Eagle-eyed attention is usually paid to any watch worn by James Bond, a fervor taken to a new level in the latest Breitling x Aston Martin timepiece partnership toasting the British superspy.
Acclaimed Swiss watchmaker Breitling gears up once again with its latest luxe Aston Martin timepiece collaboration (the company is already the automaker’s official F1 timekeeper), debuting the Breitling Top Time B01 Chronograph 41 Tribute to Aston Martin DB5 in a trio of highly limited-edition, sought-after designs.
Three handsome, characteristically luxe and refined yet sporty timepieces join the Breitling lineup: A Top Time watch in stainless steel with a silver dial ($11,400), an elegant steel and platinum edition with black lacquered dial ($18,600) and an 18-karat red gold offering with natural onyx dial. Priced at $41,500, the onyx-dial Breitling x Aston Martin watch is limited to just 250 units globally.
As Breitling notes, Sean Connery as 007 famously wore the Top Time model while driving the Aston Martin DB5 in 1965’s classic Bond flick Thunderball. At the time, the watchmaker said its “unconventional” chronograph was targeted toward a “youthful, speed-driven audience,” with the appearance of the watch on Connery’s wrist marking a “defining moment in design history,” the watchmaker noted. Its heritage is explored through retooled form and function, the company said. “More than a collaboration, this launch reunites two cultural icons,” Breitling notes, nodding to a distinctive chapter “where speed and style found a common language.”
Only 1,022 editions of the stainless steel-plus-silver-dial offering of the Breitling Top Time B01 Chronograph 41 Tribute to Aston Martin DB5 are on the market as of this week, while the black lacquered dial, steel and platinum design is limited to 315 watches. Each watch features eye-catching nods to the shared heritage of both Breitling and Aston Martin, including an inlaid inner wooden ring in a nod to an Aston Martin steering wheel, while hand-colored, richly crafted leather straps nod to luxurious automotive upholstery found in some of the finest automobiles on the road.
As Breitling notes, “refined dial executions echo the interiors of the Aston Martin DB5,” while visually appealing “squircle” chronograph counters draw inspiration from the dashboard of the famed British automobile. These design cues weren’t undertaken lightly, Breitling noted of the partnership, with each watch driven by the company’s Manufacture Caliber 01 movement. “The result is a watch that captures the feeling of being behind the wheel of Aston Martin’s classic grand tourer,” Breitling said.
With its cushion-shaped case, grooved corners and mushroom-style pushers, the heart of the Aston Martin DB5 boasts “tactile richness” that led the way in the development of the gorgeous trio of timepieces. Powered with accurate refinement by the watchmaker’s flagship COSC-certified chronograph movement featuring a column wheel and 70-hour power reserve, the effort “blends form with true function,” said Breitling’s head of product design, Pablo Widmer. If getting behind the wheel of an Aston Martin is a long shot, perhaps the Breitling Top Time B01 Chronograph 41 Tribute to Aston Martin DB5 could serve as an equally enviable horological substitute.