Meet the Top Time watches and Speed Twin motorcycle behind a spectacular new collaboration inspired by 1960s café-racer culture.
In the mid-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 set out to capture the speed-driven style of the day with a completely new take on the timekeeper. The result? The Breitling Top Time, an unconventional chronograph designed for “young and active professionals.” It quickly became the watch of choice for a sporty in-crowd of men and women equally drawn to the watch’s bold proportions.
Today, that freewheeling 1960s café-racer spirit is back in a spectacular new Top Time collaboration between Breitling and British motorcycle brand Triumph. Now in its 120th year, Triumph combines historic craftsmanship with contemporary design to create its classic motorcycles.
“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.”
For their debut collaboration, Breitling is producing a Top Time Triumph watch with a distinctive brushed finish in the bow-tie motif nicknamed “the Zorro dial” by Top Time collectors. Triumph, meanwhile, is launching 270 co-branded motorcycles—the Speed Twin Breitling Limited Edition—whose buyers will have the privileged opportunity to purchase a special owner’s version of the Top Time Triumph, this one with a sunray dial and engraved caseback featuring the individual number of the bike (owner’s version orders must be placed with Triumph by August 22, 2022).
The stars of both watches are their ice-blue dials. This unique color has t wo major references: a blue Triumph Thunderbird 6T from 1951, and a rare, blue-dialed Breitling Top Time Ref. 815 from the 1970s.
Features include a subdued racing-themed calfskin leather strap that lets the hero dial shine; Breitling and Triumph logos that sit subtly at 12 and 6 o’clock; oversized mushroom pushers that allow for easy control of the chronograph’s stop-start and reset functions; and a highcontrast tachymeter scale that provides clear legibility of speed readings. The watches are powered by the Breitling Caliber 23, a COSC-certified chronometer with a power reserve of approximately 48 hours. And one more cool feature collectors will love: the casebacks are etched with a detailed design sketch of Triumph’s parallel twin engine.
Of the co-branded watches, Triumph CEO Nick Bloor said: “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.”
At a 41 mm diameter, the Top Time Triumph is, like the original, a fit for both sexes. For fans of the Triumph brand and prospective owners of the Speed Twin Breitling Limited Edition motorcycle, it’s an absolute must-have.
Triumph Speed Twin Breitling Limited Edition
Only 270 of these motorcycles will ever be made. Here’s a closer look at their exceptional cocreated design:
Polychromatic Blue Scheme
Complementing the dials of the Top Time chronographs, the color scheme was inspired by the Triumph immortalized in the legendary 1953 biker movie The Wild One.
Premium Specification
Higher-specification, fully adjustable Öhlins piggyback twin rear suspension units combine with all of the latest-generation Speed Twin performance, capability, and technology for the greatest Speed Twin ride ever.
Unique Engine Detailing
Billet-machined aluminum clutch and alternator embellishers with a dark anodized finish showcase an exquisitely machined Breitling logo.
Premium Leather Seat
Perforated black leather with contrasting gray stitching complements the Top Time Triumph watch strap and features an elegantly embroidered Breitling “B.”
Custom Instrument Faces
Co-designed by Breitling, the motorcycle’s speed and RPM gauges take their styling cues from the Top Time Triumph dial design.
ABOUT BREITLING
Founded in 1884, Breitling is a leading Swiss watchmaker. The innovative company invented the modern chronograph and pioneered the navigational tool watch. Today, it ’s still breaking new ground as a casual, inclusive, and sustainable luxury brand with more than 150 industrial-loft-inspired retail locations around the world. Breitling’s collections center around air, land, and sea pursuits, all captured in the brand’s unmistakable modern-retro style. The exceptional quality of ever y watch movement is confirmed by its status as a COSC-certified chronometer, and the brand remains one of only a handful of independent watchmakers to produce its own manufacture calibers. Combining classic watchmaking with the latest innovations, Breitling is both a company with history and one that’s ahead of its time.
