The story
Breitling's unconventional chronograph with a freewheeling 1960s spirit: An exclusive offer to owners of Triumph’s Speed Twin Breitling Limited Edition motorcycle. In the early 1960s, auto-racing was having a heyday, and a whole subculture had sprung up around “café racers,” stylish motorcycles, used to literally transport their riders from hip café to hip café. Willy Breitling wanted to capture the speed-driven style of the day with a completely new take on the timekeeper. Enter the Breitling Top Time, an unconventional chronograph that became an instant hit with a sporty in-crowd of men and women equally drawn to the watch’s bold proportions. Today that freewheeling 1960s spirit is back in a spectacular new Top Time collaboration between Breitling and Triumph. The British motorcycle brand is releasing a limited run of 270 Speed Twin Breitling Limited Edition bikes, whose owners will have the privileged opportunity to purchase this made-to-order Top Time Triumph engraved with the bike’s number. Both motorcycle and watch share a unique ice-blue color that has two major archival references: a blue Triumph Thunderbird 6T from 1951 and a rare ice-blue Breitling Top Time Ref. 815 from the 1970s. The watch’s features include oversized mushroom pushers that allow for easy control over the chronograph’s stop-start and reset functions. A high-contrast tachymeter scale provides clear legibility of speed readings. The subdued racing-themed calfskin leather strap lets the hero dial shine, while the Breitling and Triumph logos sit subtly at 12 and 6 o’clock. At 41mm, the Top Time Triumph’s diameter is, like the original, a fit for both sexes. For owners of the Speed Twin Breitling Limited Edition motorcycle, this numbered companion watch is an absolute must have.