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History
Patented by Will Breitling, the Breitling Chronomat collection took its shape during the 1940s with the world’s first two-pusher chronograph wristwatch. The Breitling Chronomat collection was launched during the 1980s for the Italian Air Force’s Aerobatic team, the Frecce Tricolori.
Features
The Chronomat was crafted under the aegis of Ernest Schneider, who himself was an aviator. While meeting with the team of Italian aerobatics, he discovered that while opening the canopy pilots tend to break the glass of the watch. To counter this, Ernest fitted the Chronomat with a recessed bezel and four “rider tabs”. This signature bezel is equipped inside the Chronomat to this day. Apart from the bezel, the Chronomat is home to a horizontally stacked chronograph. With counters such as minutes, seconds, and hours, the Chronomat offers a deep dive into the aviation DNA of the brand. The Chronomat is available in a simple, complacent variant called the Chronomat Automatic. The Chronomat Automatic is fitted with a date window at the 6 o’clock marker.
Movement
The chronographs inside the Chronomat collection are fitted with the in-house B01 calibre. Released in 2009, the B01 was the first that was crafted entirely in-house by Breitling. What was special about the movement was the addition of a vertical coupling system, a speciality reserved for only the best watchmakers in the industry. The B01 is an automatic movement that offers a power reserve of approximately 70 hours.