Breitling SA was founded in 1884 in Saint-Imier, Switzerland, by watchmaker and businessman Léon Breitling. The business was later run by Bretling’s son Gaston, and grandson Willy, before the Breitling name was purchased by Ernst Schneider of the Sicura Company in 1979 during the midst of the quartz crisis. Breitling is currently based in Grenchen, and has been owned by Partners Group since 2022.
Breitling has acquired Universal Geneve in 2023, and Gallet in 2025.
Worn by F1 Drivers
Best known for their aviation watches, Breitling has had some connections with both two and four-wheeled Grand Prix racing. A number of Formula 1 drivers wore Breitling Navitimers in the 1960’s including Jim Clark, Graham Hill, Jackie Oliver, and even Jo Siffert of Heuer fame. To this day, the ref. 806 with black dial and white sub-registers is nicknamed the ‘Jim Clark’. Breitling also has some shared history with Heuer and Hamilton in “Project 99”, their joint venture to develop the world’s first automatic chronographs.
Jim Clark at the 1964 Dutch Grand Prix. (Photo: Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)
Renault F1
Sometime during the 1990s, Breitling released a Chronomat Renault F1 Team special edition based on the Breitling Chronomat B13048. It sports a blue dial with gold subdials, and featuring the words “Renault F1 by Breitling 1884”. The Breitling website dates the watch as “1990s” and includes a brief mention that it was designed for the Renault F1 team, although this was during an era when Renault strictly operated as an engine suppliers.
Judging by superficial similarities in the font, the Renault branding on the dial appears to be a reasonably close match to the logo on the engine of the Williams FW14B.
Some sources have claimed that this timepiece may have been produced in honor of French driver Alain Prost, who last drove for Renault in 1983.
Japan Racers Squad
Both Formula 1 and MotoGP have been represented in Breitling’s Japan Racers Squad ambassadors. Announced in late 2018, the lineup included Red Bull Air Race pilot Yoshihide “Yoshi” Muroya, former F1 and current IndyCar driver Takuma Sato, and former MotoGP rider Takaaki Nakagami.
Top Time Martini Racing
While not specific to Formula 1, the Top Time Martini Racing is a clear nod to motorsports. Having graced racing liveries in Le Mans and rally racing in addition to Formula 1 cars, the familiar red and blue stripes of the Martini livery serves as the focal point of the officially licensed chronograph. Announced in March of 2025, “Martini Racing” appears on the case back and is limited to 750 pieces.
Aston Martin Formula One Team
The Aston Martin Formula One Team announced a partnership with Breitling on February 5, 2026.
Included in the announcement was the Navitimer B01 Chronograph 43 Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team, which featured a titanium case, lime accented chronograph hand, and dark green carbon fiber dial. The Aston Martin team logo also features on the rotor.
Related Pages
References
https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/chronomatic-heuer-breitling-hamilton-50th-anniversary
https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/f1-watches-best-ever
https://www.safonagastrocrono.club/racing-watches-11-breitling-f1/
https://www.breitling.com/us-en/icons/chronomat/
http://www.donindiano.net/watches/breitling/chronomat/special_editions
https://www.hagerty.com/media/automotive-history/in-the-moment-when-williams-broke-formula-1/
https://www.instagram.com/breitling_japan/p/Brpgo9TlAGL/
https://www.breitling.com/us-en/campaigns/top-time-racing-&-martini/
https://masterhorologer.com/2025/03/31/breitling-top-time-racing/
https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/breitling-top-time-b01-martini-racing