WATCHES & TIMEPIECES
The Breitling Premier Bentley Mulliner Limited Edition
A Breitling watch worthy of the Bentley and Mulliner names has to
be a very special product indeed. The new chronograph has some
close links to the interior of the Bentley Continental GT Mulliner
Convertible, the most luxurious GT ever designed, and particularly to
the Breitling clock in the luxury automobile’s dashboard.
The Premier Bentley Mulliner Limited Edition is limited to 1000
pieces. It features a 42-millimeter stainless steel case presented on a
blue alligator leather strap, echoing the Imperial Blue leather interior
of the car. Its elegant silver dial recalls the Bentley Continental GT
Mulliner Convertible’s dashboard clock. The watch features blue
subdials – a 30-minute counter at 3 o’clock and a small-second
subdial at 9 o’clock – an indication revealing the presence of the
Breitling Manufacture Caliber 01, with an impressive power reserve
of approximately 70 hours. The dial features a white tachymeter
scale on a blue inner bezel around the dial, with a red tachymeter
inscription.
The links between the watch and the clock are further strengthened
by their complementary sets of Arabic numerals: the dashboard
clock features the numerals at 12, 3, 6, and 9, while the watch has
them at 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, and 11. Sharing these numerals across the
two pieces is a nod to the design DNA they share. The red second
hand and centered 60-minute scale mirror the red stitching found
throughout the interior cabin of the Bentley Continental GT Mulliner
Convertible.
On the left side of the case is a plate with an engraved “Bentley”
inscription, whose design is based on the engine spin dashboard
found in historic Bentleys. Around the watch’s transparent sapphire
caseback is an inscription that reads “MULLINER EDITION –
BREITLING – ONE OF 1000”. The Breitling Premier Bentley Mulliner
Limited Edition is a COSC-certified chronometer.
The Bentley Continental GT Mulliner Convertible
Representing the pinnacle of luxury grand touring, the Continental
GT Mulliner Convertible builds on the success of two other Bentley
First Editions from the centenary year: the GT Number 9 and
the GT Convertible Number 1 limited editions. A perfect display
of Mullinercraftsmanship, the Mulliner Convertible is the only
Continental GT to have a Breitling-edition clock in the car. Its silver
face mirrors that of the Premier Bentley Mulliner Limited Edition
watch. Blue, red, and white accents highlight the importance of
British design.
Breitling and Bentley
While Breitling’s partnership with Bentley Motors can be traced back
to 2002, there are historic links between the companies that go back
even further. Willy Breitling, the visionary watchmaker and grandson
of founder Léon Breitling, was a committed Bentley owner who, from
the late 1940s, was a familiar sight on Swiss roads behind the wheel
of one of his beloved Bentleys. Willy, a man with flawless design
instincts and stylish personal flair, could not have imagined driving
another automobile.
70 The Art of Luxury Issue 44 2020