Breitling Aerospace B70 Orbiter Titanium

Last week, I bought a 2024 Breitling Aeropsace. In some respect, it was a bit of an impulse buy. A friend, who was helping a retired veteran of the Canadian Armed Forces move a few watches, sent me the pics. Less than forty-eight hours later it was in the mail, destined for my front doorstep. However, looked at from another perspective, it was a quick decision made after months of scouring the Internet, “window shopping.” I moved a few of my own watches recently to gather funds and make way for a birthday purchase. I was more than prepared to make a move. I just didn’t know what the move was. I won’t bore you with the details of my browsing history, or the candidates at the top of my list. What I will tell you is that the Breitling wasn’t among them. In short, serendipity stepped in. A week before I was presented with the Aerospace, I listened to Episode 178 of The Grey NATO podcast (The Breitling Challenge). Toward the end of the show, a brief exchange concerning the Breitling Aeropsace took place, where co-host James Stacey lamented the sale of his early 40mm model. This got me thinking about the Breitling Aerospace ads I used to ogle in my teenage years—images of pilots in full flight suits, anonymously helmeted heads behind reflective goggles, a wing tip over their shoulders against hazy, pale blue horizons. The Aerospace was released in 1985 just before the movie Top Gun hit screens around the world. Although Cruise wore a Porsche Design by Orfina in the film, images of Breiltlings and fighter pilots are invariably jumbled together with my memory of the cocky Maverick (and, admittedly, the lovely Kelley McGillis).

I know how badly my thirteen-year-old self wanted to be a pilot at that brief moment in time, if only to be cool. Don’t we all long to be cool at thirteen? The Breitling Aeropsace is a staple in Breitling’s Professional Series. These are among the brand’s toughest, hard-wearing models, designed to perform in the field. As such, the Aerospace is not just a nod to the pilot watch aesthetic. It is a watch built for pilots. Dozens of air-squadron specific limited editions attest to its heritage, from the RAF Gulf War Combat Air Wings, to the F16 Falcon Pilots, and the Royal Navy Air Rescue, to name but a few. Originally, upon launch, the watch was called the “Navitimer Aerospace.” However, unlike its iconic namesake, the Aerospace was Breitling’s first dedicated quartz-powered pilot. The ana-digi display was quintessential 80s. The Calibre B56 offered the added benefit of a digital second time zone, a chronograph function, and a perpetual calendar. The watch, built from titanium even then, measured 40mm in diameter, and came in just over 9mm thick. It had a unidirectional, rotating bezel and a hardened mineral crystal. This early model offered only 30m of water resistance, however.

A decade later, in 1996, the movement was upgraded to the Calibre B65. The crystal became sapphire, and water resistance was bumped up to 100m. In 2001, again, the movement was improved to the Calibre B75. During these years, there were also small changes in dial fonts and labeling. However, the watch remained largely true to its initial design in size and aesthetics right up to 2004. The greatest innovation in the Breitling Aerospace line came between 2005 and 2007, when for a brief period the watch added the term “Avantage” to its name. Breitling introduced its Calibre B79 at this time—a movement it uses to this day in the latest iteration of the Aerospace, known as the EVO. The movement offers a gamut of functions, including a chronograph, GMT, countdown timer, minute repeater, perpetual calendar, backlight, and alarm. More importantly, the B79–based on the ETA 988.352—is thermo-compensated to resist changes in temperature. Breitling refer to it as SuperQuartz.

It is COSC chronometer certified and officially accurate to within ten seconds a year. Anecdotally, however, the watch often outperforms its own specs. This makes the B79 up ten times more accurate than a regular quartz movement. At the moment, only radio-controlled watches can outperform thermo-compensated quartz; however, this is not because of the movements’ superior quality, but rather because radio-controlled watches make periodic adjustments through communication with a better clock elsewhere.

