Breitling Launch Chronomat Six Nations Limited Editions in Patriotic Colours

Rugby players are just built different. Off the field they tend to be the gentlest giants you can imagine and then once the game starts it’s like there are 30 freight trains gunning it straight at each other. Personally, I’ve never understood why you’d watch football when rugby exists. Why is this relevant? Well, later this week the Six Nations tournament gets underway and to celebrate Breitling (official timekeepers for the event) have launched the new Breitling Chronomat Six Nations limited edition collection.

It won’t come as any surprise that there are six Chronomats in the Chronomat Six Nations collection, one dedicated to each of the competing nations and their respective Rugby Unions. There’s the English RFU, Scottish SRU, Welsh WRU, Irish IRFU, French FFR and Italian FIR. The last thing to mention before we get to the watches themselves is that a player from each team has been nominated to join the “Breitling Rugby Squad” essentially becoming a Breitling ambassador within their teams.

While each watch has a very distinct dial, the six watches share a core construction and design. They have 42mm cases in stainless steel with matching steel bezels and chronograph pushers. Inside, they house the Breitling Calibre 01 column-wheel chronograph movement with 70-hour power reserve that features hours, minutes, 1/4^th second chronograph hand, small seconds, 30-minute counter, 12-hour counter and date functions.

It’s the dials where the team spirit and liveries shine through. The English edition is white with red chronograph hands and has the RFU rose on the subdial at 9 o’clock, as well as on the exhibition caseback. In fact, all 6 watches feature their Union logos in those positions. Scotland’s Chronomat is blue with white subdials, has blue chrono hands and their logo is a stylised thistle. Wales has a burgundy colour dial with black subdials, white hands and their feather logo.

Moving outside of the UK now, Ireland’s is green with white subdials and hands and also features their shamrock. Italy’s is a shade of light blue, matching their kit, which is blue in tribute to the defunct Italian royal family. It has white subdials, red hands and the Italian flag logo – the most sensible logo albeit the least exciting to see on a watch. Lastly, we have France in a darker shade of blue with white subdials, red hands and the cockerel motif.

The six Breitling Chronomat Six Nation watches are limited to 150 pieces each, for a total of 900 pieces. It’s a fair few, although it will likely be difficult to get your hands on the more popular references – so that will be all of them except Wales. Just don’t tell them that the Welsh edition is actually one of the more interesting versions. Regardless, loyalty dictates I must opt for the English one. Come on the Roses!

Check out Breitling’s latest Navitimer limited edition here.