Breitling is a brand that has been built, in its modern era at least, on a bedrock of tough, no-nonsense tool watches made with professionals in mind. But as a brand with nearly 140 years of history, there’s more to Breitling than fan favorites like the Navitimer and the Superocean. Within its archives, there’s also plenty of elegance to be found. Case in point, the Premier.

The history of the Premier goes back 80 years to 1943, when Willy Breitling, the third-generation of Breitling’s owners, was in charge and busy building some of the brand’s most iconic collections, including the Navitimer and the Superocean. Around 1943, Willy Breitling wanted to inject some glamor into the traditionally practical world of the chronograph, linking purpose with style in a way few had done before.

So, the Breitling Premier was born, and the name — French for first — was chosen specifically as an indicator of quality, for these watches of first quality. Early Premier models featured elegant, solid gold cases, and top-tier dials full of rich details and in a wide range of designs. Notable early pieces include the references 777 and 765, 38mm watches with two or three registers depending on the reference, and possessing the tapered, slender lugs for which the brand was famous.

As the years and decades wore on, the Premier became less of a focus for an evolving Breitling. In 1964, the design was spun off into the Top Time, aimed at a younger clientele; and throughout the ’70s, ’80s and beyond, the brand focused increasingly on professional and sports models. In 2018, the Premier made a triumphant return to the catalog and Breitling was once again in the business of dressy chronographs. This initial release was followed in 2021 by a trio of Premier Heritage Chronograph models. There’s the 40mm contemporary retro take on the classic, powered by the manually wound B09 movement and featuring a model with a particularly striking pistachio dial. The Premier Heritage Duograph is slightly larger at 42mm, and adds a rattrapante function while the 42 mm Premier Heritage Datora also stands out for its highly visible and complex functions, namely its day, date, and moon-phase displays.

Today Breitling unveils the next generation, the Premier B01 Chronograph 42: six new models all powered by one impressive movement, the Breitling Manufacture Caliber 01. Debuting in 2009, this purpose-built, integrated chronograph caliber is one of the most well-respected chronograph calibers currently in production, built with reliability and robustness in mind. What’s more, the B01 has been subtly improved over the years. The latest iteration was redesigned in 2022, is slimmer and boasts a more compact rotor, in addition to a five-year warranty and 70 hours of power reserve. An uninterrupted view of the movement is afforded thanks to the sapphire caseback.

The B01 caliber is one milestone in Breitling’s long history of excellent chronographs. But don’t forget: the Premier is about impeccable style. The 42mm case fits excellently on the wrist, thanks to its smart ergonomics and fairly slender (for a chronograph) height of 13.6mm. Five of the new watches are cased in steel, while one is truly lush in 18K red gold. The final piece of the Premier puzzle is the dial.

Breitling has favored the classics for this debut collection, offering black, blue, salmon, green and cream dials — all with tonally matched subdials and applied dial hardware. The dial design is classical and restrained, with finely printed numerals, an outer tachymeter scale, a well-integrated date at six, and polished Arabic hour markers. The main hour hands are in the syringe style, elegantly pointed, and generously filled with luminous material. The cream and black dials are the most traditional, while the blue and green have a more contemporary flavor. However, the standout for many will be the salmon, a warm and pleasing hue that only accentuates the vintage flair of the Premier. The red gold model is offered with a cream dial that plays very nicely with the warm metal case.

As if these new watches weren’t enough, there’s another significant release today — Premier Story, written by Breitling’s official historian Fred Mandelbaum, is a gorgeously illustrated book detailing the history of the trials and triumph of this most stylish of chronographs.

Tech Specs

Breitling Premier B01 Chronograph 42 in steel

Movement: Self-winding Breitling Manufacture Caliber 01; 70-hour power reserve
Functions: Hours, minutes and seconds; date, chronograph
Case: 42mm x 13.6mm; stainless steel; water resistant to 100m
Strap: Alligator leather in a range of colors with folding buckle or a seven-row steel bracelet with a butterfly clasp

Breitling Premier B01 Chronograph 42 in red gold

Movement: Self-winding Breitling Manufacture Caliber 01; 70-hour power reserve
Functions: Hours, minutes and seconds; date, chronograph
Case: 42mm x 13.6mm; 18K red gold; water resistant to 100m
Strap: Brown alligator leather with an 18K red gold folding buckle or 18K red gold seven-row bracelet with a butterfly clasp