THE ALL-PURPOSE ICON – TECHNICAL INSPIRATION, STYLISH EXECUTION

In the early 1980s, Ernest Schneider – at the helm of Breitling since 1979 – learns that the renowned Italian Frecce Tricolori Jet team is looking for a new chronograph for its pilots. As you would expect for Italian gentlemen, this chronograph should be elegant enough to be worn with a suit when pilots are not on duty but still sturdy enough to properly function in a jet cockpit. It also has to be mechanical, because the elite aerobatics team wants an analog display; at the time, no quartz chronograph movement of this type is yet available on the market. Ernest Schneider doesn’t want to simply offer an adaptation of an existing model; he intends to create a completely new chronograph that perfectly fits the Italian pilots’ needs and desires. As a pilot himself, he intuitively understands the importance of legibility and comfort on the wrist. On a trip to Italy to meet with the Italian Jet Team, he also discovers why some pilots sometimes return with broken watch crystals: when opening the aircraft’s canopy after landing, some pilots give their watch a hard knock against the metal frame as they extend their arms. This leads to the brilliant solution of slightly recessing the crystal in the bezel and to protect it with four “rider tabs.” These soon become the iconic signature mark of the Chronomat.

The chronograph “Frecce Tricolori,” is presented to the eponymous Italian Jet Team in 1983; pilots immediately see the appeal of this ultrafunctional, original and elegant chronograph. The black dial bears the patrol’s emblem: three arrows in the colors of the country’s flag above the inscription “P.A.N frecce tricolori,” with P.A.N standing for Pattuglia Acrobatica Nazionale.

1984 is quickly approaching, and with it the 100th anniversary of Breitling. For the momentous occasion, Ernest Schneider wants to launch a new watch that would revolutionize the industry and put the mechanical chronograph back at center stage, proving that it can still attract a cool and trendy clientele. It is worth remembering that at the time the trend was on slim time-only watches, mostly powered by quartz movements; launching a substantial mechanical chronograph was a bold move from Ernest Schneider. Keenly aware that he has created a chronograph that perfectly embodies the brand’s entire philosophy and mission, he sees the chronograph “Frecce Tricolori” as the perfect foundation to develop the new standard-bearer of the Breitling spirit.

The Chronomat keeps the design elements that made its precursor a faithful companion of Italian Jet Pilots one year before – including the signature rider tabs, the smooth and streamlined case and the iconic “Rouleaux” bracelet. The interchangeable 15 and 45 rider tabs are perfectly suited for either flight (count up) or regatta (countdown) missions and the inner tachymeter scale offers the perfect finish to make the Chronomat the ideal all-purpose chronograph. The Chronomat event gets a yachting version and a version specifically designed for the Renault F1 Team. Soon, a two-tone version is offered with rider tabs, crown and pushers in gold and gives the Chronomat a luxurious flair, making it a symbol of style. From sportsmen to businessmen, actors to jetsetters, everybody wears the Chronomat and enjoys its sport-chic look that really makes it stand apart from the competition of that period.

The Chronomat has remained in production since then and has seen several aesthetic and technical evolutions. Underscoring its cornerstone position in the Breitling collection, it also becomes the first Breitling to receive the in-house Manufacture Chronograph Caliber 01 in 2009. In 2020, the Chronomat collection has been re-designed for a new era while keeping the signature design codes of the original. With the comeback of the iconic “Rouleaux” bracelet, the Chronomat is the perfect watch for every pursuit.