For Baselworld 2011, Breitling and Bentley have again joined forces to present you yet another co-branded Barnato Racing automatic chronograph.
Watches are like music: you take a theme, a guitar, and a pair of skilled hands and churn out thousands of variations that will never become boring.
The new Breitling for Bentley Barnato Racing is just like that. It takes as a source of inspiration the pre-war Bentley racing team and the new Bentley Continental GT luxury sports car and delivers a piece that you will never grow tired of.
The legacy of the 1930s is visible with the steering wheel-style three-handed disks on the chronograph and small seconds sub-dials, and the link with today’s supercars becomes apparent when you take a look at the rear side of the gadget’s case and notice the branded winding rotor, which is shaped like the rims of the new Continental GT.
Also, it must be noted that the “Barnato” part of the name stands for Woolf Barnato, the guy who invested a load of money into the British brand and –for a time– saved it from bankruptcy.
According to the corporate press release, the Barnato Racing Chronograph will be powered by the Breitling B25B automatic movement, which is a COSC-certified version of the ETA 2892 blank caliber.
The caliber is encased into a huge stainless steel body. Being whole 49 mm in diameter, the case is not just big: it is huge and may look awkward if you happen to be thin in your bones.
As to the dial, it is available either in Royal Ebony (pictured) or Silver Storm colors. As usual, Breitling plans to deliver the timekeeper on a wide choice of straps, including an expensive Barenia leather strap, rubber band, or Speed metallic bracelet.
Breitling usually tends to overprice their timepieces and when it comes to models co-branded with Bentley they overprice them even more. This one, for example, is currently offered with a minimum street price of over $12,000 USD even despite it being powered by a gloried ETA caliber (I mean, Breitling already has a great chronograph movement of their own, what keeps them from installing one into this expensive gadget?) Well, what can I say? The watchmaker was here long before I was born, so I have the impression that they do know what they are doing. If this timepiece is out of your budget, well, it’s tough for you, I suppose.
See also: Breitling Avenger Seawolf Chrono Blacksteel
Photos: Breitling
Breitling for Bentley Barnato Racing Chronograph specification
Price: $12,200 (MSRP)
Movement: Automatic, Breitling B25B (based on caliber ETA 2892,) 38 jewels, 28,800 vph, chronometer, COSC-certified, Swiss Made
Movement decoration: Branded rotor
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, date, chronograph
Power reserve: 42 hours
Case: Stainless steel
Shape: Round
Size: 49.00 mm
Dial: Royal Ebony or Silver Storm
Hands: Steel
Water resistance: 100 meters
Strap: Barenia leather, crocodile, rubber or Speed metallic bracelet
Crystal: Sapphire, convex, antireflective coating on both sides
Back: Sapphire