The digital count adjustment method used by the B79, therefore, is a minor miracle of engineering—especially given that it was devised more than a decade ago. Today, only a handful of calibres, like the Citizen A660, lay claim to better accuracy. The 2007 Breitling Aerospace, and the models after it until 2013, grew to 42mm in diameter. It also thickened somewhat to 10.4mm. However, because of its titanium construction, it remained under 38g. The model I own (E79362), even with its slash-cut titanium bracelet weighs in at a mere 84g. To put that into perspective, my SPB143 and Aquastar Deepstar—when on their bracelets—tip the scales at 161g and 180g, respectively. By comparison, the Breitling Aerospace feels like you are wearing air. It should also be noted that even at its increased dimensions, the watch remains 4mm thinner than the two aforementioned divers. The svelte case of the Breitling Aeropsace , coupled with the ease and accuracy of its quartz movement, make for an ideal daily wearer. I haven’t taken it off but to sleep since I received it. And that includes my workouts at the gym. I have no doubt—having another titanium watch in my stable already—that the Aerospace will be more than capable of taking a knock or two. As for its functionality, the entire watch is run from its crown. A simple push activates the minute repeater. A quick spin in either direction changes it from mode to mode. A slower rotation activates the backlight. One push to start the chronograph, another to stop. Hold it down for a reset. I have the GMT set to Melbourne, where my sister lives. The alarm goes off at 5am…and you can’t miss it. Additionally, the rehaut has an easily legible 24-hour scale, should you need it. I like the ratcheting bezel, as well. It’s not the hard snap of a Seiko diver, but it does have 120 solid clicks. With 100m of water resistance, and a healthy dose of Super-LumiNova on both its hands and indices, the Aerospace could easily pull double-duty as a skin diver. But the crystal…well, I have never seen AR like this. From most angles you would swear there was no sapphire glass at all. Breitling outline the process behind their crystal manufacturing on their website in a detailed article. In it, they claim their double-sided “glareproofing” eliminates 99% of all reflections. I don’t know how this is measured, but I believe it. In terms of styling, there is no doubt that with the exception of the 4 applied block numerals (an improvement over earlier fonts, IMO), the timepiece still speaks very much an eighties language. The bold, knobby bezel grip points, the brash dial markings, and the assertive logo all have an in-your-face quality. Admittedly, this is not for everyone. Like the continued ana-digi display, these design cues are an acquired taste—an odd jumble of elements that are at once retro and futuristic, as though we are observing a bygone era’s vision of the future. I call it “geeky cool.” And yet, for lack of a better term, I want to describe it as a very masculine design. Its predominantly brushed appearance (the only polish is a thin, broken line around the crystal) and tactical layout, give it a toolish, industrial quality, right down to the bezel screws. The only note of true superfluity might be its contentious bracelet. The angled links can be polarizing among Breitling aficionados, but I think it’s all part of the ugly duckling’s charm. Ultimately, there is only one design choice I can’t get behind, and that’s the hands. It’s a small thing, but while the thin pencil set is better than the partially skeletonized development in the EVO, it still lacks gravitas among so much brazen activity. Practically speaking, I understand the need to maintain visibility of the digital screens—and I don’t have a ready alternative—but it seems to me that something just a little more aggressive is necessary to achieve balance.

GIRARD-PERREGAUX Laureato 38 mm Copper Diamond Bezel

Afew weeks ago, we got to attend an event with our friends at Girard-Perregaux and go hands-on with some incredible upcoming pieces. You’ll see them all in due time, but the first release of the bunch brings a small change to an existing platform: the Girard-Perregaux Laureato 38mm Copper Diamond Bezel . The Laureato 38mm is the midsize of the brand’s signature integrated bracelet model, currently only available with a copper dial or in the infinite green of the Aston Martin LE. New for 2024, the Girard-Perregaux Laureato 38mm Copper Diamond Bezel sees the Copper model’s bezel carved out and set with an array of diamonds in different sizes.
The new diamond-set Laureato takes its cues from one of the early quartz chronometer Laureatos of the late 1970s, seen above. That two-tone model looks downright chintzy compared to the modern incarnation, but it serves as an excellent reference when the two are placed side by side. The new model is built on the Laureato 38mm Copper and is exactly the same except for the diamonds. With that in mind, I encourage you to head over to our hands-on review of the Copper model, as this review will only give a brief overview, instead focusing on what’s new (the diamonds). The case on the new model remains 38mm wide and 10mm thick. Water resistance is still 100m. You still get the octagon-on-circle bezel. The bracelet is still integrated and there’s still a combination of brushed and polished finishing. The dial is still that copper tone with the Clous de Paris pattern and the gold GP logo and seconds hand. That entire package worked well when it was first released, and it works well here, too. No surprises. Except for the diamonds! The octagonal layer of the bezel is now set with 56 diamonds totaling around .90ct. Unlike the original model, the diamonds continue all the way around the bezel instead of being interrupted by beading. It’s a far more refined use of gems than the original but still comes off a bit like a piece of vintage or even costume jewelry (perhaps baguette-cut gems are the way to my heart). To my eye, there’s always been something dated about pavé-set diamonds. There are other reasons I don’t think this implementation quite works. The texture created by the diamonds clashes a bit with that of the dial, and I wasn’t ever exactly sure which should be grabbing my attention. Looking the other way, the polishing of the lower bezel detracts from the diamonds’ sparkle, as you have two reflective surfaces competing for your attention, instead of the eye being drawn to just the diamonds. Perhaps brushing the top and leaving the side polished would have resolved the issue while still creating separation from the main case. The movement also remains the same: the in-house automatic caliber GP03300-2034. It gets a 46-hour power reserve at 28,800 vph and features basic finishing like striping, perlage, and blued screws, along with an 18k pink-gold rotor. Again, no surprises and no complaints.
I don’t think enough thought was given here. The Girard-Perregaux Laureato 38mm Copper Diamond Bezel already have diamond-set bezels, and one wonders what the impetus was to add them to this model. This would’ve been a great opportunity to introduce a new dial that is attractive but lets the diamonds stand out, perhaps borrowing one of the sunray motifs from the Absolute or Eternity models. Or one could lean the other way and completely cover the dial with diamonds (and maybe even the center links on the bracelet). As it is, I was left a bit unsure about the execution, confused as to whether it needed more or less.

