The new Breitling Premier B01 Chronograph collection celebrates the 80th anniversary of the classic model

Chris Antzoulis

• Breitling releases new Premier B01 Chronographs with a slimmer profile
• Six models, five new dial colors, available in stainless steel and gold
• The collection celebrates the 80th anniversary of their Premier chronographs

If there’s one thing Breitling is synonymous with, it’s their history of innovation with chronographs and chronograph movements. According to Breitling, after decades of establishing themselves as the leaders in aviation tools and timekeeping, third generation owner Willy Breitling sought to create a chronograph watch that “would be functional but also undeniably elegant and infinitely wearable—in his words, ‘the unmistakable stamp of impeccable taste.’” Out of a post-war desire to bring a heightened sense of elegance to tool watches, putting the past behind them and looking to a brighter future, the Breitling Premier Chronograph was born in 1943. Eighty years later, Breitling have returned with six new Breitling Premier B01 Chronograph models to celebrate the occasion.

The key to this new release rests in its more manageable thickness. In a way, the new Premier B01 Chronographs serve as a middle ground between the 40mm Premier B09 and 42mm Premier B25 Datora models from 2021. Sure these new B01 models are 42mm in diameter like the B25’s, but they are considerably thinner at 13.6mm thick versus the 15.35mm thickness of the B25 and less than a millimetre thicker than the manually wound B09’s (13.08mm thick). In terms of lug-to-lug distance, it expectedly clocks in at the same 50mm lug-to-lug measurement as the 42mm B25’s rather than the 40mm B09’s measurement of 47.6mm lug-to-lug. While I would not recommend swimming with the Premier B01 on a leather strap, all of the six new pieces boast a capable 100m depth rating. Therefore, if you plan on swimming with the watch, you can find a more aquatic-appropriate aftermarket strap 22mm in width or opt for the factory metal bracelet.

The dials, inspired by Premier watches in their archives, are definitely eye-catching in regard to hue and finish. The smooth, slim, fixed bezels bring about the very definition of the term “all-dial,” and set the stage for what’s underneath the cambered AR-coated sapphire crystal. The Premier B01s continue the brand’s tradition of colorful dials with color-matched sub registers, bringing shades of salmon (as seen on the 2021 Premier B25 Datora 42 release), blue, green, black, and cream (along with an 18k red gold version also in cream) into the B01 collection. Each of the six new models can be purchased on an elegant alligator-leather strap with a case-matching deployant buckle or on a full case-matching bracelet.

The Breitling manufacture calibre B01 found inside the new Premier Chronograph, which was redesigned in 2022 and a shared calibre developed by Kenissi and also used by Tudor, comes with a five-year manufacturer’s warranty and boasts a 70-hour power reserve. The new compact rotor allows for a sleeker movement on full display through the sapphire crystal caseback. All Breitling mechanical movements receive COSC certification, and the Premier Chronograph is no exception. However, the manufacturer has their own set of exacting performance tests aimed at replicating 16 years of aging: shock testing (60,000 shocks at 500 G), crown testing (100,000 winds), oscillating weight testing (3.456.000 weight turns), and chronograph pusher testing (5,840 start-stop-reset engagements).

Breitling Premier B01 Chronograph collection pricing and availability:

The Breitling Premier B01 Chronograph is available now for pre-order. Price: US$9,100 (stainless steel on strap), US$9.500 (stainless steel on bracelet), US$20,200 (18K red gold on strap), US$39,700 (18k red gold on bracelet)

Brand	Breitling
Model	Premier B01 Chronograph
Case Dimensions	42mm (D) x 13.6mm (T) x 50mm (L2L)
Case Material	Stainless steel or 18K red gold
Water Resistance	100m
Dial	Salmon, green, blue, black or cream
Crystal(s)	Sapphire crystal and exhibition caseback
Bracelet/Strap	Alligator leather strap w/ case-matching deployant buckle Stainless steel or 18K red gold bracelet
Movement	Breitling automatic manufacture calibre B01
Power Reserve	70 hours
Functions	Hours, minutes, small seconds, date, chronograph, COSC-certified
Availability	Available now for pre-order
Price	US$9,100 (stainless steel on strap) US$9.500 (stainless steel on bracelet) US$20,200 (18K red gold on strap) US$39,700 (18k red gold on bracelet)