Breitling Premier

With their colorful dials, narrow bezels, and slender hands, Breitling Premier watches are timeless classics. Introduced in 2018, the collection follows in the footsteps of the eponymous Breitling series from the 1940s. The historical collection was especially aimed at fashion-forward and affluent clientele. The name "Premier" reflects the manufacturer's target audience for these watches.

As it was back then, the Premier is synonymous with elegance, while the Chronomat and Navitimer lines emphasize the Swiss brand's sporty-professional nature. Breitling equips top models in the Premier collection with in-house calibers that provide the timepieces with functions such as a split-seconds chronograph, complete calendar, moon phase display, or tourbillon. The collection is also home to a series of highly limited editions, including a number of Breitling for Bentley watches designed to reflect the look of the British luxury vehicles.

In addition to numerous chronographs, the Premier collection offers three-hand models with either a day-date display or small seconds.

All watches in the current collection are chronometer-certified, water-resistant to 100 m (10 bar, 328 ft), and available in stainless steel or 18-karat gold.

Prices for a Breitling Premier range from around 1,900 USD for a well-maintained vintage model to over 64,000 USD for a platinum watch with a tourbillon. Chronographs fitted with the caliber B13 (based on the Valjoux 7750) change hands for roughly 4,800 USD. If you'd prefer a timepiece equipped with Breitling's in-house caliber B01, plan to shell out about 7,000 USD for a stainless steel model and a good 15,000 USD for a variant in rose gold.

Breitling Premier models in stainless steel with additional complications, such as the Duograph or Datora, demand an investment of between 8,400 and 10,600 USD on Chrono24. For the same watch in rose gold, plan to invest approximately 10,800 USD.

The most affordable entry-point into the collection is a three-hand variant, which you can find on Chrono24 for approximately 3,200 USD.

A long-term partnership between Breitling and Bentley gave rise to a number of fascinating watch creations over the years. These include the Premier B01 Chronograph 42 Bentley Centenary and the Premier B01 Chronograph Bentley Mulliner. Both models measure 42 mm in diameter and are powered by the in-house caliber B01. They're also both dedicated to the world-renowned luxury car manufacturer.

The dashboard of the Bentley Continental GT Convertible Mulliner served as inspiration for the Premier Chronograph Mulliner. The watch features a white dial with applied Arabic numerals and dark blue subdials at 3 and 9 o'clock. The minute track at the outer edge of the dial is also dark blue. A red 60-second scale at the center of the dial lends the watch a definitive pop of color, as does the red chronograph hand. The stainless steel timepiece is limited to just 1,000 pieces and changes hands on Chrono24 for roughly 6,900 USD.

The Breitling Premier Chronograph Bentley Centenary, on the other hand, is an homage to the dashboard of the 1929 race car model known as the "Blower Bentley," now one of the most valuable classic Bentleys in the world. The watch features a brown elm burl dial with a black outer edge and black subdials. The tachymeter scale on the outer edge of the dial is white for optimum legibility. The watch's brown, quilted calfskin strap was inspired by the Bentley's seats.

Breitling offers this exquisite chronograph in stainless steel and rose gold versions. The former is limited to just 1,000 pieces and costs nearly 10,000 USD. Only 200 of the rose gold variant were produced; one of these will set you back about 25,000 USD on Chrono24.

Other Limited Edition Premier Models

In addition to the Bentley models, the Breitling Premier collection is home to a number of other limited editions. These include the 40-mm stainless steel Boutique Edition of the Premier B09 Chronograph 40. The watch is powered by the manual caliber B09 and features a dark burgundy dial with an understated sunburst finish.

Breitling only produced 250 of these pieces and sells them exclusively through their boutiques. The MSRP is 8,600 USD.

Another limited edition timepiece is the Premier B01 Chronograph 42 Wheels and Waves. The 42-mm watch features a gray sunburst dial with black subdials and a white minute track along its edge. Like the Mulliner variant, Breitling equips the Wheels and Waves with a red chronograph hand and red seconds scale.

If you'd like to call one of these 100 rose gold watches your own, be sure to set aside around 18,400 USD. The stainless steel variant is limited to 500 pieces and is more affordable, changing hands on Chrono24 for around 7,400 USD.

Top Premier models are powered by the chronometer-certified, in-house caliber B01. Breitling introduced this movement in 2009, and thus moved one step further away from ébauché manufacturer ETA. The B01 boasts a 70-hour power reserve, chronograph function, and date display, and ticks at a frequency of 28,800 vph.

