BY JOVAN K
When watch brands pair up with car manufacturers, it often turns into a lazy cash grab. Half the time, a watch brand just slaps a car maker logo onto an existing dial, and change the color to red or green, jacks up the price tag by two grand, and expects collectors to line up around the block. It feels uninspired, and completely disconnected from the actual car it pays homage to.
Breitling, however, handles things differently. Instead of celebrating a modern supercar that will be forgotten in three years, their latest collaboration with Aston Martin reaches back into the history books to honor the ultimate British icon: the DB5.
This is not just another classic car; it is the defining vehicle of the 1960s, famous for its sleek lines, handcrafted bodywork, and permanent pop culture status as James Bond’s ride of choice.
Growing up as a die-hard 007 fan, I was completely obsessed with this car. I still remember how thrilled I was when my dad bought me a DB5 model kit to build as a kid. It was a dream car for me back then, and it remains just as special to me today.
Production Photograph from Goldfinger 1964
To capture that legendary energy without resorting to loud logos, Breitling brought out three new versions of their Top Time B01 Chronograph styled with subtle nods to this classic sports car.
The cushion-shaped case measures 41mm x 13.8mm, and spans 47.9mm from lug to lug. Breitling gives you three case executions: all-steel (ref. AB0178121G1X1), steel with platinum bezel (ref. PB0178121B1X1), or 18k red gold (ref. RB0178131B1X1). The overall finishing mixes brushed and polished surfaces with fluted corners, framed by classic mushroom chronograph pushers and a matching fluted crown. Despite using pump pushers and a non-screw-down crown, it secures a solid 100 meters (10 atm) of water resistance. The case back features special engravings, reading “One of 1022” for the steel model, “One of 315” for the steel with platinum bezel version, and individual numbering out of “One of 250” for the red gold model.
A sapphire crystal with double antireflective coating shields the clean, twin register layout, and every model features a wooden rehaut ring carrying the inner tachymeter scale, mirroring the wooden steering wheel inside the DB5. The squircle-shaped sub dials mirror the rounded square counters of vintage car gauges. The all-steel version gets a silver sunray dial with black concentric grooved counters. The steel and platinum model opts for a dark black sunray dial. The flagship 18k red gold variant uses a hand-cut natural black onyx dial with gold-framed sub-dials, applied gold indexes, and gold baton hands filled with luminous Super LumiNova.
Under the hood sits the COSC-certified in-house Breitling Caliber B01 automatic movement. It has 284 components and uses a column-wheel and vertical-clutch system, running at a frequency of 28,800 vph (4Hz) while packing a 70-hour power reserve. Visible through the sapphire exhibition case back, the decorated movement features an openworked rotor engraved with the Aston Martin winged logo and “Tribute to DB5”.
The all-steel model gets a rhodium-plated rotor, while the steel-platinum and red gold versions upgrade to a solid 18k red gold rotor.
All three references come fitted on a brown hand colored gradient calfskin leather strap with beige lining, styled like vintage driving gloves to mirror the DB5’s leather seats. The steel and platinum models are secured with a stainless steel folding clasp, while the red gold edition gets a matching 18k red gold folding buckle.
Pricing and limitation numbers break down across the three references:
- Steel (ref. AB0178121G1X1): Limited to 1022 pieces at US$11,400 / €10,500 / £8,650
- Steel & Platinum (ref. PB0178121B1X1): Limited to 315 pieces at US$18,600 / €16,500 / £14,400
- 18k Red Gold (ref. RB0178131B1X1): Limited to 250 individually numbered pieces at US$41,500 / €40,500 / £35,100
Honestly, I fully expected Girard-Perregaux to make a Tribute to Aston Martin DB5 watch years ago. GP was notorious for their Aston Martin collaborations, but after their partnership quietly wrapped up last year, Breitling swooped right in to take their spot, wasting no time delivering this DB5 tribute as their premier heritage drop.
The Top Time is clearly Breitling’s go-to choice for vintage partnerships because its cushion case and retro design fit the vintage automotive era so well. That said, I would have much rather seen Breitling pull this off on the Navitimer Chronograph.
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