The Calibre Of Breitling |
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As one of the most heavily marketed brands in the world, Breitling is part of a small group of brands at the forefront of the general public's awareness as a quality Swiss watchmaker. Interestingly, for the majority of the uninformed public, the reality of Breitling's activities as a watchmaker in recent years would probably not be in-keeping with their perception of traditional Swiss watchmaking. Despite the company's reputation for sturdy, robust pilots watches, prior to 2009 Breitling's watches did not contain movements actually manufactured by the company itself. |
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However, following the unveiling of the Calibre B01 at Baselworld 2009, alongside the Chronomat B01 (containing the new manufacture mechanism), Breitling became part of another select group of watch brands, those with the capacity to manufacture their own movements. In fact, the release of the Calibre B01 saw the La Chaux-de-Fonds based company become a member of an even more exclusive club, those brands capable of manufacturing their own chronograph movement. |
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Prior to the Calibre B01, Breitling, like many other Swiss watch brands, utilised (and continues to do so for other collections) ETA movements that were modified in the company's workshop for the majority of its timepieces. The brand's chronographs, upon which it has built its fine reputation, were and still are to a large extent, based upon ETA 'Valjoux' calibres (most notably the 7750 and 7753); including the brand's premier collection, the Navitimer. Upon unveiling the new Calibre B01 at Baselworld 2009, brand officials cited "market demand" as the primary reason behind the development of a manufacture chronograph movement. However, uncertainty surrounding the future supply of ETA movements following the announcement of the aggresive business intentions of ETA owner, the Swatch Group, will have undoubtedly provided the catalyst for creating the new manufacturing facilities. In reality, the reason behind the progression is largely irrelevant, the end result is that brand connoisseurs and the general watch buying public now have the option of a Breitling watch that has been manufactured in the manner they would expect. |
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