The Breitling Premier B01 Chronograph 42 comes with a variety of dial colors and bands. Most models are made of stainless steel, but rose gold versions are also available. The dial design normally incorporates multiple colors, like a white dial with black subdials (panda dial) or black dial with white subdials (reverse panda dial). Blue, green, and anthracite sunburst dials are also available; these versions have a black dial edge and black subdials.

Plan to spend anywhere between 6,700 and 7,300 USD for a Premier B01 Chronograph 42 in stainless steel, depending on whether you want to wear your watch on a leather strap or stainless steel bracelet.

Breitling Premier Heritage: Retro-Chronographs With Complications

In 2021, Breitling introduced three watches under the Premier Heritage label. The design of these watches was inspired by models from the 1940s. The watches all feature applied Arabic numerals and syringe hands.

The 40-mm Premier B09 Chronograph 40 is a somewhat smaller version of the B01 Chronograph 42. The caliber B09 inside is a hand-wound movement. The edition in stainless steel with a pastel green dial costs approximately 7,100 USD; the rose gold variant with champagne dial demands an investment of around 15,000 USD.

The Premier B15 Duograph 42 is powered by the caliber B15. Like the B09, the B15 is based on the B01 movement and offers a split seconds or rattrapante function, which enables you to measure intervals. The watch also comes with two chronograph hands and an additional push-piece in the crown. Like other Premier editions, the Duograph 42 is available in stainless steel or rose gold. The former features a blue sunburst dial and changes hands on Chrono24 for roughly 8,400 USD. The gold version will set you back around 18,300 USD.

The third model in the Premier Heritage line is the Premier B25 Datora 42. At the heart of this 42-mm timepiece is the caliber B25, developed by Breitling together with Concepto Watch Factory. The movement combines a chronograph function with a complete calendar and moon phase display. The stainless steel variant of the watch comes with a salmon-colored dial and costs around 10,600 USD on Chrono24. The rose gold edition features a champagne dial and demands an investment of approximately 19,700 USD.

Premier Tourbillon to Honor Company Founders

Breitling expanded the Premier collection in spring 2023 with the addition of three new models. The watches are reminiscent of those in the Premier Heritage line and are dedicated to brand patriarchs Léon, Gaston, and Willy Breitling. The 42-mm timepieces are available in rose gold, white gold, or platinum, and powered by the in-house caliber B21 created in cooperation with movement specialist La Joux-Perret. The caliber offers a chronograph function and tourbillon. You can observe the latter at work through a dial cutout at 12 o'clock. A 60-minute counter is located opposite, at 6.

The Premier B21 Chronograph Tourbillon 42 dedicated to Léon Breitling combines a rose gold case with a champagne dial and brown alligator leather strap. The model in honor of Gaston Breitling is made of white gold and comes with an anthracite-colored dial and black alligator leather strap. The highlight of the line is the Premier B21 Chronograph Tourbillon 42 Willy Breitling. The manufacturer produced this timepiece in platinum with a blue dial; like the Gaston, the Willy also comes on a black alligator leather strap.

As of March 2023, listings on Chrono24 were still very rare. The MSRP for the gold models is 57,000 USD, while the platinum sells for 67,000 USD.

The Valjoux 7750, aka Breitling caliber B13, is probably the most widely used automatic chronograph caliber in the world. Breitling has been using the movement for decades. The caliber is easily recognized thanks to its tricompax dial design with subdials at 6, 9, and 12 o'clock. There is also a date display, which Breitling integrates into the hour counter at 6 o'clock on the Premier Chronograph 42. The dials are available in blue or black, and the edge of each dial is offset in white with a tachymeter scale. The watches come on a stainless steel bracelet, or a calfskin or alligator leather strap.

Plan to spend about 5,200 USD on a Breitling Premier Chronograph 42 in mint condition on a stainless steel bracelet or alligator strap. The same watch costs some 240 USD less if you buy it on a calfskin strap.

The Premier Collection is also home to a line of three-hand watches. Measuring 40 mm in diameter, these timepieces are ideal unisex models. The design echoes that of the collection's chronographs, but with somewhat more reserved dials in silver or black. The minute track at the outer edge of the dial is slightly recessed, making the timepiece more dynamic.

Breitling offers two variants of the three-hand Premier: the Premier Automatic 40, which features a small seconds at 6 o'clock, and the Premier Automatic Day-Date, which – as its name suggests – comes with a weekday and date display. Like the Rolex Day-Date, the weekday is completely written out in a semicircular window at 12. The date is located at 6.

Depending on the edition, and whether you want to wear your watch on a leather strap or stainless steel bracelet, a three-hand Premier in stainless steel will set you back between 3,300 and 3,800 USD. The gold variant demands an investment of approximately 11,800 USD.