Breitling Introduces The Top Time B31, The First Time And Date Model In The Collection, With Austin Butler
One of the world’s most versatile actors is the face of Breitling’s new, highly versatile Top Time B31 Collection.
The first time I saw Austin Butler’s work was in “Dune II” in which he portrayed the frankly psychopathic Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen, with chilling fidelity to the character from the novel. If playing murderous sadists were his only stock in trade, he’d be an odd choice to represent one of Breitling’s most approachable new watches, but he can turn on the charm effortlessly (as he proved in “Elvis”) which makes him a very suitable new addition to the Breitling Squad of athletes, performers, and explorers who have been chosen to embody the character of different Breitling watches and collections.
The Breitling Top Time has had its share of the limelight – launched in 1964 as a more stylish, less technical, and more versatile chronograph than Breitling’s more technical offerings, it appeared just a year after the launch, in the 1965 James Bond film, “Thunderball” in which it was equipped with a miniature Geiger counter (and the large case certainly looked big enough to fit a Geiger counter inside). Breitling re-introduced the Top Time chronograph in 2020, and there are now ten Top Time chronos in Breitling’s catalog. This is the first time that Breitling has produced a non-chronograph Top Time, and it’s right in the daily driver Goldilocks zone, at 38mm x 10.3mm. The new Top Time models also feature Breitling’s first in-house time-only movement, the new caliber B31.
The new Top Times are launching in three versions – blue, green, and white dials, with contrasting minute tracks sitting outboard of the hour markers. All watches are available on matching straps, or on a stainless steel bracelet and all three are, like all Breitling watches, certified as chronometers by the COSC.
Breitling’s in-house movements are manufactured at Breitling Chronometrie in La Chaux-de-Fonds. Caliber B31 is a pretty classic and quite solid looking piece of watchmaking – dimensions are 28.40mm x 4.80mm, with bidirectional winding and a 78 hour power reserve. The movement runs at 28,800 vph, which is the long-established standard for modern mechanical watch movements and it looks at least feature-competitive with any other movement in this price range ($5600 on a strap, and $5900 on a bracelet, which is especially nowadays very approachable for a chronometer grade watch with an in-house movement).
Notably, the B31 uses a freesprung, adjustable mass balance, which is brought to time and regulated by four adjustable rim weights. The weights are set into recesses on the rim of the balance, which gives better aerodynamics, and which also means that the overall diameter of the balance can be larger. This is not just an aesthetic decision; a larger diameter for a given mass means the balance has greater angular momentum, which in turn gives better resistance to any external physical disturbances which might upset the rate.
Although the new Top Times don’t break any particular new ground in design or horology, they are a wonderful example of a kind of watch which is becoming increasingly rare as luxury watch brands collectively continue to migrate to higher price points.
They are handsomely designed, and clearly built to last, both technically and from a design standpoint – the dials and hands make for an uncluttered and immediately legible display of the time; the red seconds hands, which are consistent across all three models, allow read-off of the time to the second, as well as accurate setting of the time, and the size along with the other design characteristics make this an excellent candidate for both a first-time excellent quality watch, with reassuring reliability, as well as a great choice for a daily driver. Hopefully watches like these will make it more attractive for those curious about fine watchmaking and mechanical watches to enter those worlds as well – these may be aspirational watches in one sense, but they’re also watches from a real brand with an amazing history, which owners will have every reason to appreciate more, not less, as they find out more about them.
The new Breitling Top Time B31 collection is available immediately.
The Breitling B31 Top Time Collection: cases, stainless steel, 38mm x 10.3mm, water resistance 10 bar/100 meters, with cambered sapphire crystal fitted with cyclops date magnifier; flat sapphire crystal on the display back. Super-LumiNova applied to the hour and minute hands, and hour markers. Movement, Breitling in-house/manufacture caliber B31, 28.40mm x 4.80mm, automatic, bidirectional winding with 78 hour power reserve, chronometer certified by the COSC, running at 28,800 vph in 26 jewels. Available with blue, green, or beige calfskin racing strap with pin buckle, or stainless steel bracelet with folding clasp. Price at launch, $5600 on a strap or $5900 on a bracelet. Available immediately.
The 1916 Company is proud to be an authorized retailer for Breitling watches. See the new Top Time B31 watches here.