Thunderbirds ARE GO

Breitling's great American sports car lineup gets a new team member and more muscle under the hood with the addition of the Breitling Manufacture Caliber 01.

The 1960s was a decade of experimentation, fun, freedom, and energy. Whether cruising on a motorcycle or revving up a sports car, living life at full speed was the order of the day. Third-generation founder Willy Breitling felt this change of pace and set out to design an unconventional chronograph that captured the verve of the era. He called it the Top Time.

A best-selling collection in 2021, Top Time Classic Cars proved such a success, Breitling had no choice but to bring it back – this time with even more throttle.

The updated Classic Cars collection now includes the Ford Thunderbird model with a red strap and clean white dial that draws the eye to the teal Thunderbird logo and red chronograph hands. The collection also sees the arrival of new versions for the Cobra, Chevy and Mustang, with all four watches featuring the colours and emblems of their 1950s and 1960s sports car counterparts, while other design elements include a perforated leather racing strap, speed-measuring tachymeter scale, and contrasting “squircle” (not quite square, not quite round) subdials evocative of vintage dashboard gauges.

The new additions also benefit from the addition of the Breitling Manufacture Calibre 01 under the hood, an exceptional manufacture movement, whose refined mechanics are visible through the open sapphire-crystal caseback, and which provides an approximately 70hour power reserve and an increased water resistance of 100m (10 bar). breitling.com — NICK WALTON