Breitling’s popular sports watch receives a traveller-friendly upgrade in the Swiss watch brand’s latest release: the Breitling Chronomat Automatic GMT 40 watch. At the centre of a new set of coloured dials is a bold red GMT hand powered by the Breitling Calibre 32.
Breathing life back into historic designs is a talent of many in today’s Swiss watch industry, and Breitling is no exception. In 2020, the luxury brand did just that with their Chronomat model, discontinuing all previous examples and bringing back an aesthetic first seen during the 1980’s. The new Breitling Chronomat watches with their distinctive “Rouleaux” bracelet honoured the original Frecce Tricolori chronograph from 1983 launched in collaboration with the Italian aerial squadron of the same name. It was largely defined by its tube-like bracelet links and unique reversible rider tabs which allowed for both counting up and down. The design, which would eventually evolve into the Breitling Chronomat, largely influencing the rebirth of mechanical watches after the quartz crisis. Now, the modern-day collection of Breitling Chronomat watches meets its latest member, the Breitling Chronomat Automatic GMT 40 watch, which offers a globetrotters dream complication at the centre of several colourful dials.
Just like those launched two years ago, the new Breitling Chronomat Automatic GMT 40 watch is a modernised yet classic take on a historic watch with sleek design cues, sporty accents and a robust exterior. The familiar integrated architecture of previous editions stays put including the fluid lugs, robust shoulders and iconic onion-shaped crown. The latter no longer sits beside chronograph pushers but sits alone beside its crown protectors. The case size of the new Breitling Chronomat Automatic GMT 40 watch also welcomes a change coming in at 40mm in diameter compared to the larger 42mm size of the chronograph variants.
The signature Chronomat bezel returns with the unique interchangeable rider tabs at the 15 and 45 positions. This allows the wearer to use the unidirectional rotating 60 minute scale for counting up or down. The bezel is largely ratcheted and features a luminous dot at the 12 o’clock position. The Breitling Chronomat Automatic GMT 40 watch boasts the same 200 metre water resistance rating, screwed down solid stainless steel case back and Rouleaux bracelet. Taking its name from the French word for rollers, the bracelet is a close replica of the straps on the original 1980’s Breitling Chronomat but with slightly modernised accents including more angular links, brushed surfaces and polished bevels. Each Breitling Rouleaux bracelet comes fitted with a concealed butterfly clasp with security pushers.
There are five Breitling Chronomat Automatic GMT 40 watches for you to choose from. There’s a single chocolate brown sunray dial reserved as a Breitling boutique-only edition and four available to order at any Breitling official stockist (like Jura Watches). The “all-trade” models are dressed in a choice of black, blue, white and green, all sunray brushed and paired with a tone-on-tone 24-hour scale around its circumference. This lets the bold red GMT hand speak for itself, letting you display the local time zone loudly beside the Superluminova coated hands for the hours, minutes and seconds set to home time.
Driving the full set of Breitling Chronomat Automatic GMT 40 watches is the Breitling 32 self-winding mechanical movement. It’s a familiar sight for a Breitling GMT watch, delivering the hours, minutes, seconds and GMT complications at the centre and a date window and 6 o’clock. We’re also promised a power reserve of 42 hours, 21 jewels and a frequency of 28,800vph.
If you’d like to learn more about the new Breitling Chronomat Automatic GMT 40 watches and shop the collection for yourself, head over to the Jura Watches website here. Alternatively, get in touch with the team by calling 01335 453453 or send us a message at help@jurawatches.co.uk.
Specifications:
- Case Size: 40mm
- Case Material: Stainless steel
- Bezel: Unidirectional with interchangeable rider tabs, 60 minute scale
- Glass: Sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment
- Crown: Screw in with crown protectors
- Case Back: Screwed down
- Water Resistance: 200 metres
- Movement: Breitling 32 self-winding mechanical
- Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, GMT, date
- Power Reserve: 42 hours
- Jewels: 21
- Frequency: 28,800vph
- Dial: Sunray black, blue, white, green (all-trade), brown (boutique only)
- Strap: Rouleaux bracelet
- Buckle: Butterfly
- Limited: No
- RRP: £4,700
