A luxury watchmaker, Breitling, and a British motorcycling brand, Triumph, have come together to celebrate speed and spirit. In the mid-1960s, when “cafe racers” was a heydey, Triumph’s Speed Twin garnered much attention; similarly, Breitling was on encapsulating the speed and sportiness of motorbikes in timepieces. Celebrating their love for speed, sport, and machines, the two brands have collaborated for a collection consisting of the Breitling Top Time Triumph watch and a limited-edition Top Time Speed Twin Motorcycle.
“Triumph’s heritage and modern-retro aesthetic are just two of the many things we have in common,” said Georges Kern, CEO of Breitling. “Their blending of tradition with technology is completely in sync with what we do.”
Top Time has been highly successful in the past, and the brand has been re-introducing in a variety of capsule collections over the past few years. Breitling highlights the bold “Zorro” dial for this collaboration, which the watch collectors nicknamed. The dial features criss-cross segments that resemble how Zorro would cut into the air with his sword. The watches are powered by the Breitling Caliber 23, a COSC-certified chronometer with a power reserve of approximately 48 hours. There is also a tachymeter scale on deck that allows clearer legibility of speed readings. The ice-blue dial color takes inspiration from the 1951 blue Triumph Thunderbird 6T and a 1970’s Breitling Top Time Ref. 815 watches.
Triumph CEO Nick Bloor said on the co-branded watches: “This collaboration is born out of a shared philosophy of bold and original design. The Top Time Triumph brings that uncompromising style and craftsmanship together.”
The 41 mm diameter timepiece fits both sexes and features a subdued racing-themed calfskin leather strap. The Breitling and Triumph logos are placed subtly at 12 and 6 o’clock and oversized mushroom pushers on the side for contrast tachymeter scale that provides clear legibility of speed readings. Another exciting feature is the detailed design sketch of Triumph’s parallel-twin engine on the case backs, making the collaboration even more cohesive.
Complimenting the Triumph Speed Twin Breitling edition also boasts the ice-blue dial hue and comes in an arresting blue color with a simple sunray motif. The timepieces would also bear the case back of the watch will be engraved with the number of the bike. The co-branded motorcycles will be limited to only 270 pieces.
