. The Swiss marque created pioneering timepieces that tethered the brand’s reputation for precision and reliability to the world of racing. The inaugural Breitling chronographs became the seminal touchstones by which others would eventually be evaluated. Long before appearing on the starting grid, Breitling had dedicated itself to becoming the undisputed specialist in chronographs and stopwatches, ultimately earning the enduring trust of both engineers and drivers.
The brand’s first wrist-worn chronograph emerged in 1915. It featured a dedicated pusher at 2 o’clock and was a testament to Gaston Breitling’s ingenuity. But this innovation was just the prologue. The brand soon patented a mechanism that divorced the start/stop functions from the crown’s reset capability. However, the true watershed moment arrived with the introduction of a second pusher at 4 o’clock in 1934. This established the dual-pusher blueprint, now the norm for modern chronographs.
The Navitimer’s double life
It is fair to say that Breitling’s chronographs are often associated with the guttural roar of a Bentley engine or the sleek lines of a vintage Triumph motorcycle. The Maison launched the Vitesse in 1906, the first chronograph able to measure speeds up to 250km per hour and became a vital tool for the Swiss police when issuing speeding tickets. But the sky also became a proving ground for some of the brand’s most significant chronograph designs.
In 1938, Willy Breitling established the now-legendary Huit Aviation Department, its name inspired by the French word for ‘eight’. This specialised division created dashboard clocks, each operating autonomously for eight days. These robust instruments became the heartbeat of Royal Air Force cockpits during the Second World War, earning Breitling an unrivalled reputation for aerial precision. However, the mechanical demands of a pilot (legibility, shock resistance and split-second timing) are virtually identical to those of a racing driver. Thus, as the 20th century accelerated, the complication proved equally useful on tarmac.
The story starts in 1959, when Aston Martin debuted on the Formula 1 grid. This era saw the likes of Graham Hill and Jim Clark race whilst wearing the Breitling Navitimer. Although the watch was created in 1952 as a pilot’s flight computer for fuel and airspeed calculations, these racing drivers showed that its slide rule was just as useful on the track.
The Top Time was introduced in 1964, born of Willy Breitling’s desire to engage with a younger, speed-obsessed generation. Bold, graphic dials known as ‘Zorro’ or ‘Bow-Tie’ were combined with architectural cases. These ‘dashboards on the wrist’ perfectly mirrored the speedometer of a sports car. Breitling’s inherent link to motoring culture has been bolstered in recent years with the unveiling of the ‘Classic Cars’ capsule collection, where the Top Time serves as a canvas for the liveries of the Ford Mustang, Shelby Cobra and Chevrolet Corvette.
Perhaps the most enduring link between horology and horsepower was Breitling’s two-decade partnership with Bentley, where the watchmaker was tasked with designing the dashboard clock for the seminal Continental GT. The resulting Breitling for Bentley collection became famous for its opulent proportions and signature knurled bezels, an aesthetic nod to the tactile control buttons and radiator grilles of the manufacturer’s grand tourers.
Now, Breitling and Aston Martin cross paths once again, reconnecting over a shared love of precision and performance. The new Navitimer B01 Chronograph 43 Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team marks this reunion, combining the Maison’s first in-house B01 movement with a lightweight case. Its design includes a hint of the team’s Aston Martin Green livery, offering a subtle touch that reflects its motorsport heritage without being too bold.
Breitling Navitimer B01 Chronograph 43 Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team – case
As Aston Martin’s appointed Official Watch Partner, Breitling’s insignia will now grace the aerodynamic flanks of the Aston Martin Aramco challengers, piloted by Lance Stroll and the legendary two-time World Champion, Fernando Alonso. To commemorate this union, the brand has released a 43 mm Navitimer in titanium. This represents the material’s first appearance in the Navitimer series.
Save for this difference in material, the proportions are all classic Navitimer. The watch has a lug-to-lug measurement of 49.07 mm, a case thickness of 13.69 mm and a cambered sapphire crystal. Upholding Navitimer tradition, the watch has a water resistance of 30 metres. The caseback, also equipped with a sapphire crystal, is engraved with the ‘X of 1959’ lettering, denoting that this model is a limited edition. As expected with a column wheel and vertical clutch, the start, stop and reset functions operate with a smooth action and, upon actuation, the central chronograph seconds hand leaves the starting gates without any hesitation or trace of a judder.
Breitling Navitimer B01 Chronograph 43 Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team – dial
Breitling has opted to endow this watch with a black carbon-fibre dial, a lightweight material beloved by paddock dwellers. Subscribing to a tricompax chronograph configuration, the dial is punctuated with three silver-hued subdials. These comprise a 30-minute register at 3 o’clock, a 12-hour register at 6 o’clock and a running seconds at 9 o’clock. Each subdial is snailed (azurage) and features Arabic numerals. The hour indexes and hands have received a generous dose of Super-LumiNova, aiding readability in restricted light.
Meanwhile, restrained use of the racing team’s green shades sees subtle flecks gracing the dial’s surface. The central chronograph seconds hand is executed in lime green, a hue that appears on the team’s race cars and also features on the lining of the embossed black leather strap. Unit conversions, airspeed, fuel consumption, as well as climb and descent rates can be calculated using the Navitimer signature slide rule bezel.
Breitling Navitimer B01 Chronograph 43 Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team – movement
The caseback affords sight of the automatic movement, the B01 Calibre, which features several additional Aston Martin touches, such as a matte black oscillating weight decorated with the F1 team’s logo. Forged from tungsten and coated in a black PVD finish, it enhances this Navitimer’s sporty look. Having been subjected to the independent scrutiny of COSC (Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres), the in-house chronograph B01 Calibre is chronometer certified. The movement beats to a rhythm of 28,800 vph (4 Hz) and, assuming the mainspring is fully tensioned, will run autonomously for 70 hours.
Closing thoughts
Upholding Navitimer tradition, this model retains the signature circular slide rule. While it eschews the conventional tachymeter scale often found on racing watches, its capacity to calculate average speed makes it a highly useful instrument for the modern-day driver. Above all, the new Breitling Navitimer B01 Chronograph 43 Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team evokes thoughts of speed and a life spent in the fast lane. Crafted in titanium, the 43 mm case is light and strong, prerequisites essential to motorsport success. The resultant watch feels connected to the track, is made to handle the realities of daily wear and provides a suitable means of living the dream.
Further reading
Technical specifications
- Model: Breitling Navitimer B01 Chronograph 43 Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team
- Reference: EB01381A1B1X1
- Case: titanium, diameter 43 mm, height 13.69 mm, water resistant to 3 bar (30 metres); sapphire crystal to front and exhibition caseback.
- Functions: hours, minutes, small seconds, date, chronograph
- Movement: Breitling Manufacture Caliber B01, self-winding movement, frequency 28,800 vph (4 Hz), power reserve approximately 70 hours; 346 components
- Strap: anthracite calfskin, folding titanium clasp, Aston Martin green lining
- Price: £8900 (as of 17.2.2026)
- Limited Edition: 1959 pieces