Introducing the new Breitling Chronomat
Chronomat is another Breitling reissue in 2020, like the Top Time, which we had the opportunity to talk about some time ago. This collection of pilot watches was born in 1984 and became an important model for the brand at a time when the watch industry almost succumbed to the era of quartz, but that did not mean it was a beloved watch, appreciated by many and hated by others, over time, this watch received several aesthetical changes and there were only two characteristics that remained and made it recognized, the four-rider tabs on the bezel in the positions 3-6-9-12 hours and the bullet crown.
So, let’s go back to the present and talk about this new tough guy, the old retro look of the stainless steel case gives the place a new and modern stainless steel case, 42mm in diameter in reduced size compared to 44 and sometimes 46mm from previous Chronomat’s versions, with two buttons that accompany the crown guards and end at the bullet crown, on the dial the three previous subdials remain, but now with a contemporary layout at 3-6-9 o’clock position, on the dial a scale tachymeter with indexes every hour, a day window, now at 6 o’clock, inserted in that subdial, and that was a wise move, as it is almost imperceptible, benefiting from the fact that the window has the same colour as the subdial.
The variants are not less than ten and we would dare to say that there is something for everyone: in steel, four variants with black, blue, silver or copper dial, there is a variant with green dial called the Bentley model, a limited edition with the dial blue of the Frecce Tricolori, a tribute to the acrobatic team of the Italian Air Force, a steel variant with silver dial, but with golden inserts on the rider tabs, pushers and crown, two variants with a two-tone, both with the case and bracelet in stainless steel and gold with a blue or anthracite dial, finally there is a gold variant with an anthracite dial and the only one equipped with a rubber strap instead of the bracelet.
But what stands out most about this Chronomat, for us and for many, as already said, is the “rouleaux bracelet”, which brings an old-fashioned look to this new watch and for us, it fits perfectly, brushed with polished interlinks remind us the cool and retro jubilee bracelet, no doubt that the old glories are back and are here to stay.
A curiosity about this new Chronomat is the screw-down rider taps in positions 3 and 9, which will probably be a useful tool for those who use this watch to control times like pilots, but that is not all, although this watch is a pilot watch, it can also be used in diving because it has an ISO certification that gives it a water resistance of 200m.
Our last thoughts, the current Chronomat is no longer the old one of the ’80s, lost the old appearance, today it is a more mature and attractive piece, a true tool watch, ready for action in the air, sea or earth, and although it isn’t a small watch, the 42mm is a pretty reasonable size that probably fits most wrists.
Other specifications and prices: 15.1mm of thickness, 200g of weight, 70h of power reserve, an in-house automatic movement Caliber B01, 200 meters of water resistance, a unidirectional bezel, a sapphire crystal in the display and in the caseback. About the prices, the four variants in stainless steel as the Bentley version has a price of €7,900, the Frecce Tricolori Limited Edition have a price of €8,100, the variant with small details in gold have a price of €8,950, the two-tone variants has a price of €11,600 and the variant in gold have a price of €19,000.
