Breitling launches a fresh new take on its iconic Chronomat for women.
Swiss watchmaker Breitling certainly has a knack for galvanizing groups of well-known personalities to action in the name of achieving big things. Over recent months, Breitling has formed exceptional #Squadonamission groups made up of leading figures from the worlds of aviation, exploration, cinema, and sport – driven by a common purpose and shared passion.
For its most recent Spotlight Squad, Breitling has handpicked an absolute powerhouse trio of women to represent strong women at the forefront – actress Charlize Theron, principal dancer Misty Copeland and philanthropist Yao Chen.
Our inspiration for this new collection is the Breitling woman herself: a woman of purpose, action, and style who’s at the top of her game.
Breitling CEO Georges Kern.
Indeed, these three icons in their own fields are fine examples of grace-in-action. South African actress Charlize Theron is instantly recognisable for her numerous memorable roles, especially as a serial killer in Monster, for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 2004. Misty Copeland was the first African-American woman to become a principal dancer in 2015; the same year Time magazine named her one of the world’s 100 most influential people. Finally, award-winning Chinese actress Yao Chen founded her own studio to open doors for mature actors, and uses her influence as UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador to bring attention and raise significant funds for refugees in Asia.
Fresh Retro Inspiration
It is fitting that such a stellar line-up of female ambassadors has been invited to launch Breitling’s first-ever Chronomat watch for women, a stylish, streamlined version of its best-selling iconic sports watch that was first launched in 1984.
Simply called the 36 and 32 according to its smaller size, this new iteration for slim female wrists is a terrific-looking contemporary take on the Chronomat, complete with all its characteristic vintage stylistic hallmarks.
This respectful design revision retains the classic rouleaux bracelet and the distinctive rider tabs on the bezel, albeit more discreet and nuanced to complement the elegant choice of dial colours and metals – cool stainless steel, full luxe 18k red-gold, mixed gold and steel, or iced out with diamonds.
The range of almost pastel hues of pale green, copper and midnight blue impart a thoroughly modern feel that is at once soft yet refreshingly gender neutral, underlining its versatility. Sporty enough for everyday wear, yet sleek and elegant, this is one timepiece that will confidently see you from an action-packed day through to a night out on the town.
The Chronomat Automatic 36 is powered by the Breitling Caliber 10 with a reserve of about 42 hours, and the Chronomat 32 runs on the Breitling Caliber 77, which has a battery life of three to four years. Breitling manufactures its own movements in-house and the quality of every watch is confirmed by its status as a COSC-certified chronometer, made in Switzerland.
Designing for Women
Long known for its expertise in creating technical aviation timepieces, Breitling started turning its attention to making watches for women in the 1940s. There was the delicate ladies’ TransOcean, called the “most wonderful expression of Breitling precision” back in 1957, and the bold Lady J model in the 1990s. Then the Galactic brought a “blend of refined luxury and uncompromising technical sophistication” in 2010. More recent women’s timepieces include the iconic Navitimer 35 and 38 and the sporty Superocean 36.
Its latest take on the iconic Chronomat nicely fills the gap in its recent collections for a smaller-sized women’s watch that has the classic timelessness of a favourite everyday-wear staple.
The classic vintage styling of the Chronomat has come full cycle since the 1980s, with this modern take of a retro-inspired design looking entirely fresh in the new millennia, for the new woman on a mission.
Images courtesy of Breitling, artwork by Curatedition. All rights reserved.
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