From a performance perspective, the BC01 movement has 100 hours of power reserve, up from the 70 hours of the B01. That is pretty much the only real metric I think Breitling has published on the improved performance. However, I believe that I heard them mention a reported 75% increase in performance over time in the BC01 versus the B01. I am not totally sure what that means, but a 75% improvement in accuracy and reliability seems promising. Perhaps, even $40,000-promising to the right collectors.
The movement otherwise continues to operate at 4Hz (28,800bph) and includes a 12-hour chronograph, date, and, of course, the time. Through the sapphire crystal caseback of the watch you can see the movement. Clearly, it is different than the stock B01 with all the black parts and some unique elements. With that said, in my opinion, too many of the parts are still unfinished right out of being machined, and at these prices, I think some consumers might expect a bit of hand-finishing. Why, on a sports watch? It really goes to the part of what a “performance lab” in the high-end watch world might need to be. I think the expectation by many consumers is that if Breitling tells the tale of how they took their stock movement and handed it to some exclusive Chronoworks lab in their manufacture, the movement will come out working better and looking better as a result.
For me, that is the type of value proposition that can equal $40,000. I want the Chronoworks watches to be more or less the same sports watches the brand sells at a fraction of the price but…. highly over-engineered and decorated. Like if Porsche make a few versions of the Carrera by hand with hand-shaped body panels and a carefully tweaked engine. It would be like a coach-built Carrera only for insane collectors who can appreciate that stuff. Well, that is at least my feelings on a possible future angle Breitling could choose to take with their Chronoworks watches.
In addition to the BC01 movement (which, of course, is COSC chronometer certified – as though any one cares anymore given the far superior standards out there now. Speaking of which, why doesn’t COSC just up their game a bit?), the Breitling Superocean Heritage Chronoworks sports a 46mm-wide case and rotating bezel. Case quality is actually really nice in terms of polishing and overall feel. The dial also has a unique design among other Breitling Superocean Heritage timepieces. I wouldn’t call it an upgrade, but it is a bit different. I do like to see brands like Breitling experiment.
Matched to the 100-meter-water-resistant black ceramic case is a new rubber strap (“Aero Classic”) that is meant to resemble the look of Breitling’s mesh metal bracelet you can get with other versions of the Breitling Superocean Heritage. I do think that Breitling should have included this strap in addition to doing a black-coated steel or titanium version of their otherwise polished steel mesh metal bracelet. That would have helped the value proposition of the watch a bit more. Rubber is nice and all, but in terms of presentation, you just can’t beat a nice solid metal bracelet.
It is difficult to predict where Breitling will take their Chronoworks products in the future. They certainly need to share the story a lot better and explain where the source of value is. Moreover, I think that this can be Breitling’s “over-engineering lab” where their core stock of watches are sometimes turned into incredible limited editions with elaborate finishing and performance tweaks that would simply not make sense in any higher-volume production collection of products.
Putting things back into context, the Valjoux 7750-based Breitling Superocean Heritage Chronograph costs about $6,000, whereas the Breitling B01-based Chronomat watches cost about $9,000. Breitling is asking a lot more for the limited edition of 100 pieces reference SB0161E4/BE91-256S Breitling Superocean Heritage Chronoworks that has a retail price of $39,295. breitling.com
