Despite being the longest-running car / watch partnership of them all, Breitling & Bentley have been pretty quiet as of late. Well, Bentley hasn’t; their latest golden release is nothing if not loud. But now the partnership’s silence has been broken, this time in the guise of the ever-elegant Premier collection. This is the Breitling Premier Bentley Mulliner Limited Edition.
While not exactly hot on its heels, the new limited edition follows the Bentley Centenary model (you can look back at that here) and it’s an overdue salutation to the Continental GT Mulliner Convertible.
Housed in a 42mm stainless steel case, it’s a nicely-sized men’s watch, none of this retro 39mm malarkey, and a more subtle allusion to the marque than many previous Breitling for Bentley models. Colourwise, it uses the silver dial taken from the car’s dashboard clock, the same blue on strap and dial that covers the GT’s interior, with the red stitching mirrored in the second hand and tachymeter.
A very subtle yet equally clever touch is one you can only see when both clock and watch are together. While the clock shows the numerals 12, 3, 6 and 9, the watch instead shows all the others: 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10 and 11. Otherwise it’s a nicely pared-back take on the Mulliner with no knurling in sight.
The finishing touch is a plate on the side of the case that reads, simply, “Bentley,” based on the engine spin dashboard of historic Bentleys.
Unlike Breitling for Bentley models of the past, you don’t need to approve of or even know about the partnership between the two in order to appreciate the watch. Silver and blue are timeless, and the Premier chronograph is a solid piece of watchmaking, particularly with the Breitling Manufacture Calibre 01 automatic movement powering it.
The Premier Bentley Mulliner Limited Edition stands on its own merits – like any good collaborative watch should.
Price & Specs:
Model Name: Retras Dive Watch
Ref: AB0118A71G1P1; AB0118A71G1P2
Case/Dial: 42mm diameter x 13.65 height, stainless steel
Water resistance: 100m (10 ATM)
Movement: Calibre Breitling Manufacture Caliber 01, self-winding mechanical, COSC-certified
Functions: Hour, minute, second
Frequency: 28,800 vph (4 Hz)
Power reserve: 70h
Strap: Blue alligator leather strap with pin or folding buckle
Price: TBC
More details at Breitling’s website.
