Breitling Super Chronomat B19 44 Perpetual Calendar 140th Anniversary

Quick specs Breitling Super Chronomat B19 44 Perpetual Calendar 140^th Anniversary
Price: $ 59,000 | € 55.000 | £ 48,000 | CHF 55’000
Size: 44 mm
Reference: RB19301A1G1S1 – limited to 140 pieces

In the year 1884 Léon Breitling starts a workshop and 140 years later the brand he founded reveals this Breitling Super Chronomat B19 44 Perpetual Calendar 140^th Anniversary. You can read more about Mr. Breitling and his successors in the short story of the history of Breitling. The brand celebrates its 140^th anniversary with a new perpetual calendar chronograph movement for the Chronomat series, as well as the Navitimer and Premier.

As these three models really differ a lot, we have split up the launch of this trilogy into three separated articles. Starting with the Chronomat, here a Super Chronomat, the name for the large models in this series.

History of the Breitling Chronomat

The Chronomat series was kind of relaunched in 1983 as the official watch of Italy’s aerobatics team, the Frecce Tricolori. However, the first Breitling Chronomat dates from 1942, a pilot’s chronograph with extra calculation options. Sometimes seen as the predecessor of the more technical Navitimer that was launched in 1954.

The Chronomat is an extra bold Breitling with raised rider tabs as 15-minute marks which are still part of the design of the watch. Furthermore, with the 1980s design in mind, an onion shaped crown, a Rouleaux-like bracelet, here in rubber, and ceramic inserts on the bezel. The 44-millimeter case is from 18k red gold.

Perpetual functions combined with chronograph functions

The dial of this perpetual calendar chronograph is skeletonized and starts with the moon phase at the 12 o’clock position. This is followed by a date by hand at 3 o’clock that also bears the 30-minute counter.

Then at 6 is the month and the leap year indication, and lastly at 9 the days of the week and the small seconds. The central chronograph seconds hand can indicate up to 1/4^th of a second.

The Breitling Super Chronomat B19 44 Perpetual Calendar 140^th Anniversary has a power reserve of 96 hours

This Breitling Super Chronomat B19 44 Perpetual Calendar 140^th Anniversary runs on the new Breitling caliber B19. It’s the first in-house perpetual calendar for the brand and it is based on the Breitling caliber B01 that was launched in 2009. Which was the first in-house automatic chronograph movement on which they built a number of other calibers as well.

The B19 is a self-winding mechanical movement, bidirectional with ball bearing, with a 22k red gold rotor with an engraving of Breitling’s historic Montbrillant manufactory. The power reserve is 96 hours and the movement is COSC certified.

Other B19 Perpetual Calendar 140^th Anniversary models

This Super Chronomat is the only new B19 powered model with a skeleton dial. Both the Breitling Navitimer B19 Chronograph 43 Perpetual Calendar 140th Anniversary and the Breitling Premier B19 Datora 42 140th Anniversary have a solid dial. However, all models have a sapphire case back.

Each model of this trilogy is limited to 140 pieces and presented in a suede-lined wooden watch box. Which you can configure to display three watches – in case you buy them all three. You will also get a drawer for storage and a removable travel pouch. And a deluxe edition of the book Breitling: 140 Years in 140 Stories (by Rizzoli, 2024). The cover of the book has the model you buy on it.