BREITLING’s Back To The Future: New Premier Heritage Collection

The 40 mm Premier Heritage Chronograph is manually wound, just like its 1940s predecessors. It is powered by the Breitling Manufacture Caliber B09, which is based on the Breitling Manufacture Caliber 01. It comes in two variations: with an eye-catching pistachio-green dial encased in stainless steel or a stately silver-colored dial encased in 18 k red gold.

The Premier Heritage Duograph comes with a stainless-steel and 18 k red gold cases measuring 42 mm, matched to a blue or a black dial, respectively. Its rattrapante function – one of the most elaborate in watchmaking – enables the wearer to measure two elapsed times simultaneously thanks to its two superimposed chronograph hands. This piece houses the mechanical hand-wound Breitling Manufacture Caliber B15, which is based on the Breitling Manufacture Caliber B03.

The 42 mm Premier Heritage Datora – like its 1940s predecessor – stands out for its highly visible and complex functions, namely its day, date, and moon-phase displays. It is powered by the Manufacture Caliber B25. The Datora’s copper-colored face is framed by a stainless-steel case, while its silver-colored dial comes in an 18 k red gold one.

All feature Arabic numerals, vintage-inspired hands and semi-shiny alligator straps with tone-on-tone stitching. Every watch is a COSC-certified chronometer and water-resistant up to 100 meters.

The story

The Premier Heritage Collection pays homage to Breitling’s very own Founders Squad: three generations of men who changed the history of timekeeping and made Breitling what it is today. Léon Breitling founded the company in 1884; later, he patented a simple timer/tachymeter that could measure any speed between 15 and 150 km/h, an invention featured in the 1906 Vitesse pocket watch.

In 1915, his son, Gaston, created one of the first wrist-worn chronographs with an independent pusher at 2 o’clock. This innovation separated the start, stop, and reset functions from the crown, making it infinitely more practical for timing sports.

In 1934, Léon’s grandson, Willy, patented the second independent chronograph pusher at 4 o’clock. Among Willy Breitling’s celebrated pioneering achievements was the establishment of the Huit Aviation Department in 1938.