Breitling’s new Top Time is a love letter to the Aston Martin DB5
Breitling and Aston Martin have reunited two 1960s icons, the Top Time chronograph and the DB5, in a trio of watches inspired by Sean Connery's Thunderball
Breitling has gone back to 1965 for its latest watch launch and unveiled the Top Time B01 Chronograph 41 Tribute to Aston Martin DB5.
It’s a three-piece collection built around one of cinema’s most over-looked watch-and-car pairings.
Of course, mention James Bond and watches, and most people with think about Omega, maybe Rolex, maybe even Seiko, but back in Thunderball, Sean Connery wore a Breitling Top Time ref. 2002 alongside his silver DB5. It was the first Q-modified watch in the Bond series.
Six decades on, Breitling and Aston Martin have decided that moment deserves a proper tribute, and I’m a big fan of the results.
Rather than just slapping a logo on a dial, the details here actually nod to the car. There’s a wooden inner ring meant to echo the DB5’s steering wheel. The straps are hand-coloured to match automotive leather, and the subdials are shaped like little dashboard gauges.
It’s a genuinely stunning crossover.
The collection comes in three versions. There’s a stainless steel model with a silver dial, limited to 1022 pieces. That’s the one closest in spirit to the original 1960s Top Time.
Next is a steel and platinum edition with a black lacquered dial, limited to 315 pieces. The platinum bezel adds some welcome heft against that glossy black surface.
The top of the range is an 18k red gold model with an onyx dial, limited to just 250 pieces. This one marks the first time Breitling has used onyx on a dial. It’s a striking choice, and probably my pick of the three.
All three feature Breitling’s Manufacture Caliber 01. It’s COSC-certified, column-wheel, vertical clutch, with a 70-hour power reserve.
Flip any of them over and you’ll see an Aston Martin-engraved rotor through the sapphire caseback. It’s rhodium-plated on the steel versions, 18k red gold on the top model.
Georges Kern, CEO of Breitling’s parent House of Brands, says the DB5 is “one of those rare designs that never fades.” Aston Martin’s design chief Marek Reichman calls the watches “something truly distinct from anything we’ve created before.”
Each watch measures 41mm across and 13.8mm thick, with 100m water resistance and a brown calfskin strap on a folding clasp.
They’re available now on Breitling’s website priced at US$11,400 / £8650 for the steel, US$18,600 / £14,400 for the steel/platinum, and US$41,500 / £35,100 for the 18k red gold.
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Spencer Hart
Buying Guide Editor 