ABOUT TRIUMPH
First established in 1902, Triumph Motorcycles is celebrating 120 years of motorcycle manufacture in 2022. For more than three decades, Triumph Motorcycles has been based in Hinckley, Leicestershire, and has produced iconic bikes that perfectly blend authentic design, character, charisma, and performance. With more than 75,000 motorcycles delivered in the financial year 2021, and close to 700 dealers around the world, Triumph is the largest British motorcycle manufacturer.
FACTS ABOUT THE WATCH
TOP TIME TRIUMPH
Reference: A23311121C1X1
WATCH MOVEMENT
Caliber: Breitling Caliber 23
Diameter: 30 millimeters
Depth: 7.9 millimeters
Winder: self-winding mechanical, unilateral with ball bearing
Power reserve: approximately 48 hours
Balance frequency: 28,800 a/h or 4 hertz
Chronograph: oscillating pinion, 1/4th second and 30-minute counters
Display: hour, minute, second
Certification: COSC-certified
CASE
Material: stainless steel
Diameter: 41 millimeters
Height: 14.27 millimeters
Water resistance: up to 3 bar (30 meters)
Glass: convex sapphire crystal, glareproofed on both sides
Caseback: snapped, stainless steel, with engraved Triumph parallel twin engine design sketch
Crown: non screw-locked, one gasket
DIAL/HANDS
Ice blue with special brushing
Super-LumiNova® luminescent hour markers, hour and minute hands
STRAP
Black racing-themed calfskin leather strap with folding buckle
FACTS ABOUT THE WATCH
TOP TIME TRIUMPH SPEED TWIN OWNERS’ LIMITED EDITION
Reference: A233111A1C1X1
WATCH MOVEMENT
Caliber: Breitling Caliber 23
Diameter: 30 millimeters
Depth: 7.9 millimeters
Winder: self-winding mechanical, unilateral with ball bearing
Power reserve: approximately 48 hours
Balance frequency: 28,800 a/h or 4 hertz
Chronograph: oscillating pinion, 1/4th second and 30-minute counters
Display: hour, minute, second
Certification: COSC-certified
CASE
Material: stainless steel
Diameter: 41 millimeters
Height: 14.27 millimeters
Water resistance: up to 3 bar (30 meters)
Glass: convex sapphire crystal, glareproofed on both sides
Caseback: snapped, stainless steel, with engraved Triumph parallel twin engine design sketch
Crown: non screw-locked, one gasket
DIAL/HANDS
Ice blue
Super-LumiNova® luminescent hour markers, hour and minute hands
STRAP
Black racing-themed calfskin leather strap with folding buckle
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
DOWNLOADS
All press material can be downloaded free of charge at
https://press.breitling.com/top-time-triumph
FURTHER INFORMATION
ROMY HEBDEN
Head of Corporate Communications
BREITLING SA
Léon Breitling-Strasse 2
2540 Grenchen
Switzerland
Telephone: +41 32 654 54 54
Mobile: +41 79 731 90 28
E-mail: romy.hebden@breitling.com
Check our website at www.breitling.com
INTERNET AND SOCIAL MEDIA
Web www.breitling.com/zz-zz/watches/top-time/top-time/A23311121C1
Facebook www.facebook.com/breitling
YouTube www.youtube.com/breitling
Twitter www.twitter.com/breitling
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Pinterest www.pinterest.com/breitling
TRIUMPH MOTORCYCLES
STEFANO CAMPACI
Global PR and Events Manager E-mail: stefano.campaci@triumph.co.uk
INTERNET AND SOCIAL MEDIA
Web www.triumphmotorcycles.co.uk
Instagram www.instagram.com/officialtriumph
Facebook www.facebook.com/TriumphMotorcyclesGlobal
Twitter www.twitter.com/OfficialTriumph
YouTube www.youtube.com/OfficialTriumph
