SUPEROCEAN
BREITLING IN THE SUBMARINE WORLD
THE FIRST BREITLING DIVE WATCH
In the 1950s, demand for dive watches surged as underwater exploration, professional diving, and aquatic sports gained momentum. In 1957, Breitling simultaneously launched two ground-breaking dive watches: a time-only diver (ref. 1004) and a chronograph (ref. 807). Both named SuperOcean, these two watches embodied two different visions of nautical sports: the elegant time-only version was crafted for style-conscious men and women. The sportier chronograph was for the seasoned diver who needed a watch for performance and reliability.
Not only did these two SuperOcean models feature 200 m water resistance, they also introduced a breathtaking design that set them apart from other watches on the market. Every detail was crafted to balance elegance and performance—a signature of Breitling since the beginning. Building on its deep experience in producing ultra-legible onboard instruments for aviation, Breitling maximized readability with oversized hour markers, giving the dial a bold and innovative character.
The ref. 807 went even further as the world’s first dive chronograph. To enhance legibility underwater, it introduced the now-legendary “reverse panda” design, with white subdials against a black dial for enhanced legibility. Breitling also gave the rotating bezel an avant-garde concave shape—designed to protect the crystal—an alternative to the flat black bezel inserts typically seen on dive watches. Additionally, the bezel extended beyond the case, which made it easy to grip. Finally, the 39 mm stainless steel case was engineered with a thin profile and elongated lugs, ensuring the SuperOcean sat flat and comfortably on the wrist.
THE “SLOW-MOTION” SUPEROCEAN
Building on the success of the first SuperOcean chronograph (ref. 807), Willy Breitling sought to advance the technical side of its dive watch and offer a new chronograph that enabled easy reading of the duration of time spent underwater. To achieve this, Breitling did away with the seconds hand to create what became known as the “Slow Motion”—a chronograph with a central minute chronograph hand that made one revolution per hour. While highly legible, it was difficult to tell if the chronograph was running or not. To solve this issue, Willy Breitling developed an ingenious technical solution—an activity indicator (also known as “the dot”), located at 6 o’clock. When the chronograph was running, the dot appeared fully yellow; paused, as a small yellow circle; reset or stopped, as a black circle. With this smart technical feature, there was no longer a risk of not knowing whether the chronograph was operational.
A NEW AUTOMATIC SUPEROCEAN CHRONOGRAPH
When launched in 1964, this new SuperOcean chronograph (ref. 2005) impressed customers with its technical complexity, elegantly balanced by its clean dial design without any subdials and a bold 43 mm stainless steel case, with the main purpose being to ensure the highest legibility possible. The year 1969 marked the launch of the caliber Chrono-matic, one of the first automatic chronograph calibers, developed in partnership with Heuer-Leonidas and Hamilton-Buren and Dubois-Depraz. This revolutionary caliber combined the performance and functionality of a chronograph with the comfort of an automatic watch, which didn’t need to be wound every day. Breitling launched its first SuperOcean automatic (ref. 2105) with the newly patented waterproof rotating bezel fitted on an extra-large 48mm case. The striking, colorful hands and the orange insert in the rotating bezel were typical design codes from the 1970s and gave the SuperOcean a dynamic look.
THE SUPEROCEAN “DEEP-SEA”
In 1983, Breitling once again pushed technical boundaries and launched an extreme interpretation of its diving icon: the new SuperOcean “Deep Sea” (ref. 81190). While the SuperOcean from the 1950s and 1960s was equally at home on a recreational dive or at the beach club, the “Deep Sea,” with its water resistance set at 1000 meters, was created for professional divers. This impressive water resistance was made possible with a patented helium escape valve integrated in the caseback. This valve let accumulated helium release which prevented the watch from exploding when the diver was resurfacing. Today, the Superocean and Superocean Heritage carry forward Breitling’s diving legacy—offering two distinct philosophies of the sport: performance and style at sea.
Discover the timepieces that defined us
SuperOcean ref. 1004
Cal. B125/ETA 2365
1957
39,0 mm
SuperOcean ref. 807
Cal. Venus 152
1958
39,0 mm
SuperOcean Slow-motion Mk1 ref. 2005
Cal. Valjoux 7731
1965
42,6 mm
SuperOcean Slow-motion Mk1.2 ref. 2005
Cal. Valjoux 7731
1964
42,6 mm
SuperOcean Slow-motion Mk2 ref. 2005
Cal. Valjoux 7731
1970
42,6 mm
SuperOcean Slow-motion Mk3 ref. 2005
Cal. Valjoux 7731
1972
42,6 mm
SuperOcean Chrono-matic ref. 2105
Cal. Breitling 11/11i/12
1969
46,7 mm
SuperOcean Deep Sea ref. 81190
Quartz
1983
39,0 mm
SuperOcean ref. 1004
Cal. B125/ETA 2365
1957
39,0 mm
SuperOcean ref. 807
Cal. Venus 152
1958
39,0 mm
SuperOcean Slow-motion Mk1 ref. 2005
Cal. Valjoux 7731
1965
42,6 mm
SuperOcean Slow-motion Mk1.2 ref. 2005
Cal. Valjoux 7731
1964
42,6 mm
SuperOcean Slow-motion Mk2 ref. 2005
Cal. Valjoux 7731
1970
42,6 mm
SuperOcean Slow-motion Mk3 ref. 2005
Cal. Valjoux 7731
1972
42,6 mm
SuperOcean Chrono-matic ref. 2105
Cal. Breitling 11/11i/12
1969
46,7 mm
SuperOcean Deep Sea ref. 81190
Quartz
1983
39,0 mm
New Superocean collection
