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 Great
performances come from great partnerships. Effective collaborations
reflecting true passion can create something that goes down in history
— something that is respected and trusted forever. Breitling
for Bentley is an outcome of one such association. This luxurious
line of watches has its origins in the partnership between brilliant
watchmaker, Léon Breitling and automobile engineer, Walter
Owen Bentley. The two brands that stand for tradition, performance
and prestige have combined their expertise to create a collection
of truly-inspired timepieces.
Legendary association
The union of these two companies was only a natural progression
after a year of creating exceptionally good products of their individual
arts. In 1952, Bentley launched the R-Type Continental, considered
to be the purest expression of the company spirit. This sleek machine
is the most powerful Bentley ever built. In the same year, Breitling’s
Navitimer Chronograph made its appearance. With its excellent performance,
it lived up to its slogan, ‘Instruments for Professionals’.
Till date, the above mentioned automobile and timepiece are considered
among the best of their creator’s creations respectively.
Léon Breitling also played a role in the creation of the
R-Type Continental. He assisted in designing its instruments and
even crafted an exquisite dashboard clock for the coupé.
Soon, the exclusive Breitling for Bentley range followed.
 The
Flying B
The line of watches that reflects the perfect sophistication
of the more popular Bentley automobiles has plenty of models, each
one distinctive in style and craftsmanship. The Flying B is one
of them. Bentley’s historic emblem, the winged ‘B’,
is the namesake of this fine model of the Breitling line.
The most spectacular feature in this timepiece is its rectangular
case with circular dials within. The watch, with generous dimensions,
is anything but oversized and clumsy. Its sheer elegance along with
its assertive size, make a powerful presence on the wearer’s
wrist. What’s absolutely unique about the Flying B is that
it has just one hand in its main dial — the minutes hand. The
hour hand is a rotating disc behind the visible dial, the numerals
of which can be seen through a little window at the 12 o’clock
position. Meanwhile, the tiny seconds hand ticks away around a much
smaller dial below the six o’clock position.
The dial shows true craftsmanship. Several features in this very
off-beat design are interesting departures from the commonly-seen
shape. The knurled motif inspired by Bentley instrumentation and
the break in colour behind the smaller dial are interesting variations
to the regular dial. The hint of red on the seconds dial invites
a sensual element. The mother-of-pearl hour markings on the main
dial is aesthetic and makes for precious appearance. So, variations
of textures, colours, materials, markings and borders of dials,
along with the hour-disc aperture, all contribute to quite an exceptional
dial. The watch glass, a Belgian-cut sapphire crystal, glare proofed
on either side, adds to the sleekness of the timepiece.
The case back has the legendary Bentley Flying ‘B’, which
has served for decades as the emblematic insignia of the British-made
cars. The rivets are inspired from aeronautics. The case, with the
dial shell comes mainly in steel, with more luxurious red gold and
white gold editions available. The heavily stitched crocodile leather
strap is available in tan or blue, with a mature and formal feel
to it. The leather strap can be replaced with a steel bracelet for
a youthful and sporty look.
The Flying B movement is an example of exceptional motorisation
— self-winding, Breitling calibre 28B and the jumping-hour
mechanism with a frequency of 28,000 vibrations per hour officially
certified by the COSC. The instrument is water resistant up to 100
metres.
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