As you may have seen from some of our other esteemed colleagues in the watch world (it’s ok, we know there are other watch blogs out there), Breitling announced some new, and rather intriguing, watches. While I’m sure most folks focused in pretty heavily on the chronographs, I’d like to give some attention to the non-chronograph models they announced, the Breitling Premier Automatic 40 and the Breitling Premier Automatic Day & Date 40.
When I first became aware of Breitling, it was due to their watches that can easily be classified as flight computers. Basically, they’re chronographs with super busy chapter rings (and sometimes dials) to enable all of the calculations a pilot may need to do. Given that I’m not much for chronographs, it should be no surprise that those watches are not exactly my cup of tea. Fortunately for folks like me, there is a lot more to Breitling than those watches; I’ve been particularly fond of the Superocean and vintage-look Transocean collections. Well, I’m pretty sure I can add the new Breitling Premier collection to that group as well.
While I may look down on the chronograph (in general), I do respect it for the mechanical complexity. And, if chronos are your thing, the Breitling Premier has some rather attractive options. For me, though, if we’re not talking a GMT, I’m good with a simple three hander, preferably with a date indication. The first one up, the Breitling Premier Automatic 40, is “just” a simple three-hander. For this, you’ve got the main time indicated with baton hands against stick indices, with the small seconds popping in just above the 6 o’clock position. The dials themselves (regardless of color) have a brushed sunday finish, with an applied Breitling ‘B’ up at 12 o’clock. Surprisingly enough (to me, at least) I’ve become fond of that golden ‘B’ – it pops nicely, and doesn’t clash with what is, otherwise, a dressier steel watch.
And steel it is for these Breitling Premier watches. The case between these two non-chronographs is the same – 40mm with a 11.4mm height (which is quite nice for automatics) all topped with a sapphire crystal (the caseback here is solid). Seen head-on, the case itself looks, well, understated. Where they stand out is when you see the case profile, and you realize that there are some rather interesting grooves on the side just to mix things up. These cases looking to be totally polished, so I’ve a feeling that they may be a bit of a fingerprint magnet.
As I mentioned, there are two watches that share this case. The other one in the mix, the one I find myself drawn to slightly more, is the Breitling Premier Automatic Day & Date 40. As you might expect, gone are the small seconds, and in it’s place you’ve got a date display (at 6 o’clock) and the day of the week shown up at 12 o’clock. This does bring a different movement to the table (see the full list of specs down below) but they are, for our purposes, just about the same (complications aside) – automatic, 40 hour power reserve, 4 Hz frequency, and COSC certified. In other words, should be just-about set it and forget it so long as the watch stays wound.
Both of the watches we’ve talked about here from the Breitling Premier line come on either straps or bracelets, and pricing ranges from $4,000 to $4,750, depending on the particular options. While some folks may wish these looked a bit more like the “Flying” Breitlings that are in the catalog, well, even pilots have to come down on the ground sometime, right? I, for one, am glad to see the Premier collection added in, and can’t wait to see where it goes. breitling.com
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Brand & Model: Breitling Premier Automatic 40 / Breitling Premier Automatic Day & Date 40
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Price: $4,000 – $4,750
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Who we think it might be for: You’re a fan of the Breitling aesthetic and history, but want something a bit less cluttered
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Would I buy one for myself based on what I’ve seen? If the blue dial was available on the day/date, it certainly would be a temptation, budget aside
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If I could make one design suggestion, it would be: Make the blue dial available on the day/date, of course – and get some color-matched date discs for those darker dials
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What spoke to me the most about this watch: To settle on a single detail, I’ll focus in on that case profile
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Model: PREMIER AUTOMATIC 40
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Reference: A37340351
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WATCH MOVEMENT
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Caliber: Breitling Caliber 37
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Diameter: 25.6 millimeters
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Depth: 5.6 millimeters
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Winder: automatic with dual-acting ball-bearing rotor
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Power reserve: at least 40 hours
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Balance frequency: 28,800 a/h or 4 hertz
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Display: hour, minute, small second
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Certification: COSC-certified
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CASE
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Material: stainless steel
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Diameter: 40 millimeters
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Height: 11.40 millimeters
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Water resistance: up to 10 bar (100 meters)
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Glass: sapphire, convex, double anti-reflective
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Caseback: solid, screwed
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Crown: non-screw-locked, two gaskets
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DIAL/HANDS
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Anthracite, blue, or silver
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Super-LumiNova® luminescent hour and minute hands
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STRAP
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Alligator leather or nubuck strap with folding buckle or stainless-steel bracelet with folding clasp
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Model: PREMIER AUTOMATIC Day & Date 40
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Reference: A45340241 in black or A45340211 in silver
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WATCH MOVEMENT
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Caliber: Breitling Caliber 45
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Diameter: 29 millimeters
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Depth: 5.05 millimeters
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Winder: automatic with dual-acting ball-bearing rotor
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Power reserve: at least 40 hours
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Balance frequency: 28,800 a/h or 4 hertz
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Display: hour, minute, second, date, day of the week
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Certification: COSC-certified
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CASE
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Material: stainless steel
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Diameter: 40 millimeters
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Height: 11.40 millimeters
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Water resistance: up to 10 bar (100 meters)
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Glass: sapphire, convex, double anti-reflective
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Caseback: solid, screwed
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Crown: non-screw-locked, two gaskets
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DIAL/HANDS
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Black or silver
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Super-LumiNova® luminescent hour and minute hands
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STRAP
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Alligator leather or nubuck strap with folding buckle or stainless-steel bracelet with folding clasp
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