Breitling Unveils NEW Top Time Racing Watches
Monday - 31 March 2025
Giving fans of watches and motorsport a real treat - Breitling lands three new Top Time Racing watches, reminding the world of its storied history in the world of sport.
One of the most memorable James Bond watches is the Top Time Chronograph by Breitling. It starred on the wrist of Sean Connery in the 1965 film Thunderball. The ref: 2002 had a steel case, a black chronograph dial and two contrasting white sub-scales. The applied hour markers in baton style and its tachymeter scale contributed to an instantly recognisable race-ready look. It became a star watch very quickly and an accessible tool for those in search of a more affordable Breitling instrument. The Top Time has evolved a lot since then. The latest additions to the Top Time collection, which underwent a re-launch in 2020, sport a cushion-shaped case reminiscent of some circa-1970s models released by Breitling with piston-style push pieces flanking the crown.
The new Breitling Top Time Racing and Martini Racing watches celebrate the company’s unconventional approach to watchmaking during this time period and the racing era's freewheeling culture. They come in options of a green or black dial with a surfboard-shaped central section to underscore the chronograph counters and a silver “Martini” option with blue accents that celebrate the Martini Racing Team’s liveries with signature blue and red striped detailing at the centre of the display.
The new Breitling Top Time Racing watches have been released just days after the Swiss watchmaker’s three-handed take on the dial, sporting luminous central hour and minute hands, an orange second hand, and dial colours in blue, green, and silver. They mark a debut for the Top Time in a non-chronograph format and are offered on a stainless steel bracelet or a perforated calf leather strap to celebrate the watch’s sporty lineage. These three new chronographs look built entirely for the racetrack, with robust steel cases measuring 38mm and perforated leather straps that evoke the leather of a racing car’s steering wheel.
The new Breitling Top Time Racing watches feature a distinctive cushion case that impacts the wrist with ample presence. The rounded corners of the case are cleverly underscored in the two sub-counters on the dial, organised in a bicompax layout inside a surfboard display for added contrast. Both the black and green dials feature this silver central section with sub-counters for 30 minutes and small second features trimmed in the same colour as the outer track. Both models feature a tachymeter scale around the edge of the dial in a silver hue and red chronograph hands.
The third Martini Racing iteration of the Top Time Racing models features a silver dial with a contrasting dark blue tachymeter scale and a blue surfboard central section with silver sub-scales. Like the other two models, the sub-counters feature the two “squircle” shapes. In contrast, the very centre of the dial features a central red stripe flanked by light blue lines in honour of the colours of the Martini Racing team – a design element that motorsport fans are bound to resonate with.
These are 100-meter water-resistant stainless steel cases, each measuring 38mm, to honour the resurgence in small-sized watches. The cambered sapphire crystal glass front is glare-proof, ridding the dial of any undesirable glare. The reverse side of each watch, closed and crafted from solid steel, is engraved with an “X of 750” lettering relating to its exclusivity, adding considerable value to each of these special releases. At the heart of each Breitling chronograph is the Manufacture Calibre 01, which fires up to 70 hours of power reserve. The chronometer-certified movement performs at a rate of 28,800 vibrations per hour.
Breitling CEO Georges Kerns is proud beyond measure of these new releases: “With these new limited editions, we put a modern spin on classic 1960s designs, returning this watch to what it’s all about: timing races and measuring speed.” All three of these new Breitling Top Time Racing watches are limited to just 750 pieces worldwide and honour the golden era of rally racing.
If you’d like to place an order or enquire about the availability of these new Breitling Top Time Racing chronographs, speak to a member of our Jura Watches sales team on 01335 453453 or email us at [email protected].