Breitling SuperOcean Automatic 44

The Breitling Superocean Automatic 44 watch embodies the distinctive aesthetics and precise essence of the brand. This item was recently incorporated into Breitling’s collection. By fusing traditional allure with contemporary sophistication, this model establishes itself as a benchmark within the luxury watch industry. This recent addition endeavors to appeal to both watch enthusiasts and trendsetters by fusing functionality with sophistication. Strong in construction and fashionable in appearance, it is a one-of-a-kind accessory for any occasion.

With a limited run of 500 pieces, the Breitling Superocean Automatic 44 watch is an uncommon discovery that was introduced exclusively in the United Kingdom. There are two variations of these, with 300 featuring a stainless steel band and 200 featuring a black polyurethane strap; each cost between $5,253 and $5,443. Collectors and fashionable individuals find it even more desirable due to its limited quantity. This recently launched timepiece merges exclusivity and luxury into one.
A classic stainless steel bracelet or a contemporary, functional black rubber strap are both viable strap options for this timepiece. Obtaining one is an uncommon opportunity, as only 500 are produced. The watch’s design allows it to cope with depths of up to 300 meters, making it suitable for professional diving or a brief swim. This Superocean Automatic 44 clock features a Breitling Caliber 17 movement with a power reserve of 38 hours. Its stainless steel body makes it ideal for long-term wear. Furthermore, this clock is suitable for both daringly adventurous sports and regular work.

With its conventional and contemporary elements, the Breitling Superocean Automatic 44 watch breathes in a multifunctional character.
Initially established in 1884 by Léon Breitling, the firm specialized in sports and industrial timing chronographs. Breitling’s swift association with the aviation industry gave way to its production of pilot precision instruments. With excellence and innovation, the organization has maintained its leading position in the watchmaking sector. During the 20th century, Breitling’s fame grew as their chronographs gained popularity among pilots and astronauts. Inventions such as the first autonomous chronograph push piece catapulted the brand to prominence.

Apart from upholding its legacy, Breitling is dedicated to stretching boundaries. Breitling clocks are distinguished by their superb workmanship, precision, and sophistication. The reputation of these timepieces is further backed up by the brand’s relentless commitment to brilliance.

This timepiece is destined to be the favorite of watch devotees owing to its restricted supply and unique traits. While expanding its historical roots, Breitling continues to demonstrate its commitment to superior quality with the Breitling Superocean Automatic 44 watch.

For Its Fifth Anniversary, A Small Code 11.59 Refresh

Can you believe it? Five years already. And while the collection might have been slightly (okay, more than slightly) maligned at launch, it seems to be finally hitting its stride. With the release of smaller 38mm Codes last year, plus better dial textures and indices, AP seemed to crack the – you know what, I’m not going to say it. This year, there are a few changes to the collection. First, you’ll no longer see Code 11.59 in white gold for chronographs and time-only pieces. Complications are still theoretically fair game, but we were told that steel and white gold seemed too close to each other and tended to cannibalize their own market. So expect to see more pink gold – the only gold variant the brand is doing on the Code for now https://www.highluxurystore.ru.
I didn’t get to spend much time with the Codes, but this is what we saw. The introductions were all dial variations on the now-existing platforms of 38mm and 41mm self-winding pieces and the 41mm chronographs, all in pink gold with stamped dials. In 38mm by 9.6mm models, you can now see the “Bleu Nuit, Nuage 50” color of the original ref. 5402 Royal Oak on the stamped texture dial, delivered with a matching alligator strap or blue textured rubber. There’s also a much lighter light blue dial, a color between powder blue and turquoise. The 41mm three-hand (with date) models now come in that same dark blue and green (like seen on the steel pieces last year). Finally, the chronographs have blue, green, or black dial options now, and yes, they’re all now the stamped dial style from the steel chronographs, a massive improvement.
Audemars Piguet Code 11.59 Selfwinding, ref. 77410OR (38mm) and 15210OR (41mm), 38mm by 9.6mm OR 41mm by 10.7mm 18k pink gold case, with 30m water resistance; Light blue (38mm only), “Bleu Nuit, Nuage 50,” or green dial with stamped motif, applied pink gold hour- markers and hands with luminescent material, and matching color inner bezel; Self-winding Calibre 5900 with 60 hours of power reserve (38mm) or Self-winding Calibre 4302 with 70 hours of power reserve (41mm). Textured rubber straps in matching colors.
Audemars Piguet Code 11.59 Selfwinding Chronograph Ref. 26393OR; 41mm diameter by 12.6mm thick 18k pink gold case, with 30m water resistance. “Bleu Nuit, Nuage 50,” or green dial with stamped motif, applied pink gold hour- markers and hands with luminescent material, and matching color inner bezel, gold surrounds on the 3 o’clock and 9 o’clock subdials; Flyback chronograph, hours, minutes, small seconds and date; Selfwinding Calibre 4401 and 70 hours of power reserve. Color-matching textured rubber strap.

