BY HARLAN CHAPMAN-GREEN
Remember when Breitling revamped the Chronomat collection in 2020 and it looked completely different, and then we all fell over ourselves for it? Well, for 2026 Breitling has given the Chronomat range a facelift, or if you’re a BMW enthusiast, then you might say they’ve given the Chronomat a “Life-Cycle Impulse” or LCI (LinkedIn speak before that was a thing). Let’s see what all the fuss is about.
Breitling has given the entire Chronomat range a redesign, including 36mm, 40mm and 42mm cases. The old watch is still a handsome thing in my opinion, but it’s hard to deny that the new watches look pretty slick with redesigned lugs (with fixed ends rather than ‘fake endlinks’), smoothed-out angles and thinner cases. Overall, they serve more as a modern go-anywhere watch than as a distinct sporty piece. Breitling says that the new design should be much more comfortable to wear on the wrist.
Breitling Chronomat Automatic 36
Starting with the smallest piece, the Chronomat Automatic 36, which measures 36mm x 9.68mm with 100m of water resistance. The stainless steel variant at this size features either a blue dial, a white mother-of-pearl dial with applied diamond markers, or a grey mother-of-pearl dial with diamonds applied to the bezel.
There are also 2 two-tone variations: one with a white mother-of-pearl dial and applied diamond markers, and one with a brown sunray dial and diamonds set in the gold bezel. These watches feature the calibre Breitling 10, which starts out life as an ETA 2892-A2 or the Sellita variant of that, with a 42-hour power reserve, a 4Hz beat rate and COSC chronometer certification. These watches come with the ‘rouleaux’ (roller) bracelet, and their prices begin at $5,950.
Breitling Chronomat Automatic B31 40
The next size up is the Chronomat Automatic B31, which is a time and date affair and has cases mainly made of stainless steel, except for one model. The cases measure 40mm x 10.99mm and have 200m of water resistance. There is a choice of dial colours either in green, white or dark blue, and also a light blue variant, but that watch features a platinum bezel on the stainless steel case.
Interestingly, that ice blue variant is also the only variant of this size to come with a rubber strap; all the other watches feature only the rouleaux bracelet in stainless steel. There are no two-tone variants in the 40mm size.
All versions of this watch feature the in-house-made calibre B31, which has a lengthy 78-hour power reserve, a 4 Hz beat rate and is a COSC-certified chronometer. Prices start at $7,200.
Breitling Chronomat B01 Chronograph 42
The last watch we’re looking at today is the Chronomat B01 Chronograph 42. It’s common for watchmakers to release a few variations of a watch and give most of the focus to the simple (and affordable) time-only pieces; however, it appears that Breitling thinks the chronograph variant will be the big seller and has given it the most options. All the watches measure 42mm x 13.77mm and have 200m of water resistance, but otherwise, you have quite a lot of choice.
For a stainless steel watch, you can choose a white, dark blue, or green dial. You could also have a stainless steel case with 18k red gold, and that one comes with a grey dial, or you can have a light blue dial with a stainless steel case and a platinum bezel. There’s also a solid 18k red gold version with a brown dial. If that wasn’t enough choice, you can also have any of the watches on a rouleaux bracelet or a rubber strap, doubling the number of pieces you can choose between.
All watches featured the venerable in-house-made B01 movement, a calibre that has been around since practically the dawn of time. Nevertheless, the B01 is still a good movement; it is COSC-chronometer certified with a 4Hz beat rate and a 70-hour power reserve. Further, the movement features a column wheel and a vertical clutch, which is rare in a chronograph watch at this price point and is genuinely a great design, as the vertical clutch is less prone to wear over time while using the chronograph. The only thing it’s missing is a flyback, but that would just be too good. Prices start at $9,900 and rise significantly from there if you want anything with precious metals in it.
So there you have it, the new updated Breitling Chronomat collection. What do you think? If you put this side-by-side with the older version, could you tell the difference? Tell us in the comments.
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