Meet the Top Time watches and Speed Twin motorcycle behind a spectacular new collaboration inspired by 1960s café-racer culture: Breitling Top Time Triumph.
In the mid-1960s, auto racing was having a heyday, and a whole subculture had sprung up around “café racers,” stylish motorcycles, used to literally transport their riders from hip café to hip café.
Willy Breitling set out to capture the speed-driven style of the day with a completely new take on the timekeeper. The result? The Breitling Top Time, an unconventional chronograph designed for “young and active professionals.” It quickly became the watch of choice for a sporty in-crowd of men and women equally drawn to the watch’s bold proportions.
Today, that freewheeling 1960s café-racer spirit is back in a spectacular new Top Time collaboration between Breitling and British motorcycle brand Triumph. Now in its 120th year, Triumph combines historic craftsmanship with contemporary design to create its classic motorcycles.
“Triumph’s heritage and modern-retro aesthetic are just two of the many things we have in common,” said Georges Kern, CEO of Breitling. “Their blending of tradition with technology is completely in sync with what we do.”
For their debut collaboration, Breitling is producing a Top Time Triumph watch with a distinctive brushed finish in the bow-tie motif nicknamed “the Zorro dial” by Top Time collectors. Triumph, meanwhile, is launching 270 co-branded motorcycles—the Speed Twin Breitling Limited Edition—whose buyers will have the privileged opportunity to purchase a special owner’s version of the Top Time Triumph, this one with a sunray dial and engraved caseback featuring the individual number of the bike (owner’s version orders must be placed with Triumph by August 22, 2022).
The stars of both watches are their ice-blue dials. This unique color has two major references: a blue Triumph Thunderbird 6T from 1951, and a rare, blue-dialed Breitling Top Time Ref. 815 from the 1970s.
Features include a subdued racing-themed calfskin leather strap that lets the hero dial shine; Breitling and Triumph logos that sit subtly at 12 and 6 o’clock; oversized mushroom pushers that allow for easy control of the chronograph’s stop-start and reset functions; and a high-contrast tachymeter scale that provides clear legibility of speed readings. The watches are powered by the Breitling Caliber 23, a COSC-certified chronometer with a power reserve of approximately 48 hours. And one more cool feature collectors will love: the casebacks are etched with a detailed design sketch of Triumph’s parallel twin engine.
Of the co-branded watches, Triumph CEO Nick Bloor said: “This collaboration is born out of a shared philosophy of bold and original design. The Top Time Triumph brings that uncompromising style and craftsmanship together.”
At a 41 mm diameter, the Top Time Triumph is, like the original, a fit for both sexes. For fans of the Triumph brand and prospective owners of the Speed Twin Breitling Limited Edition motorcycle, it’s an absolute must-have.
Triumph Speed Twin Breitling Limited Edition
Only 270 of these motorcycles will ever be made. Here’s a closer look at their exceptional co-created design:
Polychromatic Blue Scheme
Complementing the dials of the Top Time chronographs, the color scheme was inspired by the Triumph immortalized in the legendary 1953 biker movie The Wild One.
Premium Specification
Higher-specification, fully adjustable Öhlins piggyback twin rear suspension units combine with all of the latest-generation Speed Twin performance, capability, and technology for the greatest Speed Twin ride ever.
Unique Engine Detailing
Billet-machined aluminum clutch and alternator embellishers with a dark anodized finish showcase an exquisitely machined Breitling logo.
Premium Leather Seat
Perforated black leather with contrasting gray stitching complements the Top Time Triumph watch strap and features an elegantly embroidered Breitling “B.”
Custom Instrument Faces
Co-designed by Breitling, the motorcycle’s speed and RPM gauges take their styling cues from the Top Time Triumph dial design.
Breitling Top Time Triumph Technical Specifications
Reference: A23311121C1X1
Movement
- Caliber: Breitling Caliber 23
- Diameter: 30 millimeters
- Depth: 7.9 millimeters
- Winder: self-winding mechanical, unilateral with ball bearing
- Power reserve: approximately 48 hours
- Balance frequency: 28,800 a/h or 4 hertz
- Chronograph: oscillating pinion, 1/4th second and 30-minute counters
- Display: hour, minute, second
- Certification: COSC-certified
Case
- Material: stainless steel
- Diameter: 41 millimeters
- Height: 14.27 millimeters
- Water resistance: up to 3 bar (30 meters)
- Glass: convex sapphire crystal, glareproofed on both sides
- Caseback: snapped, stainless steel, with engraved Triumph parallel twin engine design sketch
- Crown: non-screw-locked, one gasket
Dial & Hands
- Ice blue with special brushing
- Super-LumiNova® luminescent hour markers, hour and minute hands
Strap
Black racing-themed calfskin leather strap with folding buckle
Breitling Top Time Triumph Speed Twins Owners’ Technical Specifications
Reference: A233111A1C1X1
Movements
- Caliber: Breitling Caliber 23
- Diameter: 30 millimeters
- Depth: 7.9 millimeters
- Winder: self-winding mechanical, unilateral with ball bearing
- Power reserve: approximately 48 hours
- Balance frequency: 28,800 a/h or 4 hertz
- Chronograph: oscillating pinion, 1/4th second and 30-minute counters
- Display: hour, minute, second
- Certification: COSC-certified
Case
- Material: stainless steel
- Diameter: 41 millimeters
- Height: 14.27 millimeters
- Water resistance: up to 3 bar (30 meters)
- Glass: convex sapphire crystal, glareproofed on both sides
- Caseback: snapped, stainless steel, with engraved Triumph parallel twin engine design
- sketch
- Crown: non screw-locked, one gasket
Dial & Hands
- Ice blue
- Super-LumiNova® luminescent hour markers, hour and minute hands
Strap
- Black racing-themed calfskin leather strap with folding buckle
About Triumph
First established in 1902, Triumph Motorcycles is celebrating 120 years of motorcycle
manufacture in 2022. For more than three decades, Triumph Motorcycles has been based in
Hinckley, Leicestershire, and has produced iconic bikes that perfectly blend authentic design,
character, charisma, and performance. With more than 75,000 motorcycles delivered in the
financial year 2021, and close to 700 dealers around the world, Triumph is the largest British
motorcycle manufacturer.
About Breitling
Founded in 1884, Breitling is a leading Swiss watchmaker. The innovative company invented
the modern chronograph and pioneered the navigational tool watch. Today, it ’s still
breaking new ground as a casual, inclusive, and sustainable luxury brand with more than
150 industrial-loft-inspired retail locations around the world. Breitling’s collections center
around air, land, and sea pursuits, all captured in the brand’s unmistakable modern-retro
style. The exceptional quality of ever y watch movement is confirmed by its status as a
COSC-certified chronometer, and the brand remains one of only a handful of independent
watchmakers to produce its own manufacture calibers. Combining classic watchmaking
with the latest innovations, Breitling is both a company with history and one that’s ahead
of its time.