Cars & motorsport

09/03/2021

Breitling Throws One Of The Best Events Of Geneva Watch Days For Its Top Time Classic Cars Capsule Collection

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.

By Jessica “J.J.” Owens

Contributor

Whisked away about 30 minutes outside the typical craze surrounding Geneva Watch Days, a dimly lit oasis was waiting, as well as the formidable Georges Kern, who discussed not only the latest novelties but also what was next for Breitling.

The gathering was filled with suspense and surprises, as Breitling’s new Top Time Classic Cars Capsule collection was complemented by the very cars that inspired it. Revved up and racing around the attendees, the buzz generated by these new pieces was undeniable.

The Chevrolet Corvette: Racing Red

Outfitted with the COSC-certified Breitling Calibre 25, the 42mm Top Time Chevrolet Corvette piece is as beautiful as its four-wheeled inspiration. A gearhead’s ideal watch, the striking, red-dialed chronograph is accompanied by a tachymeter scale highlighted with rainbow Super-LumiNova indices. This timepiece generates the same excitement one might feel when seeing a vintage Corvette.

The New Breitling Top Time Chevrolet Corvette

The watch draws its design inspiration from the Corvette C2 “Sting Ray", created by Louis Chevrolet in the mid-1960s. In a weird twist of fate, it turns out that he was born in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland – a city known for its long watchmaking history. Breitling’s choice to incorporate the Sting Ray expertly extends its historical provenance.

The Corvette C2 “Sting Ray"

The Ford Mustang: A Green Machine

Much like the enduring power of the legendary Ford Mustang, the release of the 42mm Top Time Ford Mustang proves green dials are here to stay. Like its Corvette counterpart, which has the iconic racing flags engraved on its caseback, this watch’s caseback features Mustang’s famous galloping horse.

The New Breitling Top Time Ford Mustang

The utilization of the logos, as Georges Kern mentioned, required two years of negotiations, demonstrating Breitling’s genuine desire to deliver a Top Time Classic Cars Capsule collection authentic to its motoring inspiration.

The Ford Mustang

The Shelby Cobra: Bold in Blue

The personal favorite of one of the surprise panelists, photographer Ted Gushue, the electric blue dial of the Shelby Cobra piece is contrasted with accents of red, drawing instant comparisons to the Shelby Cobra in both color and history. And sized at 40mm, this piece mirrors the fact that the Shelby Cobra is slightly smaller than the Corvette C2 and Mustang.

The New Breitling Top Time Shelby Cobra

Looking at this collection, one dial more striking than the last, like the trio of cars it’s inspired by, it is difficult to choose just one model in Breitling’s new Top Time Classic Cars Capsule collection.

The Shelby Cobra

Kern on the Clock

Throughout the presentation, Georges Kern shared his aspirations for Breitling. The most prominent being a commitment to a “green” future. First and foremost, to reduce their carbon footprint, Kern mentioned how Breitling is ending their Jet Team due to its environmental impact, in addition to taking significant steps in production. However, let’s not forget, the “green” goal is also in a monetary sense.

Kern doesn’t “think” Breitling will be his billion-dollar baby; he knows it will. In the few years since Georges Kern took the helm, it is clear Breitling is on a new path, reducing skews and looking back toward cherished designs of the brand’s past.

Breitling’s Top Time Classic Cars Capsule collection is quite literally paving the way, or road, to future success, and as Mr. Kern put it, it’s “only the beginning.”