Reviewing the Breitling B01 Six Nations France Limited Edition
Monday - 06 February 2023
Limited to just 150 pieces worldwide, the Breitling Chronomat B01 Six Nations France Limited Edition watch has been released to mark Breitling’s role as Official Timekeeper of the 2023 Guinness Six Nations Rugby Championships
With the Rugby World Cup on the horizon, set to be hosted by France, the winners of last year’s 2022 Six Nations Rugby Championships are hoping to build on their success over the last 12 months and become winners once again of the 2023 Rugby Six Nations event. If that happens, the players will have the perfect celebratory timepiece to share the moment with, since Breitling has released a limited edition watch that has already been backed by the watchmaker’s seven-strong Rugby Squad. The France limited edition version of Breitling’s Chronomat B01 collection has been released alongside another five wristwatches, all made the same but with their own individual hallmark to represent their respective national teams: England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Italy.
The release celebrates Breitling’s new role as Official Timekeeping Partner for the Guinness Six Nations Rugby Championships event after the watchmaker has recently signed a three-year partnership with the tournament and has become luxury watch partner to all six nations. The Guinness Six Nations Rugby Championships is also responsible for the promotion and operation of the men's, women's and under-20s tournaments and the management of their centralised commercial rights.
The Six Nations Rugby Championships has a history that stretches back over 150 years and has, within this time, produced many memorable moments. The successor to the Home Nations Championship (the first international rugby union tournament) initially comprised England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales between the years 1883–1909 but gained France in 1910 followed by Italy back in 2020. Breitling’s role also extends to the TikTok Women's Six Nations championship, the Autumn Internationals and the 2023 Rugby World Cup warm-up matches.
The new Breitling Chronomat B01 Six Nations France watch is, like its five siblings, limited to just 150 timepieces worldwide and is packed full of key features most notable for the Chronomat range, making it one of the brand’s most collectable timepieces of the year so far. Some of its key features include the raised rider tabs located quarterly in the bezel for count-up and count-down measurements, as well as a tricompax chronograph display, an integrated date window at 6, a screw-down crown at 3 o’clock and a steel Rouleaux bracelet that became a popular feature of the line in the 1980s and 1990s.
The new Breitling Chronomat B01 Six Nations France Limited Edition watch
The most instantly noticeable feature of the new Breitling Chronomat B01 Six Nations France watch is its deep blue dial adorned with the French rooster emblem at 9 o’clock. Flashes of red can be seen across the display in the small counter hands and the central chronograph seconds hand, capable of measuring 1/4th of a second, the 30-minute chronograph counter at 3 o’clock and the 12-hour totaliser at 6 o’clock. These are joined by the 9 o’clock sub-counter and have all been filled in with a silver colour, enabling the red elements to pop. A legible date window at 6 o’clock is nestled in with the 12-hour counter, whilst the entire dial is framed by a useful tachymeter scale around the edge – a feature that came in handy with Formula 1 teams who utilised this multifaceted sports watch during the 1980s and 1990s.
The new Breitling Chronomat B01 Six Nations Italy watch is crafted from robust stainless steel and measures 42mm in diameter with a height of 15.1mm. The timepiece is also water resistant to 200 meters and features an onion-shaped crown at 3 o’clock with two gaskets and a sealed casebook with a sapphire crystal glass surface to provide a glimpse into the movement whilst it works. The watch is also topped with a polished steel unidirectional rotating bezel that will move only in the counter-clockwise direction to avoid the risk of accidentally extending dive time whilst underwater. The top of the case is also fitted with a cambered piece of scratch-resistant sapphire crystal glass that has also been treated with layers of anti-reflective technology to prevent any undesirable glare from affecting the view into the dial whilst under natural or artificial light.
Inside the new Breitling Chronomat B01 Six Nations France Limited Edition watch is the in-house developed Breitling 01 Manufacture movement, which performs at a rate of 28,800 vibrations per hour and produces a 70-hour power reserve. The movement sits behind the sapphire crystal glass caseback, which has also been stamped with the same red French rooster emblem featured on the kit of the French Rugby team. During the First World War, surging patriotic sentiment made the Gallic rooster the symbol of France's resistance and bravery and ever since then, the rooster has been a well-known symbol of French teams.
As mentioned, the Breitling Chronomat B01 Six Nations France watch is fitted on a Rouleaux bracelet. The polished rounded links of the bracket elevate the Chronomat watch to a dresser option for wearing at night. French for “rollers” the Rouleaux Bracelet is a bold, unique and very special feature of the range. The series of small parallel cylinders have rounded edges that give the Chronomat a very distinctive look.
If you’d like more information on the new Breitling Chronomat B01 Six Nations France Limited Edition watch, you can view the timepiece and its spec list here, or explore the entire range here. Likewise, you can call and speak to a member of our Jura Watches sales team to secure yourself one of the 150 models on 01335 453453
