Introduction to Breitling for Bentley Watches
Breitling and Bentley—two of the most respected names in their respective industries, watchmaking and automobiles. In 2002, the legendary companies came together in a collaboration to bring Breitling's timekeeping excellence to the luxury automobiles manufactured by Breitling. Since then, the partnership has thrived, resulting in a series of wristwatches exemplifying the excellence of both brands.
Origin Story: Breitling's Dashboard Clock for Bentley
Bentley and Breitling's partnership is the longest car and watch partnership in the world. It started in 2002 with the design of the dashboard clock for Bentley's Continental GT, but in a sense it goes back even further than that. Willy Breitling, grandson of Breitling founder Léon Breitling, was a devoted Bentley fan. He was often seen driving his Bentley on the roads between Geneva and La Chaux-de-Fonds in Switzerland.
Bentley's Continental GT is a superb touring automobile, with incredible performance from its massive 12-cylinder engine and eight-speed dual clutch transmission. Along with its incredible performance, the Continental GT boasts a sumptuous interior, highlighted by a Breitling clock in the center of the dashboard. Breitling's dashboard clock in the Continental GT gives the car a sense of refinement that wouldn't be possible with a simple digital clock. Rather, the Breitling dashboard clock shows the level of thoughtfulness that went into the design of the Bentley Continental GT. It is the best of both worlds, from La Chaux-de-Fonds in Switzerland (Breitling's headquarters) to Crewe in the United Kingdom (Bentley's headquarters).
The ultimate Breitling for Bentley has to be the tourbillon dashboard clock for the Bentley Bentayga. (The Bentley Bentayga is Bentley's top-of-the-line SUV.) This dashboard clock features a one-minute flying tourbillon mechanism with a titanium cage, twin mainspring barrels and a variable inertia free-sprung balance wheel. To top it off, the movement is decorated to a very high level and is housed inside of a solid gold case. This very special dashboard clock is an upgrade option for the Bentley Bentayga SUV, priced at a very reasonable $160,000!
Bentley Watch by Breitling
Shortly after the successful debut of the Breitling for Bentley Continental GT dashboard clock, Breitling began introducing a series of Breitling for Bentley wristwatches. This series encompassed a variety of sports models, showcasing the strengths and styles of both brands. Among the notable sports models is the Breitling Bentley Le Mans, featuring a 24-hour indication in honor of the length of the famous Le Mans race. The Breitling Bentley 6.75 is a fitting tribute to the 6.75-liter engine used in the Bentley Arnage. The special bezel of this watch is styled to match the buttons seen in the Bentley Arnage.
In 2018, Breitling started integrating its Breitling for Bentley models directly into its core product line. The result of this are Bentley editions of some of Breitling's most famous and historical wristwatches. The Chronomat B01 42 Bentley is one example, with its beautiful British racing green dial. The Premier B01 Chronograph 42 Bentley British Racing Green is another example of this recent trend. And not all of the new Bentley editions sport British racing green dials—the Premier B01 Chronograph 42 Bentley Centenary Limited Edition features a red gold case and brown dial, which work together extremely well.
Breitling Bentley Flying B Series
Breitling released three models for their Breitling for Bentley "Flying B" series, all with rectangular cases. The Breitling for Bentley Flying B featured a digital jump hour display and engine-turned dial. The Breitling for Bentley Flying B Chronograph eschews the digital jump hour for a large date indication, and was available in dial colors that match the paint schemes on Bentley cars. The final Flying B model was the Breitling for Bentley Flying B No. 3, with a stunning dial featuring mother of pearl hour indices and an engine-turned center portion. Like the Flying B Chronograph, the Flying B No. 3 was available in a range of dial colors matching paint schemes on Bentley, enabling the owner to match their car and watch colors.
Breitling for Bentley Complication Series
Breitling began introducing more complicated Breitling for Bentley watches following the continued success of the series, starting with the Breitling for Bentley Mark VI Chronograph. This self-winding chronograph was a certified chronometer. Next was the Breitling for Bentley Mark VI Complication 19, featuring a chronograph, perpetual calendar and moon phase indicator. Finally, the Breitling for Bentley Mark VI Complications 29 was released, which featured the same complications as the previous model, but was available in a wider range of color schemes. All three of these models utilized Breitling calibers, based on ETA 2892-A2 movements, with 48-hour power reserves and a balance wheel making 28,800 vibrations per hour.
Watchmaker's Perspective
The Breitling for Bentley Mulliner Tourbillon is an incredibly complicated wristwatch that deserves a close look. At the heart of this chronometer-certified chronograph is a tourbillon mechanism, one of the most desirable mechanisms in mechanical watchmaking. Note that the tourbillon is described as a mechanism and not a complication. Referring to the tourbillon as a complication is a common mistake, which highlights an important distinction. In a watch a complication is any display of information beyond the standard hours, minutes and seconds. A "complicated" watch is a watch with multiple complications. This could mean a chronograph with a moon phase indicator or a power reserve indicator and annual calendar.
The tourbillon doesn't display any information to the wearer, but it does perform an important function in increasing the precision of the wristwatch. The tourbillon, invented in 1801 by Breguet, increases precision by countering the effects of Earth's gravity on the balance wheel and hairspring. The mechanism constantly rotates the balance wheel, hairspring and escapement while the watch is running. This negates the positional effect that gravity has on the regulating organ. The final product is a fascinating "whirlwind" mechanism in the Breitling for Bentley Mulliner Tourbillon.