Despite the modern luxury watch market being filled with creations dedicated to motorsport and classic cars, the vast majority of these automotive inspirations have a Eurocentric focus. While brands like Porsche, Ferrari, Aston Martin, Bentley, and McLaren offer a wide selection of models, American car enthusiasts who collect watches face a relative lack of options.
The latest release from Breitling for the 2021 Geneva Watch Days aims to address this issue by reimagining its sporty Top Time chronograph line in a vintage style with elements from the 1966 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray 427, 1968 Ford Mustang GT 390, and 1965 Shelby Cobra 427. The new Breitling Top Time Classic Cars Capsule Collection, featuring the Breitling Top Time Chevrolet Corvette, Breitling Top Time Ford Mustang, and Breitling Top Time Shelby Cobra, is a love letter to icons of American car manufacturing with enough bold vintage charisma to delight even non-car enthusiasts.
All three models in the Breitling Top Time Classic Cars Capsule Collection follow the pure vintage lines of the current Top Time series, but interpret this 60s-inspired form a bit differently. Both the Breitling Top Time Chevrolet Corvette and Breitling Top Time Ford Mustang have more modern 42mm stainless steel cases, while the Breitling Top Time Shelby Cobra is slightly more compact at 40mm. Aside from the diameter difference, all three models represent a pure 60s sports chronograph, with fully polished finishes, thin sharply curved lugs, narrow sloping bezels, vertical case sides, and high piston pushers.
Both the 40mm and 42mm cases also have surprisingly similar overall thickness (13.3mm and 13.65mm, respectively), partly thanks to the vintage-style domed sapphire crystals. Each of the three variants is complemented by a massive engraved caseback. For the Breitling Top Time Chevrolet Corvette, it features a crossed flag emblem from the C2 Corvette Sting Ray's rear deck, while the Breitling Top Time Ford Mustang showcases the timeless emblem of the running horse Ford Mustang. To complete the Top Time Shelby Cobra model, Breitling uses the Cobra emblem with a formidable snake head. All three models boast a sporty water resistance of up to 100 meters.
The dials of the Breitling Top Time Classic Cars Capsule Collection are what set each of the three models apart. All three variants follow the same 60s sporty model, with stepped outer tachymeter rings, simple printed line indices, striped hands, and square round subdials first seen in the limited Top Time Deus series. From here, each of the trio develops its own visual identity, taking the base design in noticeably different directions.
The Breitling Top Time Shelby Cobra is undoubtedly the simplest of the three models, with a classic two-register layout. Although the Top Time Shelby Cobra is already the smallest in the collection, its white tachymeter ring visually compresses the dial further in images, likely giving it a deceptively compact look on the wrist. The main dial surface is executed in bright American racing blue with bold vertical brushing, which, combined with the stark white subdials and tachymeter ring, gives the dial a classically sporty appearance. However, it is in the finer details that this design truly shines in images: from the light square azurage of the subdials to the fine relief texture of the seconds track and the 12 o'clock Breitling emblem. Red and blue accents on the central chronograph seconds hand, subdials, and tachymeter ring add an additional layer of vibrant hues, with Breitling completing the balanced package with an applied Shelby Cobra badge at the 6 o'clock position.
If the Top Time Shelby Cobra is the simplest of the Top Time Classic Cars Capsule Collection, the Breitling Top Time Chevrolet Corvette is the most visually striking. The deep vertically matte ruby red color of the main dial surface immediately sets it apart from blue, black, and green, while the contrasting deep black color of the outer ring and subdials gives the overall design a more aggressive edge. Here, the chronograph accents are done in warm pumpkin orange and sunny yellow tones, adding nuances reminiscent of Corvette dashboard instruments. However, the chronograph itself may cause enthusiasts to take a double take.
To better demonstrate the capability of measuring 1/8 seconds, the central chronograph seconds hand moves at double speed, making a lap around the dial in 30 seconds. The lowest mark on the tachometer is 110, which may not be very useful given that the fastest Corvette available in 1966 could reach a top speed of only 144 miles per hour. However, for many enthusiasts, this decrease in tachometer functionality may be a worthy trade-off.
The Breitling Top Time Ford Mustang completes the Top Time Classic Cars Capsule Collection, finding a visual balance between the more aggressive Top Time Chevrolet Corvette and the simpler Top Time Shelby Cobra. Much of the layout follows the Corvette model, but unlike its siblings, the Top Time Ford Mustang distinctly evokes one Mustang - the Mustang GT 390 fastback from 1968 driven by Steve McQueen in the classic 1968 crime film "Bullitt." The Top Time Ford Mustang's dial perfectly matches McQueen's green paint, with vertical matte finishing adding visual detail. The vintage Mustang badge under the Breitling emblem at the 12 o'clock position completes the set, ensuring solid visual weight distribution balance.
Breitling equips the Top Time Classic Cars Capsule Collection with a pair of automatic chronographs based on the ETA 2892-A2. The Top Time Chevrolet Corvette and Top Time Ford Mustang are powered by the Breitling Caliber 25. In addition to the unique central 30-second hand, Caliber 25 offers a standard running seconds subdial, along with 15-minute and 6-hour chronograph subdials. As with all Breitling movements, Caliber 25 is COSC-certified as a chronometer, ensuring timekeeping accuracy, and offers an average 42-hour power reserve at a frequency of 28,800 beats per hour. For the Top Time Shelby Cobra model, the brand instead uses Caliber 41, which retains the 42-hour power reserve of Caliber 25, the 28,800 beats per hour frequency, and the COSC chronometer certification, but uses standard 60-second central chronograph seconds and 30-minute total chronograph timing.
All three models in the Breitling Top Time Classic Cars Capsule Collection come with calfskin leather straps with faux racing-style perforations. For the Top Time Ford Mustang and Top Time Shelby Cobra models, Breitling chose a warm taupe color, with significant atmospheric effects and dramatic highlights in the initial images. To complement the more aggressive look of the Top Time Chevrolet Corvette, the brand instead uses a plain black strap.
The Breitling Top Time Classic Cars Capsule Collection, with intriguing visual details, unique chronograph features, and the charm of old-school American muscle cars, offers a stunning tribute to a frequently overlooked side of automotive culture with more than enough charisma for non-racers. All three models in the Breitling Top Time Classic Cars Capsule Collection are available now through authorized dealers, with each model priced at $5,500. For more detailed information, please visit the brand's website.
SPECIFICATIONS — BREITLING TOP TIME CLASSIC CARS WATCHES
Case: Chevrolet Corvette and Ford Mustang 42mm x 13.65mm — Shelby Cobra 40mm x 13.30mm — stainless steel — sealed caseback — screw-down crown with 2 gaskets — water resistance 100m
Dial: Chevrolet Corvette: red with black tachymetric scale and 3 black subdials
Ford Mustang: green with black tachymetric scale and 3 black subdials
Shelby Cobra: blue with white tachymetric scale and 2 white subdials
Super-LumiNova indices, hour and minute hands
Movement: Chevrolet Corvette and Ford Mustang equipped with Breitling Caliber 25 (ETA 2892 base with Dubois-Depraz chronograph module) — automatic 1/8 second chronograph — 28,800 vph — 42-hour power reserve — COSC-certified
Shelby Cobra equipped with Caliber 41 (ETA base with Dubois-Depraz chronograph module) — automatic 1/4 second chronograph — 28,800 vph — 42-hour power reserve — COSC-certified
Strap: racing calfskin leather — folding clasp
Availability: capsule collection, released for one year
Price: $5,500