To many, cars and watches go together perfectly. Both of them can be beautiful and functional at the same time, but automakers and watch companies don’t always stay together, which is why you often see automaker-branded timepieces manufactured by different watchmakers. The latest pairing of autos and horology is the recently announced partnership between Aston Martin (and the Aston Martin Aramco Formula 1 team) and Breitling.
If you’re a fan of high-end British cars or Swiss watches, you may remember that both Aston Martin and Breitling have collaborated with other companies in the past. It was only five years ago that Aston Martin announced that it was joining forces with Girard-Perregaux, a union that resulted in the green ceramic Laureato introduced in 2023. On the Breitling side, it created Bentley-influenced watches and installed its clocks in Bentley models for 19 years before parting ways in 2021.
Aston Martin and Breitling actually joined forces decades ago—sort of. In the 1965 James Bond movie “Thunderball,” 007 drove a DB5 (using its pop-up rear bullet shield and twin fire hoses to ward off bad guys) and wore a Breitling Top Time chronograph with a Q Branch-installed Geiger counter that detected the presence of hijacked bombs.
This new official partnership between the two brands starts with the Navitimer B01 Chronograph 43 Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team, a limited run of 1,959 pieces coming out in Q3 of this year. Features include a carbon fiber dial and a 43-millimeter titanium case that houses a 45-jewel movement with a 70-hour power reserve.
At $11,500, it’s a lofty purchase but, the last time we checked, that’s much easier to swing than a new Aston Martin.