NOMOS GLASHÜTTE Club Campus Endless

Nomos’ watches are often lauded for their unmistakable Bauhaus influences, and with good reason. “Less is more” is a famous slogan, but also a significant part of our modern understanding of colour is rooted in Bauhaus colour theory. Nomos appears to have embraced its colour studies over the years, consistently presenting watch dials in captivating shades and hues across all collections. Among them, the Nomos Club Campus series stands out as particularly vibrant. Notably, the brand continuously introduces exciting new colours to this series each year, showcasing a commitment to exploring colour aesthetics. After Absolute Gray and Future Orange, Blue Purple and Deep Pink, Cream Coral and Electric Green, the time has come for the Nonstop Red and Endless Blue.
Nomos tailors its Club Campus series specifically for the younger generation, positioning these watches as ideal companions for students during intense study sessions or as a tangible memento for celebrating graduation – complete with a complimentary caseback engraving. Crafted with the needs of young individuals in mind, these timepieces boast a robust construction, essential features, and an infusion of excitement through vibrant dial colours. And its relatively accessible price is also a great part of this strategy.
In the latest 2024 offerings, Nomos continues its trend, introducing references that echo the characteristics of previous years. The dials now sport striking bright red and captivating blue hues, adding another burst of energy to the collection. Available in polished stainless steel cases with diameters of 36mm and 38.5mm, with respective heights of 8.2mm and 8.5mm, these watches maintain a sleek profile with their rounded bezels and long curved lugs while ensuring durability, with water resistance of up to 100 meters.
The Nonstop Red and Endless Blue dials of the Nomos Club Campus maintain the familiar series design, featuring a stylish blend of Arabic, Roman, and baton-style hour indices – a sort of inverted California dial, the Glashütte way. All indices are coated in Super-LumiNova, emitting a captivating blue glow in the dark. The dial’s periphery hosts a minute track with double-digit markings for 5-minute segments, while the recessed subdial for running seconds takes centre stage in the lower part of the dial. The rhodium-plated hour and minute hands have Super-LumiNova inlays, matching the indices. The small seconds hand is painted in a signature neon orange, standing out against the blue – and surprisingly well against the vibrant red background, too, contributing to the overall youthful design.
Nomos offers versatility with a choice between a solid steel or sapphire crystal caseback, expanding the options for the new Nonstop Red and Endless Blue references to eight. For those who prefer a display caseback, the in-house built, hand-wound Alpha calibre is on display, featuring elegant decorations such as Glashütte ribbing and perlage on the rhodium-plated surfaces, a sunburst finish on the ratchet and crown wheel, along with blued screws and gold engravings on the three-quarter plate. Those seeking ample space for a personalized message will appreciate knowing the decorated movement’s power reserve is up to 43 hours.

The Futuristic Hamilton Ventura Edge Dune And Ventura XXL Bright Dune Limited Editions

For the release of the second movie of the Dune trilogy, Hamilton teamed up with Legendary Entertainment and Warner Bros. Pictures. At the special request of filmmaker Denis Villeneuve, the brand created a special “Desert Watch” featured in the movie. So, to celebrate the release of the Dune: Part Two and the brand’s part in it, Hamilton is now releasing the futuristic Hamilton Ventura Edge Dune and Ventura XXL Bright Dune. These two limited editions are inspired by the watch from the movie. They make for a remarkable duo that proves once more that Hamilton does big things as part of the movie industry.

