Introducing the new Breitling Super Chronomat B01 44 UTC

Released for Watches & Wonders 2021 – the new Breitling Super Chronomat B01 44 UTC watch with an innovative second time zone built into an independent dial inside the watch’s rugged stainless steel bracelet

In today’s current climate, it’s difficult to envisage a time when we’ll need world time zone watches again – at least for dispensing as they are intended. Alas, the Breitling Super Chronomat B01 44 UTC watch offers a second time zone function integrated into its metal strap and as if by magic, the need for this watch to become part of your collection is instantly justified. Its design is practical, stylish and comes with a quirky function that you can enjoy discussing over a beer or two. Meet the 44mm Breitling Super Chronomat B01 44 UTC watch, with a redesigned case that features a ceramic ring inserted into a steel unidirectional rotating bezel for the first time in the Breitling Chronomat collection. 

Real icons are few and far between when it comes to differentiating between a beautiful luxury watch and one that has actually re-shaped history, yet any true watch collector would agree that out of a few select watches deserving of this title – the Chronomat watch is certainly one of them. What surprises some people is that the Breitling Chronomat was originally released back in the 1940s as a watch to assist with pioneering aviators. When it was re-launched back in 1984 it came dressed in a bold aesthetic with a legible dial that would suffice not just in the cockpit but underwater too. By then it was a sporty, highly-collectable tool recognised for its distinct rider tabs and a refined Rouleaux bracelet with a luxurious clasp that made it just as comfortable on the wrist for formal occasions as it did for water or air-bound adventures.

The Breitling Chronomat was also marking a centenary of traditional and honest watch manufacture for the prestigious Swiss brand and was inspired by a collaborative model released just a year before – the Frecce Tricolori watch - designed by Breitling for the Italian aerial squadron. Over the years, the Breitling Chronomat has received some subtle modifications, enabling it to appeal on a mass scale to sports enthusiasts as well as those looking for a statement to wear with elegant attire. The new Breitling Super Chronomat B01 44 UTC watch belongs to this new generation of Chronomat watches and is clad in a robust stainless steel casing. It features a classic black dial, chronograph counters in all the right places, and an additional twist – a UTC function that can be referenced inside its independent dial embedded into the model’s stainless steel bracelet.

UTC stands for Universal Time Coordinated or Universal Coordinated Time. It is maintained by the Bureau International des Poids et Measures (BIPM) and is also known as “Z” time or “Zulu time”. Instead of having both the main hand and the second hour hand positioned on the main dial, the Breitling Super Chronomat B01 44 UTC watch separates the two dials for added clarity. You can enjoy the conventional dial of the Chronomat, or utilize the second time zone feature separately whenever you desire. The design harks right back to Breitling’s 1980s catalogue. It’s a win-win watch design tailored to the needs of the traveller, the sports-goer, the diver and the pilot, all rolled into one.

Like the blue, black and brown-dialled iterations also making up the new Breitling Super Chronomat line, this new UTC model features a set of three silver-filled chronograph counters. These offer 30-minutes, 12-hour and 1/4th of a second functions at 3, 6 and 9 o’clock respectively. The central chronograph second hand is coated in a vibrant red hue, whilst the hour and minute hands are treated with Super-LumiNova to ensure their legibility in dark conditions. The 44mm model is crafted from 200-meter water-resistant stainless steel and features glare-proof cambered sapphire crystal glass treated on both sides with anti-reflective technology. The push-pieces at 2 and 4 o’clock on the side of the bezel flank a screw-down crown equipped with two gaskets. Additionally, the black ceramic insert on a ratcheted unidirectional rotating bezel assists with measuring elapsed time whilst underwater and the back of the watch’s case puts the Chronomat’s engine on show as it performs. The numerals on the rider tabs of the bezel are also lume-coated.

This “two dials within one watch” concept is a quirky complication to own since it almost gives you the sense of two watches in one design. The Chronomat B01 44 UTC watch has two different dials and these two time zones are powered by two separate movements – a quartz and an automatic. The Breitling Manufacture Calibre 01 drives the hands and the chronograph features of the main dial, providing hours, minutes, seconds, 1/4th of a second 30-minute and 12-hour functions as well as a date. The column-wheel chronograph movement has a vertical clutch, comprises a total of 346 individually-assembled components and performs at a rate of 28,800 vibrations whilst offering a 70-hour power reserve. The UTC model, on the other hand, is powered by the Breitling Calibre 61 quartz movement, which sits inside a 200-meter water-resistant stainless steel case with a flat glare-proofed sapphire crystal glass front, a non-screw locked crown with two gaskets, along with a numeral-engraved fixed stainless steel bezel. Its black dial also features hands and indexes that have been coated with Super-LumiNova for assisted timekeeping during the night.

Securing firmly to the wrist is a comfortable folding clasp attached to the model’s stainless steel Rouleaux bracelet.  To register your interest in the new Breitling Super Chronomat B01 44 UTC watch today, call our sales team at Jura Watches on 01335 453453

Technical Specifications of the Breitling Super Chronomat B01 44 UTC watch

• Case; Stainless steel – brushed and polished – 200-meter water-resistant – cambered glare-proofed sapphire crystal glass  – screw-down crown with two gaskets – sapphire crystal glass caseback – black ceramic and steel ratcheted unidirectional rotating bezel with luminous indexes on rider tabs
• UTC Module - stainless steel – 200-meter water-resistant – flat anti-reflective sapphire crystal glass front – fixed steel bezel with engraved numeral markings
• Dial: Black – Super-LumiNova indexes and hands – silver-filled chronograph counters at 3, 6 and 9 o’clock – red-coated chronograph seconds hand -date at 6 o’clock
• UTC Module – black – Super-LumiNova-coated Arabic numerals and hands
• Movement: Breitling Manufacture Calibre 01 – self-winding – 70-hour power reserve – 28,800 v.h.p  COSC-certified – column-wheel chronograph – vertical clutch – 346 components – hours, minutes, seconds, 1/4th of a second, 30-minutes, 12-hours, date
• UTC Module – Breitling Calibre 61 quartz movement – second time zone - central hours and minutes
• Strap: Stainless steel Rouleaux bracelet – integrated UTC dial – folding clasp engraved with Breitling logo
• Price: £7,990
• Reference: AB0136251B1A2