Breitling: history of luxury watchmaking excellence

One of the exclusive high jewellery brands in the Bartorelli jewellery store in Galleria Cavour confirms a recurring axiom: the fame and excellence of Swiss creations in the field of watchmaking. We are talking about Breitling, a brand capable of combining innovation, science and beauty.

In fact, the workshop of the same name was initially created by the founder Lèon, in Saint-Imier, precisely with the aim of producing scientific chronographs for industrial purposes. The quality of its work immediately became famous throughout Europe, but it was not until 1915 that the company patented one of its most famous models: the wrist chronograph with an independent pushpiece, a true innovation for the time.

It was also for this reason that, in the 1930s, the link with the world of aviation became stronger and more consolidated, leading the brand to gain the trust of pilots and airlines and prompting it to patent increasingly precise and reliable watches such as the Navitimer model, equipped with a circular slide rule, and which immediately became one of the company’s bestsellers. Innovation is part of the brand’s DNA: this is demonstrated by successive milestones such as the Chrono-Matic, one of the world’s first automatic chronometers, and the Emergency, which inaugurated a pioneering season in the field of safety because it was equipped with a distress signal transmitter.

The new century, on the other hand, saw the brand enter the field of sporting luxury with greater determination without renouncing its technical identity, embarking on a path of significant renewal through the introduction of new lines with a clean, contemporary design. This is confirmed by the latest advertising campaigns, such as “Cinema Squad” starring stars of the calibre of Charlize Theron, Adam Driver and Austin Butler, or the recent collaboration with Victoria Beckham, which has given rise to highly sought-after watches in the innovative colour palettes of mint green, midnight blue and ash grey, characterised by hands bearing the iconic “VB” logo. One of the most popular brand ambassadors is basketball player Giannis Antetokounmpo.

It is no coincidence that, today, Breitling continues to be synonymous with watchmaking excellence, with a soul deeply linked to flight, the sea and extraordinary feats: capable of enchanting and surprising trendsetters and lovers of luxury creations.