Reviewing the Breitling Chronomat B01 Six Nations Italy Limited Edition
Wednesday - 01 March 2023
The new Breitling B01 Six Nations Italy watch is limited to 150 pieces worldwide and has been released to mark Breitling’s new role as Official Timekeeping Partner for the Guinness Six Nations Rugby 2023 Tournament, as well as becoming luxury watch partner to all six national teams taking part.
Ahead of the 2023 Six Nations rugby season, Breitling announced a three-year partnership with the annual tournament and was made the Official Timing Partner of the Guinness Six Nations, the Women's Six Nations, the Autumn Nations Series, and the 2023 Rugby World Cup warm-up matches. Both Breitling and the Six Nations strive for excellence by delivering an ethos of integrity, creativity, teamwork and inclusivity. As a result of this new partnership, Breitling has released a set of six new limited edition timepieces belonging to the Chronomat range. They all embody the same key characteristics that Breitling fans have come to know and love from this range, including the raised rider tabs on the bezel, the integrated date window at 6 o’clock, the Rouleaux Bracelet, onion-shaped crown and a legible chronograph dial. Each of the six new editions represents their respective national teams that take part annually in the tournament: England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Italy and last year’s champions, France. All of these watches are powered by the same movement - the in-house manufactured Breitling 01 Calibre and each is limited to 150 pieces.
The elements that set these limited edition watches apart from other Chronomat watches are the nods to each team’s respective livery. The England iteration, for example, features the iconic red and green rose emblem on the small seconds sub-counter at 9 o’clock, whilst the Ireland model boasts a dramatic shamrock green-coloured dial. The Scotland limited edition Six Nations watch is presented in a vivid blue coloured dial, whereas the Wales model features the team’s emblem inspired by the Prince of Wales’s feathers at the same 9 o’clock location. Each of the models also features the same colourful team motif on the back of their cases. In addition to these four watches, the Six Nations watch collection also comprised an Italy and France model in colourful renditions of the popular Chronomat. You can check out the France model here. Today we’ll look at the Italy watch edition, featuring an attractive blue dial adorned with the team’s tricolour shield in the country’s colours of green, white and red at 9 o’clock. The shield is completed with its golden scrolls and laurels against a piercing blue backdrop that creates a stark contrast against the hour markers and hands for perfect legibility come day or night. This multifaceted sports watch with its triple chronograph dial is both sporty, functional and eye-catching, making it a perfect addition to any growing luxury watch collection, whether you’ve already dipped your toes into the Chronomat watch collection or not.
The Chronomat watch by Breitling is a collectable that was first successful in aviation and has long been associated with its use for athletes who strive to push boundaries. Designed for the Frecce Tricolori - the famed Italian aerobatics squadron in 1942 - its legacy began here but soon grew in popularity with the Formula 1 industry thanks to its handy tachymeter scale. In fact, the Breitling Chronomat has undergone several makeovers over the years without ever losing its true personality. Its DNA is as present as ever in the six new limited edition Six Nations watches, particularly the Italy iteration with a set of three silver-filled counters offering 30-minute and 12-hour chronograph functions, not forgetting a central 1/4th of a second hand coated in red to match the sub-counter hands. An easy-to-read date window at 6 o’clock enables you to keep track of the days of the month, whilst at night the hands and baton hour markers illuminate for guaranteed timekeeping in dark conditions. Around the edge of the rich blue dial of this Six Nations Italy watch is a silver tachymeter scale for measuring speed based on distance.
The polished steel bezel of the new Breitling Chronomat B01 Six Nations Italy watch rotates in a unidirectional way so as not to accidentally extend dive time if you were planning on taking this watch underwater. And if you were, it promises a 200-meter water resistance and features a screw-down onion-shaped crown that is equipped with two gaskets and a grooved surface for an easy grip design. The bezel also features the famous raised rider tabs quarterly around the dial for count-up and count-down timings. The top of the model’s 42mm stainless steel case is fitted to a cambered piece of anti-reflective and scratch-resistant sapphire crystal glass – a material that is used on the reverse of the case where the movement can be admired as it performs. The surface of this glass at the back of the case is also adorned with the Italy Rugby team’s tri-coloured shield.
Under this glass exhibition feature is the in-house developed Breitling 01 manufacture Calibre. It beats at approximately 28, 800 vibrations per hour and delivers an impressive 70-hour power reserve once fully wound. Therefore, if you ever needed to swap this watch over with another favourite, you can take it off on a Friday night and return to it on a Monday morning to find it will have kept perfect time whilst away from the wrist. The limited Edition Six Nations Chronomat B01 Italy timepiece is exclusive to just 150 pieces made worldwide and comes displayed inside a genuine Breitling presentation box.
If you’d like to earn more about the timepiece, you can check out the watch here, or view the entire Six Nations watch series by Breitling here. You can also call and speak to a member of our Jura Watches sales team on 01335 453453
