New: Breitling Top Time B01 Deus

The collaboration between Breitling and Deus Ex Machina gets an update with two new watches sporting the Breitling Manufacture B01 chronograph movement.

Press Release information with commentary in italics.

New: Breitling Top Time B01 Deus

The new Breitling Top Time B01 Deus has a retail price of SGD 11,200 with GST.

Commentary

The Top Time is one of Breitling’s core collection, and this marks the second collaboration with Deus Ex Machina. Among motorcycle aficionados, the Deus branding is a cultural icon. The brand name, which in Latin means God from the Machine, was founded in Australia in 2006, with a blend of the Australian attitude and the motorcycle lifestyle. A curious blend of rebelliousness, fun, creativity and a free spirited vibe.

Two earlier editions were limited editions of 1,500 pieces for the first edition and 2,000 for the second. Both earlier editions carried the Breitling 23 movement which is based on the Valjoux 7750, and the novelty is on the B01 in-house movement.

The new watch carries the Deus signatures of a slightly quirky look, with a black dial and white triple registers. The chronograph hand remains a vivid red, and shaped like a lightning bolt. Also the dial retains the red and orange accents on the tachymeter. The legibility of the white on black, reverse Panda style is an improvement over the sky blue and cream earlier editions. The Deus inscription, “In Benzin Veritas” (Latin for “In Petrol We Trust”) is scrawled on the start of the tachymeter scale.

The new watch, with its “superior” movement carries a price premium, costing SGD 11.2k vs SGD 7.85k in the second edition which is limited to 2000 pieces. Despite what the Breitling Release says that the two earlier editions are sold out (see below), the second edition Deus is still available at time of publication.

In the same Wheels & Waves surf-and-motorcycle festival, Breitling also released a new addition to their Triumph collaboration with a new two counter model in a ice blue dial with black counters. The new Triumph also sports the same B01 movement, and has the same retail price.

Release details

Breitling’s latest collaborations with Deus Ex Machina and Triumph Motorcycles get a mighty upgrade with the addition of the Breitling Manufacture Caliber 01.

Breitling used the backdrop of the Wheels & Waves surf-and-motorcycle festival in Biarritz, France, to launch the two latest editions to its Top Time range. The brand’s “unconventional chronograph”, first released in the 1960s, started as a boldly designed tribute to the freewheeling spirit of its era. Today, the racing chronograph maintains its strong identity while being all about motorbikes, classic cars, and adventure on the open road.

The two new pieces build on the success of Breitling’s past collaborations with Deus Ex Machina and Triumph Motorcycles, and take them into high gear with the introduction of the exceptional Breitling Manufacture Caliber 01.

“These co-branded Top Time watches are for those who are as into the mechanics of their watch as they are the mechanics of their motorcycle,” says Breitling CEO Georges Kern. “The Breitling Caliber 01 is a finely tuned engine, created with all the precision and attention to detail that goes into building the perfect bike.”

BACK, IN BLACK: THE TOP TIME DEUS

Hot on the heels of two sold-out limited editions, Breitling and the Australian custom motorcycle and surf outfitter Deus Ex Machina have joined forces on a third installment of the Top Time Deus, set to become part of Breitling’s core collection.

The new piece presents a monochromatic departure from its colorful predecessors, with a black dial contrasted by its white triple-register subdials and tachymeter scale. It works on either a black racing-themed calfskin leather strap or a mesh metal bracelet. Where the color comes in are with touches of red on the outer dial and – most vividly – on the centerpiece chrono hand that, like the two previous Top Time Deus editions, is shaped like a lightning bolt.

Once again, the sublime engine behind this watch is the Breitling Manufacture Caliber 01, whose open sapphire-crystal caseback features a red Deus logo at its center.

Breitling Top Time B01 Deus Specifications

REFERENCE Deus: AB01765A1B1X1 (Leather) AB01765A1B1A1 (Bracelet)

DIAL Deus: Black with white contrasting chronograph counters

CASE MATERIAL Stainless steel

CASE

DIMENSIONS4 1mm (diameter) × 50.36mm (lug-to-lug) × 13.3mm (thickness)

CRYSTAL Sapphire, glare-proofed on both sides

CASE BACK Screw-down, stainless steel with sapphire exhibition window

MOVEMENT Breitling B01 — manufacture caliber, automatic winding, 28,800vph frequency, 70-hour power reserve, column wheel, vertical clutch

WATER RESISTANCE 10 bar (100 meters)

STRAP Black calfskin strap with folding buckle (20/18 mm) or stainless steel mesh bracelet with butterfly clasp

FUNCTIONS Time (hours, minutes, sub-seconds) and chronograph 1/4th-second scale, 30-minute and 12-hour totalizers