My first introduction to Dune dates back to the late 1990s when I became a big fan of a hardcore band called Shai Hulud. It’s not a very obvious name for a band, so I had to find out what it was all about. That’s when I discovered that the Shai Hulud are large sandworms that live on the fictional planet Arrakis, the home of the Fremen people and where the Dune books take place. It’s a weird way of getting familiar with Frank Herbert’s science-fiction novels. But by choosing that band name, I suspect many people unfamiliar with Dune were introduced to the remarkable series. I have to admit, though, that I never finished it. I started passionately but quit for some reason while reading the fourth part and never came back to it. It’s one of those things that I would have done differently now.
But luckily, we now have the movies. While the Dune trilogy on the silver screen can never be as detailed and impressive as the books, I was genuinely excited about the release of the first Dune movie. Over the decades, the series of books had always been deemed impossible to transfer to the silver screen but not necessarily because it is unfilmable. Many of the books’ iconic passages make for great cinematic moments. Rather, it was due to the sheer volume, the different narrators, and how much individual character development would need to be crammed into one movie. Still, the first movie set the stage for the story perfectly. Hopefully, the second and third parts will further deepen the story in a way that does the Dune novels justice.
For Dune: Part Two, Dennis Villeneuve requested to have a watch specially made. This led to Hamilton working with the movie’s prop master Doug Harlocker. The goal was to create a watch that defies the shapes and functions of a traditional one. It was to become an instrument that did not have a specific set of functions.
But inspired by Frank Herbert’s books and Dennis Villeneuve’s artistic vision for the movies, the Hamilton design team developed the “Desert Watch.” The result is a distinctly Fremen device fitting Harlocker’s creative ideas and getting Villeneuve’s blessing to be used in the movie.
The Desert Watch inspired Hamilton to create two limited editions based on the watch from the movie. Because the movie watch is not a working timepiece with traditional functions, the Hamilton designers needed to find a way of integrating the style of the Desert Watch into a more traditional canvas. And what better canvas than the brand’s Ventura? This Hamilton classic lends itself perfectly to two futuristic watches inspired by the Desert Watch prop.
The first is the Ventura XXL Bright Dune, featuring a curved, oversized version of the characteristic Ventura case. It features a black PVD coating and measures 52mm wide, 46.6mm long, and 11.8mm thick. Technically, it also has a 23.5mm lug spacing, but the proprietary strap’s diagonally cut ends render standard aftermarket straps a no-go anyway. Nevertheless, this black rubber strap contributes to a rather low-key appearance, allowing the dial to take center stage.
At its core, it is a traditional black dial with regular white markers and brass hour, minute, and second hands that have received special black treatment. But the special blue pattern on the dial stands out immediately. The blue color takes inspiration from the eyes of the Fremen, the people who play a pivotal part in the Dune stories.
With a movie like Dune: Part Two, that potential is huge. That’s why I do not doubt that Hamilton will sell all 5,000 pieces in no time. Plenty of dedicated fans would gladly pay for a watch like these two. They are the perfect reminder that I should finish the books. Realistically, though, I’ll probably watch the movies first, especially with Dune: Part Two coming out soon. The film debuts on the 29th of February here in the Netherlands. Other countries have different release dates, so check for that and spot the cool Desert Watch that inspired these two limited editions on the silver screen.

For more information, visit the official Hamilton website. Let us know your thoughts on these two timepieces in the comments section. Are you a fan of Dune, and can you relate to these two limited editions? I would love to find out.

A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 Perpetual Calendar and Patek Philippe Ref. 5004

One of my favorite elements of watch design is the myriad ways in which a given complication can be formatted onto the surface of a dial. It’s what draws me to the many permutations of multiple time zone watches, and it’s something that is also highlighted by the not-so-humble perpetual calendar. Sure, the standard format is a host of tiny subdials that breakdown the date and phase of the leap year – but that’s far from your only option.

A. Lange & Söhne makes one of my favorite re-thinkings of the QP in the charming Lange 1 Perpetual Calendar. It’s a design that completely subverts the traditional layout of the QP but manages to do so while also respecting the specific design language of the Lange 1. The dual-digit grand date is complemented by a retrograde hand indicating the day of the week (with the weekend at the top, as it should be). Then, the months are displayed at the dial’s edge via a rotating ring that shows the active month at six o’clock. Finally, nestled just above the indicator for the month, there is a tiny aperture for the leap year. Chef’s kiss https://www.highluxurystore.ru.

With a quick glance, you might not even notice it’s a QP as the complication takes a backseat to the Lange 1’s beloved asymmetry. While I wouldn’t call a 42mm platinum-cased watch specifically subtle, this is a very low-key take on a traditionally flashy complication, and I just love it.
It’s the Patek 5004. Need I say more? Apparently, I’m told I do, but I’ll keep it brief.

Split-seconds. Perpetual calendar. Lemania-based movement. Take your pick of metals or dial indices: this is the ultimate Patek Philippe of the last thirty-odd years, bridging the gap between vintage and modern. Many people call it “the last great Lemania-era Patek.” But what does that even mean? It wasn’t until 2009 that the great Patek Philippe launched their first in-house chronograph wristwatch caliber. Before that, they only used three chronograph calibers as a base. The caliber 27-70, based on the Lémania 2310 ebauche, was the last of these three and, with the introduction of the 5004, brought the rattrapante and perpetual calendar together in a Patek wristwatch for the first time. And if you can count on one thing from watch lovers, even if something new is “technically better,” they certainly miss “the good old days.”
The only real complaint I’ve ever heard about this watch is it’s a bit thick, but that doesn’t stop it from being an incredible piece. It’s been my number-one grail for a long time, though I’ll probably never afford one. I got to test drive that experience, however, for about eight hours last spring, and I still think about it – and how uncomfortable I was with everyone asking me about my (very expensive) watch. That’s what happens when you wear an icon.

There’s something so nostalgic about a watch that innovates as the 5004 did while sticking to a core of the brand’s history: using someone else’s quality work and taking it to a new, nearly perfect level. And to top it all off, Patek gave the watch a perfect production send-off in 2011 with a steel case model, ref. 5004A (only 50 of them planned in total), and a unique piece in titanium for Only Watch. I’ve also been lucky to handle the ref. 5004A a few times, and it feels smaller because the case is much lighter than the precious metal versions. There are around 250 of the reference 5004 made, and if I had to pick one, you could do far worse than the rare few with Breguet numerals, like Eric Clapton’s or Roni Madhvani’s, but beggars can’t be choosers. Like Ben said, in platinum, white, yellow, or rose, you can’t go wrong https://www.highluxurystore.ru.

