Breitling wants to spread the relatively new Unitime complication across its whole product range. Besides the gorgeous Transocean “aviator,” the 24-cities display has also been recently added to their elite Breitling for Bentley line. Called (rather predictably) Breitling for Bentley B05 Unitime Chronograph, the new model is powered by the same in-house caliber as both Transocean models but comes in a deliberately oversized body that literally dwarfs a normal “sporty” chronograph with its gargantuan proportions.
Available both in stainless steel and 18-carat rose gold and in two colors of its cluttered dial, the new watch is whole 49 millimeters in diameter and looks thick, too. As usual, the massive bezel is decorated with that signature knurled ornament that mimics the famous “chicken wire” grille of a classic Bentley.
The dial looks like it was borrowed from the 2012 Transocean Chronograph Unitime World Time, although the hands and the luminous hour markers are noticeably thicker.
Judging by the layout of the map, which is printed in light grey over a black background, the timepiece either targets customers living in both Americas or simply tries to show you the Pacific and Atlantic oceans at a single glance.
Of course, the main selling point of this device is the “worldtimer” complication that makes it an interesting choice for those who put on thousands of miles each month (or for those who like the style and can actually afford to own this thing).
Unlike many other wristwatches that feature a similar layout, the Unitime Chronograph works in a bit unusual way.
Here, you first set your home time, and then, as you arrive, say, in Beijing, you pull the crown and rotate the hour hand in a counterclockwise direction until the name of your current city arrives at a position at 12 o’clock right atop of Breitling’s wings-and-anchor logo. To make sure that the date is displayed correctly, make sure that the day/night indicator (it is, by the way, not as usable here as on other models since it lacks the usual light/dark parts that divide day and night, so you will have to take not at the hours indicated on the ring) turned the way it should.
Some may find the way the whole setup works a bit cumbersome, but I personally find it amusing.
Since both models are powered by the same Caliber B05 in-house self-winding movement that the Swiss brand is so proud of, the dial layout is also the same: there is a 30-minute chronograph counter at 3 o’clock, a 12-hour totalizer at 12 hours, and a subsidiary seconds indicator at 9 hours.
The small date window is still squeezed between 4 and 5 o’clock.
The massive body of the watch which looks like it was crafted from a single slab of gold big enough to bail out Greece, remains unchanged with all its mirror-polished surfaces and oversized crown and chronograph push-pieces.
So far, the company plans to make only two versions, in stainless steel and more expensive rose gold, each available with a black Barenia leather strap with light-grey contrast stitching, a rubber band, and their signature Speed metal bracelet. Starting at approximately $15,000 and $39,000 they are a bit overpriced, but the same goes for the Bentley brand itself, as well as other trademarks dealing in defiantly conspicuous consumption.
See also: Breitling Transocean Unitime Pilot Chronograph
Photos: Breitling
WWR verdict:
Originality 3.5/5
Build quality: 5/5
Usability: 3.5/5
Legibility: 4/5
Value for money: 3/5
Breitling for Bentley B05 Unitime Chronograph specification
Price: $15,000 (steel) / $39,000 (rose gold)
Movement: Automatic, Caliber B05, in-house, COSC chronometer, Swiss Made
Number of jewels: 56
Movement frequency: 28,800 vph
Power reserve: More than 70 hours
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, date, chronograph, 24-cities disk (GMT)
Case: Stainless steel / 18-carat rose gold
Shape: Round
Size: 49.00 mm
Dial: Arctica / Royal Ebony
Hour markers: Luminous
Hands: Luminous
Water resistance: 100 meters
Strap: Black Barenia leather strap / Rubber band / Speed metal bracelet
Crystal: Sapphire, antireflective on both sides, cambered
Back: Sapphire