The Chronomat: First in a mechanical renaissance

This fourth installment of our “140 Years of Firsts” series focuses on the versatile Chronomat, a watch that turned the tide of the quartz crisis. 

The story begins in 1982 with a dejected air in the watchmaking districts of Switzerland. For more than a decade the chill winds of inexpensive quartz watches and global finance had swept away much of the famed industry.

But in the Breitling workshops in Grenchen, the brand’s new owner, Ernest Schneider, was preparing for a revolution.

On his drawing board was an as-yet-unnamed pilots’ tool watch he was designing for the Italian Air Force display team, the Frecce Tricolori.

Breitling was well positioned to make the first big breakthrough against the dominance of quartz movements. Its new owner had run a previous company specialized in it, and he was skilled at combining the best of traditional and technological watchmaking.  

Still, few could have predicted that the watch that would become the Chronomat—a solid, tactile, and stylish automatic chronograph—would change not only the company’s fortunes, but the future of the Swiss watch industry itself.

Among those whose expertise proved vital were Georges Caspari, a key figure from Willy Breitling’s days, and entrepreneur Palmiro Monti, Schneider’s close friend and collaborator. Caspari had overseen the Navitimer pilots’ chronograph marketing campaigns in the 1950s and ’60s and knew that tapping the wealth of knowledge at AOPA, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, had been crucial to the iconic watch’s success as the official timepiece to its tens of thousands of members. Palmiro, meanwhile, who made watches in Switzerland for his home market, had contacts and influence in Italy.

When Schneider learned from Palmiro that the pilots of the Frecce Tricolori wanted a chronograph they could endorse for on- and off-duty wear, the opportunity to recreate the magic behind the Navitimer’s success must have felt like lightning striking twice.

To create the right impression Schneider, a keen pilot, flew himself to the squadron’s Italian airbase. He quickly won their confidence and watched them in action for ideas that would create the perfect pilots’ watch for a new age.

From Function to Fame

With a working title of “Robust Chrono-Automatic,” the chronograph was designed around the self-winding Valjoux caliber 7750 using parts stockpiled since the 1970s when the quartz crisis had halted production. At more than 39 mm across, it was both imposing and entirely different from the lightweight quartz models that had come to dominate the market.

He sketched out four “screwed riders” at the quarter-hours on a rotating bezel that would allow the “15” and “45” to be swapped to measure elapsed time or countdowns, as well as a fluted “onion” crown to provide excellent grip in gloved hands.

To prevent the pilots from cracking their watches on the metal framework as they opened their canopies, Schneider slightly recessed the crystal to protect it from damage. For comfort and durability, he paired the case with a metal Rouleaux bracelet.

The only event he hadn’t foreseen was how much these practical design features would make the Breitling model stand out. 

In 1983, when the first watches with the Frecce Tricolori logo were delivered to its pilots and offered publicly as a limited edition, they caused a sensation—not just among aviation buffs, but throughout style-conscious Italy and Italian communities in the U.S.

A year later, Breitling launched the design as part of its core collection, giving it a new name: the Chronomat (a combination of “chrono” and “automatic” that is not to be confused with Willy Breitling’s contraction of “Chronographs for Mathematicians,” the original slide-rule Chronomat, released almost 50 years earlier).

With advertising stressing the air display team heritage—“The Frecce Tricolori aerobatic squadron wear the Breitling Chronomat”—it quickly became a watch to match the high-octane spirit of the ’80s.

Mechanical Once More

The Chronomat was so well designed that it successfully displaced quartz models and remained a top seller for two decades. To meet demand, production of the caliber 7750 was restarted.

The first significant change came in 2004 with the introduction of a large 44-mm case for the Chronomat Evolution, featuring bold and busy dials. This was followed by the 2009 Chronomat B01, which benefited from Breitling’s then-recently launched Manufacture Caliber 01. Many iterations would follow, including novelties like the Chronomat Raven with its black carbon coating and bold orange accents. Like the original, each model has stood the test of time.

The Chronomat was relaunched by Georges Kern in 2020 as a sleek, all-steel 42-mm with a redesigned Rouleaux bracelet. It was followed by the Super Chronomat in 2021, an assortment that powered up the line with ceramic inserts, a rubber take on the Rouleaux bracelet, and even a UTC module.

Now there are elegant sports-chic ranges for women, sizes ranging from 32 to 44 mm, GMTs, three-hands, and collaborations with the likes of Victoria Beckham, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Triumph Motorcycles, as well as a new Chronomat with a titanium case.

Like every Chronomat throughout its history, each watch pays tribute to the inspired elements of a chronograph that didn’t just fulfil its purpose, it changed the course of watchmaking history.

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