The brand whose history is closely tied to development of aviation timekeepers, Breitling, has prepared a new type of pilot’s watch. The novel piece is named Chronoliner and it is the first watch in the series that has the same name as the model. The timepiece is important since it is also the premier watch by the Grenchen-based brand that is made with a ceramic bezel which is in this instance combined with a steel body. Breitling Chronoliner I supplied with a chronograph and it has an additional GMT hand, as it would be expected from a timepiece that is intended for aviators.
Breilting Chronoliner Chronliner Watch
As the representatives of the watchmaker state, new Chronoliner is heavily inspired by a vintage piece from the middle of the last century. Even though the appearance and the functions may be shared with that historic influence, the new watch is a very modern piece in its essence. The contemporary spirit of Chronoliner is mainly visible in its ceramic bezel. I believe it is the first watch in which the brand ever included a bezel made from this high-tech resilient material. This way, Breitling has joined the current trend of watches with ceramic bezels which was established by other high-end manufacturers. The importance of the brand’s new ability for the production of this kind is also reflected by the fact that the watch introduces the new Chronoliner series which is the first completely new collection by the brand in quite some time.
The bezel is made in black color and with contrasting white numerals. Moreover, it features a distinctive star-shaped design that is meant to facilitate the handling of the bezel which can be rotated both ways. This component, made in one of the hardest existing synthetic materials is mounted on a large stainless steel case with the diameter of 46 mm. The piece is also quite thick with the height measuring to 15.95 mm. Other structural components are a non-crew locked crown with a pair of gaskets, a cambered sapphire crystal with double anti-reflective treatment and a screwed-in case-back. Speaking of the rear side of the case, it should be also said that it is made of solid steel and that it is decorated with an engraving that depicts two stylized aircrafts which is the famous motif that is often used by the brand. As for the water resistance, the construction allows the watch to be submerged up to 100 meters below the surface.
Breilting Chronoliner Chronliner Watch Dial
Surrounded by a black scratch-proofed bezel lays a black face of the watch. It should be said that this is the only color option for the watch’s face which is obviously chosen in order to match with the same colored bezel. The black dial is coupled with chronograph sub-counters which are placed in a traditional manner with the 12-6-9 outlay. These helper dials are used to indicate 30-minutes, 12-hours and small seconds, respectively. The chronograph seconds are shown by a central hand which moves four times per second and ends with an aircraft-shaped tip. Apart from this silver colored hand, there is also another one with the red tip in the same form. It is naturally a GMT hand which shows the time in 24-hour format in the conjunction with the markings that are featured on a bezel. Since the bezel is uni-directional, this second time zone does not really need to be the GMT zone. It can actually be any other one that the wearer prefers. The only remaining supprted indication that is featured on the dial is its date display which is shown through an aperture which sits at the three o’clock position.
Breilting Chronoliner Chronliner Watch Back
All of the features of the new pilot’s timekeeper from the Chronoliner series are enabled by its self-winding mechanical caliber Breitling B 24. The movement with 25 jewels operates at the frequency of 28,800 vph and it features a power reserve of around 42 hours. Needless, to say the specific caliber is, just like all of the ones that are featured in Breitling watches, certified as a chronometer by COSC. B 24 is made with ETA Valjoux 7754 as its base movement. It is fair to expect that some of the following models from the newly established line will feature one of the brand’s proprietary movements. The combination of the in-house caliber and a new type of ceramic bezel is certainly a thing to look forward to.
When the attachments are concerned, the initial watch from the Chronoliner lineage does not offer as many options as it is usually the case. In fact, the only available material is stainless steel. It is, however, possible to choose from two different types of steel bracelets. The first one of those is Navitimer type that includes seven links which are consisted of solid chunks of machined steel. This bracelet locks with a deployant buckle. The other option for the attachment is Ocean Classic mash steel bracelet that securely fastens with a flip-lock type of clasp.
It is expected that the new watch will have the price of around $5,000, thought it still cannot be said for sure, because of the brand’s policy that tends to keep the value of the watches secretive. Just like it is the case for all of its other products, the place to check out the newcomer’s value is one of the brand’s boutiques.
