Swiss watchmaker Breitling achieved a double-first at Baselworld in 2009: introducing a new totally in-house chronograph movement, the B01, and introducing the actual watch that has the honor of housing it, the Chronomat.
Instead of waiting till the end of the year or even till next year, Breitling collectors can get a Chronomat B01 for their wrists right now. It would appear that the brand with a taste for speed is now ahead of both the pack and the predators.
In development for five years, B01 was constructed at Breitling’s new four-storey facility at La Chaux-de-Fonds. It features a column wheel mechanism, with vertical clutch, a 28,800vph balance and a 70-hour power reserve.
Interestingly, the date mechanism you see between 4 and 5 o’clock changes instantaneously and can be adjusted at any time, thanks to a patented system for adjusting the start, stop and reset hammers. To clarify, most mechanical date mechanisms cannot be changed so freely.