The Watches Of The 2024 NBA All-Stars

The old timers may say that they don’t play defense anymore (and they may be somewhat right), but the talent level in the NBA, top to bottom, has never been higher than it is at present. And at the very top, the talent is downright ridiculous – so much so that the greatest shooter in the history of the game, Steph Curry, is coming off the bench in this year’s All-Star Game.

On top of that, the NBA watch game has arguably never been better. The overall interest in and appreciation for the timepieces we talk about every day seem to have grown amongst NBA players in the days since we sat down with the likes of J.J. Redick and Andre Iguodala. To demonstrate, we zoomed in on the wrists of 16 of this year’s All-Stars (including a very recent Talking Watches guest) to see what they’ve been wearing over the past few years.
An NBA champion, two-time NBA MVP, eight-time All-Star – and Breitling ambassador – the “Greek Freak” is one of the most unique and dominant players in the game. Here he is at All-Star Weekend 2024, sporting the SuperOcean Automatic 44. During the Dunk Contest, it was hard to miss this one as Giannis donned Shaquille O’Neal’s blazer just before Mac McClung leaped over him to take home his second straight victory.
Last year, then-teammate James Harden gifted Embiid this Rolex for winning the league’s MVP award. While we know teammate Tobias Harris is the 76ers real watch guy, an engraved Day-Date from a teammate for winning the league’s top individual award is something pretty special. We’ll be thinking about this iconic watch moment as we wish Embiid a speedy recovery. While we won’t be seeing him take the court for the All-Star game tonight we hope to be watch spotting him in the playoffs.
The four-time All-Star appears to have a growing Richard Mille collection; here he is wearing the RM 010 in titanium with an on-brand green strap. It’ll be interesting to see which model he picks up after the Celtics win the 2023-24 NBA Championship (just a bit of attempted title manifestation from Will Holloway: Resident Celtics obsessive).
No player’s star has risen more this year than Tyrese Haliburton (with apologies to New York Knick Jalen Brunson). His game is unorthodox but very, very good, just like his Cartier Crash. In fact, this Crash has a bit of a back story that played out in a Mike Nouveau TikTok. He and Four + One alum Zoë Abelson personally delivered the watch to him after a home game in Indiana earlier this season. Clearly, he’s loving his new watch.
It’s Dame Time. And these days, when eight-time NBA All-Star Damian Lillard checks the time, it’s on the just released 40mm Tissot PRX Powermatic 80 Damian Lillard Special Edition. This brand new take on the PRX format features a dial texture made up of the number 0, his number, and a silhouette of Lillard in his “Dame Time” pose on the caseback. This watch collaboration from the official timekeeper of the NBA is about as fun as it gets, especially for hardcore fans of the game.
He may not be the first name that comes to mind when you think of NBA superstars, but we get the feeling that Mitchell’s time is coming. His watch game is already there – here he is spotted wearing what looks to be a Patek Philippe Nautilus 5712 at the 2023 U.S. Open in New York City. When we filmed Talking Watches with Julius Randle last year, we came away thinking that Julius is really, really into two things: basketball and watches. He bought the AP Royal Oak Music Edition to celebrate last year’s All-Star appearance. One wonders how he’ll commemorate this year’s selection. A three-time All-Star, “Ice Trae” is known for his unlimited shooting range and the depth of his interest in watches. Here he is sporting a gold Day-Date with a gold dial and what appear to be quite fitting diamond indices while arriving at a game in Toronto last year. We’ll keep our eyes peeled during his tunnel walk tonight.

Victoria Beckham Designed A Collection Of 36mm Breitling Chronomats

It’s funny to think that Victoria Beckham’s “entry” into the fashion business started with a denim line named VB Rocks in the early ’00s. The brand gained infamy by pricing its jeans at $300 a pop. Early aughts designer denim brands like Diesel and True Religion were already charging triple digits for jeans. Beckham’s price point, however, was leaps higher than the rest, leaving customers bewildered with sticker shock but also paving the way for what was to become an aggressively profitable segment of the industry. We laugh in hindsight, given the current pervasiveness and frankly exorbitant prices of today’s designer denim. This was before Balenciaga or Gucci or Bottega Veneta was making and incorporating entire lines of denim into their commercial collections. How very prophetic of Beckham.
VB has always been slightly ahead of the curve. A main staple of the cultural lexicon since the ’90s, Beckham’s career trajectory began as one-fifth of the most famous girl band to have ever existed (fight me on this, I dare you) and parlayed into her becoming the matriarch of a global Beckham dynasty. Today, Beckham is also known for being a legitimate force in the fashion industry as the founder and creative director of her eponymous fashion label. Victoria Beckham presents its ready-to-wear collections every season in Paris and retails in 230 stores in 50 countries worldwide.
Last week Beckham presented us with her latest design conquest by releasing a collection of watches in collaboration with Breitling. The Breitling Chronomat Automatic 36 Victoria Beckham collection includes six variations and is limited to 1,500 pieces. It’s quintessential Chronomat with its vertebrae-like rouleaux bullet bracelet that makes you want to run your fingers across the polished grooves every time you come close to touching it (maybe that’s just me?), and has the traditional raised rider tabs at the 15-minute mark. The limited collection comes in two metals: stainless steel and yellow gold – a metal which was brought back from the dead for Breitling, specially for VB. Swiss watch brands, please take note!

