The Breitling Replica brand has long stood for concentrated masculinity and pure testosterone. The Breitling for Bentley watch collaboration, launched in 2002 between the watch manufacturer Breitling 1884 and the British car manufacturer Bentley Motors, fits the bill well. And that’s not just because of the logos of the two traditional companies, which are very similar (a winged “B”) – the luxury segment in which both brands operate is also undoubtedly a crucial thing in common.

Okay, admittedly: After a certain period of disciplined saving, a Breitling is reasonably affordable even for the average person (e.g. entry-level models like the SuperOcean diving watch with “street prices” starting at around €2,500) – that is hardly the case with Bentley: the British luxury brand is preparing especially the super rich. Anyone who can shell out a quarter of a million euros for a Bentley car usually has a well-filled account, as most people would rather invest such amounts in home ownership 😉

Former German Bentley boss Stefan Brungs once said: “So far, our target group has primarily been people with assets of 30 million euros or more.” Bentley now also has a heart for the “normally rich”: There are around 1.5 million of those people with disposable assets of at least five million euros worldwide – and the “affordable” Bentley Continental GT model is intended precisely for this customer group. A “low budget” Bentley, so to speak. It’s really nice, isn’t it? 😉

Breitling for Bentley: About the cooperation

Historically, motorsport is not Breitling’s core discipline. With models like the Breitling Navitimer, the Swiss focused on the flying target group early on in their company’s history. However, Breitling is not completely untouched in the field of motorsport: the on-board chronograph launched for aircraft in 1931, for example, was also designed for use in the dashboard of automobiles.

On top of that, Willy Breitling, grandson of the company’s founder Léon Breitling and head of the brand from 1932, was a big Bentley fan: from the late 1940s onwards, the fleet Willy raced back and forth between Geneva and La Chaux-de-Fonds, always behind the wheel of one of his many Bentleys -bolides.

The first official Breitling for Bentley collaboration, which continues to this day, started in 2002 when the British called Switzerland and commissioned Breitling to design an on-board clock for the very first Continental GT. No coincidence: In 2003, Breitling was also the main sponsor of Team Bentley at the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans, which took place for the 71st time. The drivers Rinaldo Capello, Tom Kristensen and Guy Smith raced a total of 377 laps over the asphalt and were even able to win the race in their Bentley Speed 8 with start number 7…

Breitling for Bentley: models then and now

Watches that emerged from the Breitling for Bentley collaboration have always been one thing above all: eye-catching and extremely extroverted – even by Breitling standards. Characteristic of earlier Breitling for Bentley models were features such as a structured bezel reminiscent of a tire tread, carbon dials, dial skeletonization, elaborate case backs and XXL diameters of 48 mm or more. Sick: The Breitling for Bentley Le Mans chronograph launched in 2004 was, with a diameter of 48.7 mm, the largest model ever brought onto the market by Breitling. For something like this you need arms like Popeye so that the watch doesn’t seem strange in any way.

The prices for Breitling for Bentley models at the time were rarely under €10,000 (list price, mind you). The target group for these very special models was therefore not particularly large – it is no coincidence that the heavily discounted watches in the Breitling outlet in Metzingen are not exactly selling like hot cakes.

Since the new CEO Georges Kern took over the helm at Breitling, the Swiss have been trying to move away from their loud, testosterone-fueled image – and this is also directly reflected in the Breitling for Bentley cooperation models (more on that in a moment).

Breitling’s new path can be found well – or not. Personally, I’m a bit conflicted: On the one hand, in my opinion, absolutely successful models were created in the core era (like the new Breitling Chronomat B01 42). On the other hand, one can definitely point out critically that many current “core” models are too softened and interchangeable – many variants of the new Aviator 8 model series, for example, could easily have a completely different brand name on them without anyone noticing. Knock, knock – Breitling DNA, where are you?

On the other hand, the Swiss have to be given credit for the fact that under the leadership of Georges Kern, classic designs from the company’s rich history in particular were revived and Breitling has thus become a much more accessible watch brand for many watch enthusiasts – such as the Breitling Aviator 8 Chronograph, which is based on the Breitling 765 AVI (AVI = Aviation) from the 1950s.

But back to Breitling for Bentley: One of the cooperation models in the core era is the Breitling Chronomat B01 42 with an ingenious Rouleaux steel bracelet and in-house caliber with a more than decent 70-hour power reserve. However, the differences between the Breitling for Bentley Chronomat and the standard Chronomat are in the homeopathic range and (in contrast to before) are implemented extremely discreetly: There is a shy “BENTLEY” engraving on the case back and the dial comes appropriately with a green dial, which is reminiscent of the color “British Racing Green” in nuances – this is the green paintwork that was common for decades on racing cars that did their laps for British racing teams.