Breitling Top Time Deus Limited Edition
Cars & motorsport
Exclusive Pics: Breitling Partners With Deus And Brings Class To An Untapped Segment
Motorcycle-inspired watches are usually products of collaborations more concerned with promoting the association than actual style and design. That’s not the case with the Breitling x Deus Limited Edition Top Time.
By Bryan Campbell
Contributor
Much like automotive-inspired watches, motorcycle-centric timepieces tend to be hit or miss – but to extreme degrees. It’s a very niche and specialized market catering to car enthusiasts, and with motorcyclists, even more so. If you even think about just dipping a toe into the segment, you better know what you’re doing or team up with someone who does.
Breitling recently (and wisely) opted for the latter tactic when the brand partnered with Deus Ex Machina for the new Breitling Top Time Deus Limited Edition.
Breitling + Deus Ex Machina
No one is saying Breitling doesn’t know how to put a watch together and pay homage to engine-driven speed. But when it comes to motorcycles and capturing the essence and utility of the surrounding lifestyle, Deus is arguably the best.
Anyone paying attention to the numbers knows motorcycle sales are up by double-digit percentage points compared to last year, and interest in the outdoors and adventure lifestyles has also ballooned in popularity.
By partnering with Deus, Breitling is tapping into the Australian brand’s cult following and eye for culture-specific design. When going after the motorcyclist market, it’s all too easy to fall into the trap of simple branding or making on-the-nose and garish motorcycle references (like brake disc-looking cases and clutch plate-style rotors).
What’s Past is Prologue
Introduced in the 1960s and marketed to young and active professionals with the tagline, "LIVE LIFE TO THE HILT,” the Top Time has spent the following six decades proving itself in the real world as a practical and efficient sports watch.
Going into 2021, Breitling was interested in reviving the Top Time by tapping into the young, adventurous, and outdoors-obsessed demographic the original model appealed to, and that has sharply risen in popularity over the past few years, especially so in 2020.
Co-designed with Deus Ex Machina, this new limited edition is a nod to the original 1960s edition. And, as Breitling CEO Georges Kern said in the press release, "Bikers, boarders, surfers, digital nomads…this is a timepiece for dynamic people of action, purpose, and style. Our versatile Top Time Deus celebrates having the freedom to explore the world your way, at your pace."
Introducing the Top Time Deus Limited Edition
Measuring in at 41mm, the new Breitling Top Time Deus Limited Edition has a stainless steel case housing a Breitling Caliber 23 – a COSC-certified, self-winding mechanical movement, packing a power reserve of around 48 hours. The chronograph also features contrasting 1/4th seconds and 30-minute measurement insets.
Moreover, the Top Time Deus Limited Edition isn’t obviously a motorcycle watch, and that’s the best part. The only clear sign of an allegiance to motorcycles is the engraving on the caseback. True, the Deus logo and motto "IN BENZIN VERITAS" grace the dial, but only a real rider will understand the reference.
The brown racing-style leather strap, yellow and orange tachometer-esque details, and lightning bolt-shaped chronograph hand on top of squircle-shaped chronograph counters make the Top Time Deus Limited Edition a broadly appealing watch in general. Not just to anyone looking for a moto-friendly wristwatch.
Only 1,500 examples will be built, and each one carries a price tag of $4,990. Learn more on Breitling's website.
(Photography by Liam O'Donnell)
Breitling Throws One Of The Best Events Of Geneva Watch Days For Its Top Time Classic Cars Capsule Collection
By Jessica “J.J.” Owens
, Contributor
Burgers, bumper cars, vintage cars, and new watches; it sounds like a young kid’s dream, but this was real life and only the beginning for Breitling.
Will Breitling's Partnership With Triumph Motorcycles Set A New Standard?
By Bryan Campbell
, Contributor
Breitling is doubling down on its love affair with motorcycles and announced a partnership with Triumph Motorcycles. Be on the lookout for a few handsome...
A Closer Look At The New Breitling Premier Heritage Collection
By Rhonda Riche
, Editor-At-Large
Breitling is playing with all of the colors in its paintbox with six new revised and refined chronographs.