The new dial colorways are inspired by Beckham’s own Spring/Summer 2024 palette, including peppermint, midnight blue, dove gray, and sand. The watches feature the Breitling logo on the dial and Victoria Beckham’s initials on the seconds hand. The watches are equipped with self-winding Breitling Caliber 10, which features a date window at six o’clock. The movement has approximately 42 hours of power reserve and is COSC certified.
Despite being a very modest 36mm, the Breitling Chronomat Automatic 36 Victoria Beckham watch still has a lot of heft. It’s chunky in that perfectly ’90s Breitling way – a look we know Beckham aligns with when wearing her personal watches: “Typically I do like a more masculine watch,” she says, “but one that does have a sense of femininity, a sense of elegance.” I can relate to Beckham, as I too prefer a watch with more heft, but it has to be that perfect meet-in-the-middle proportion, that balance of heft and legibility but also of curvature and wearability. The contrast of wearing a larger, more “masculine” watch a little loose on your wrist could in turn make you feel more feminine. Like wearing oversized clothing to make you feel smaller: it’s the boyfriend jean effect.

The watch is by no means a total redesign – it’s a revamp of a classic. Which by the way is fine, Breitling is not looking to reinvent the brand, they’re looking to appeal to a new demographic by tweaking the existing offering. “It was just taking what Breitling does so well and putting my little spin on that,” explained Beckham, “you know, ultimately making the watches that I as a woman desire to wear.”
This partnership isn’t as unlikely as it seems. VB has been wearing watches proudly since her early days of pop stardom. What started as a stainless steel Cartier Tank Française worn in tandem with her then boyfriend David Beckham’s matching Française, developed into a yellow gold Yacht-Master (again, matching with Becks). Then came the countless diamond-set Jacob and Co. Five Time Zone, which eventually, with time, snowballed into a pretty serious watch collection.

VB has always been part of the pop-culture and watch Venn diagram. Given gen Z’s obsession with rehashing ’90s visual cultural ephemera on Instagram, her watch choices from decades past have been immortalized online. The now very famous airport paparazzi pictures of Victoria and David Beckham in 1997 wearing the aforementioned matching Cartier watches even served as inspiration for Gucci’s most recent Creative Director Sabato De Sarno debut campaign for the house late last year. This is the power of the Beckhams. In recent years we have come to know Beckham as a bonafide watch collector; she has been spotted wearing a Nautilus Ref. 7118/1300R-00 and a ref. 116505 Everose Daytona, amongst others. Now Beckham has come to create her own line of watches. Because surely making, not just wearing the product is how you wield real influence in 2024? It’s interesting to note that her new collection of watches is actually a partnership between Breitling Chronomat Automatic 36 Victoria Beckham and her ready-to-wear brand, not VB the woman. Which makes total sense. It’s a way for Beckham and Breitling to cross pollinate watches and the wider world by focusing on design and not just celebrity. Victoria Beckham seems like an obvious choice, but by using her brand as the platform and eliminating herself as the focal point (note, she is not featured in the campaign), it becomes a slightly more earnest and almost more respectable way of speaking to the woman consumer. This is not a collaboration-cum-ambassadorship style gimmick but a fully fledged fashion brand collaboration with a heritage Swiss watch brand.

