Breitling and Aston Martin Partnership Launches New Watch
Breitling has announced its role as Official Watch Partner of ultra-luxury British automotive manufacturer Aston Martin. The partnership marks a compelling collaboration between two brands that share a passion for speed and meticulous attention to detail. Aston Martin and Breitling have joined forces to re-establish a connection that has shaped their histories, with both stories running in parallel for more than a century.
The partnership will span design, engineering and speed. It will culminate in the launch of the first co-created luxury watch in Q3 2026.
The links between the two brands reach back to the earliest days of motoring. In 1907, Leon Breitling introduced the Vitesse. French for “speed,” it was the first chronograph to measure speeds up to 250 miles or kilometres per hour. The device delivered such precision that Swiss police adopted it to issue the first speeding tickets. A few years later in England, Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford tested their hand-built sports car in a defining race up a steep, chalky slope – Aston Hill. The car won, and the name endured.
“Aston Martin and Breitling have crossed paths at key moments in design and culture,” says Adrian Hallmark, CEO of Aston Martin. “The partnership is a perfect showcase of excellence, design mastery and performance, something that is integral to everything that Aston Martin puts its name to.”
By the 1960s, both marques had become symbols of style and modern engineering. Willy Breitling, the founder’s grandson, left behind the austerity of post-war watchmaking and created the Top Time. He designed this chronograph for a new generation of speed and style seekers. When it appeared on Sean Connery’s wrist in Thunderball (1965) as the first Q-modified gadget watch in the James Bond franchise, it became an emblem of the era. Aston Martin’s DB5 made its debut in Goldfinger (1964) and returned in Thunderball. It achieved the same status on four wheels. The watch and the car appeared together in the same film and captured the cultural fascination with James Bond’s world, where sophistication met speed and high-tech intrigue.
“Aston Martin builds cars that are as much about presence as performance,” says Georges Kern, CEO of Breitling. “We share that same heritage of iconic design: every line, finish, and proportion has purpose. Nothing is left to chance.”
The shared legacy will continue to evolve through the partnership’s multi-year run. Fans of Breitling, Aston Martin and the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One™ Team can look forward to exclusive releases, starting with the Navitimer B01 Chronograph 43 Aston Martin Formula One™ Team. This timepiece marks Breitling’s return to racing.