To be frank, Breitling Chronomat Automatic 36 Victoria Beckham would need to pull a stunt like this because I personally don’t know any women purchasing Breitling watches in 2024. This is a topic brand CEO Georges Kern is very transparent about: “We are predominantly a male brand but why should we close ourselves towards 50% of the market? But we want to be the cool and relaxed alternative in this male [dominated] market and we want to have the same positioning with women’s watches… [A] relaxed alternative to the very conservative and classic Swiss watchmaking.” Beckham understands how to speak to women. Today her look is polished and pristine. Her ready-to-wear line consists of relaxed, slightly deconstructed city tailoring, perfectly cut wool coats and fluid, ankle-grazing silk dresses. It’s for grown-ups. And with a luxury fashion brand comes highly sophisticated campaign imagery – a tactic that Beckham clearly carried over to Breitling for the release of this collection. It seems she was vehemently in control as creative director too, choosing Mario Sorenti to shoot the campaign. Sorenti is a highly esteemed fashion photographer who has spent the last three decades capturing fashion campaigns (with clients including Calvin Klein, Chanel, Saint Laurent) that are forever imprinted onto our memories, by choice or not. Beckham also brought on one of her model-muses to star in the campaign and used full Victoria Beckham looks and accessories to style the shoot. Why waste a perfectly solid marketing opportunity that benefits both brands? And what’s more, why not cultivate imagery that a modern woman with spending power can identify with? I scrolled through countless pictures of VB in multiple listicles all titled something along the lines of “75 best Victoria Beckham outfits of all time.” It became clear to me that despite a few wild card choices in the ’90s (matching his and hers sarongs anybody?), her style has remained consistent since the turn of the millennium. Beckham has, for example, always understood the power of a simple Alaïa dress or the routine of sticking to the same black bug eye sunglasses. It’s her take on a uniform, and often that uniform includes a watch. All of this to say VB’s power in fashion is omnipotent. This may only be a small 1,500 piece dent for now. but let’s see if this yields as much influence as VB is truly capable of.

Breitling Chronomat Automatic 36 Victoria Beckham

Music, fashion, skincare—is there anything Breitling Chronomat Automatic 36 Victoria Beckham can’t do? The 49-year-old designer and business mogul has built an empire over the past 25 years with one unifying idea: if she likes it, others might, too. “Ultimately, I like to create what I desire myself,” Beckham says over Zoom. And thus far, it’s worked out swimmingly—the Brit has parlayed her posh style into a successful brand, her one-liners into covetable t-shirts, and her enviable skin into a beauty line. Now, she’s turning her attention toward Father Time. Beckham has partnered with Breitling on a limited-edition watch—with only 1,500 units available—inspired partly by the designer’s spring 2024 Victoria Beckham collection.
Watch fans will recognize the silhouette of the collaboration piece as Breitling Chronomat Automatic 36 Victoria Beckham model—a sleek, androgynous style that Beckham felt fit squarely into her aesthetic. “When it comes to fashion, everything I do is originally inspired by menswear,” she says. “Then it’s about getting that perfect balance between masculinity and femininity.” Available in stainless and a yellow gold specially revived by Breitling for this collaboration, the watches have a “cool” and “effortless” feel that Beckham yearns for in her designs. “A very slight feminine touch” is in the mix via watch faces done in color—the hues were plucked from her most recent collection—like peppermint, midnight blue, dove gray, and sand.

Beckham herself is partial to the gold watch with the sand face, as the shades blend together for an almost monochromatic look (as seen on model Annemary Aderibigbe, who is featured in the Mario Sorrenti-shot campaign for the collaboration). “I’m a minimalist,” the designer says, which is also why you won’t find an excess of Beckham’s own branding on the watch, just a VB found on the second hand, and her name engraved subtly on the bracelet. “I didn’t want anything overly branded. I wanted to keep it quite simple and clean, but then add a little something for some edge. I think that comes through with the colored faces—they’re unexpected.”
When discussing the watch, it’s easy to tell Beckham has a fondness for this specific accessory—and her husband, David Beckham, is partially to thank for that. “My husband has bought me lots of watches over the years, and they all take me back to the moment when he gifted me them,” she says. Victoria still holds on to all of those gifts, and now the Breitlings will be added to her collection, not only for her future self to enjoy, but for her four children as well. Because while her clothing pieces from the ’90s may come and go out of style, watches are—for lack of a better term—timeless. She admits she donated a lot of her and David’s wardrobe to charity a few years ago, pieces she assumed were too dated to ever be worn again. “The kids are like, ‘I can’t believe dad got rid of this or that,’ but we obviously thought whatever [David] was wearing in the Nineties, he would never wear again,” she explains with a laugh. Watches, though—especially her collaboration with Breitling—will remain in her archive, because they’re classics, of course, but also for a much more sensible reason. As Beckham puts simply: “It’s always good to be on time.”
Als Breitling Chronomat Automatic 36 Victoria Beckham im Jahr 2008 ihre eigene Modemarke lancierte, wurde sie von vielen nicht ganz ernst genommen. Als Girlband-Mitglied und Spielerfrau wurde Posh Spice, so ihr Spitzname bei den Spice Girls, gesehen, nicht aber als ernstzunehmende Designerin. Alle kritischen Stimmen wurden schnell eines Besseren belehrt: Die cleanen, scharf geschnittenen, aber immer femininen Entwürfe der heute 49-jährigen Britin überzeugten nicht nur Kundinnen, sondern auch Mode-Expertinnen wie die «Vogue»-Chefin Anna Wintour. Das Angebot umfasst heute neben Kleidung auch Schuhe, Taschen und Brillen.
Die Zusammenarbeit mit Breitling hat die Designerin als sehr angenehm empfunden: «Es war wundervoll, wie die Handwerkskunst und die Innovation von Breitling mit meinen Ideen zusammenfanden, um etwas so Elegantes und Frisches zu kreieren», lässt sie sich zitieren.