Introducing Three New Breitling Blacksteel Watches

Breitling goes “back to black” with three new line extensions of its Colt Chronograph Automatic, Navitimer 46, and Avenger II Seawolf models, all in cases made of “Blacksteel,” a metal with a layer of highly resistant carbon-based treatment that Breitling first starting using for its watch cases in 2012. Here’s what you need to know about all three new watches.

The Breitling Navitimer 46 Blacksteel (below) is the only one of the three new models powered by a Breitling in-house Caliber, the automatic Caliber 01, which carries a COSC chronometer certification and holds a power reserve of more than 70 hours; it has a blackened winding rotor that is visible through a sapphire window in the watch’s caseback. The black rubber strap features a new aircraft tire-tread motif, a style now available on all Navitimer models. Differing from the classical Navitimer dial, with its three silvered subdials, this watch’s dial has just two tone-on-tone subdials — small seconds at 9 o’clock and 30-minute chronograph counter at 3 o’clock — along with a date display at 6 o’clock. Red is used for the subdial hands and for the central sweep-seconds chronograph hand. The satin-brushed blacksteel case measures 46 mm in diameter and is outfitted with another distinctively Breitling element, a bidirectional rotating bezel with a circular slide rule, a device designed to aid pilots in making calculations related to airborne navigation.

Breitling Navitimer 46 Blacksteel - front
Breitling Navitimer 46 Blacksteel - side
Breitling Navitimer 46 Blacksteel - back

The Breitling Avenger II Seawolf Blacksteel (below), the latest iteration of Breitling’s professional-grade divers’ watch, is a 1,000-piece limited series with a brushed 45-mm-diameter blacksteel case that is water-resistant to an astounding 3,000 meters (10,000 feet). The case is equipped with a decompression valve for saturation diving and a unidirectional, ratcheted, rotating dive-scale bezel with four rider tabs. It has large, luminescent-coated hands and hour indices and is protected under a thick, curved sapphire crystal that is glareproofed on both sides. The Avenger II Seawolf Blacksteel ($4,625) comes with a black rubber Ocean Racer or Diver Pro strap, a high-tech military fiber strap, or a strap combining a tough, military fabric exterior with a rubber core. The dial, in Breitling’s “Cobra yellow” color, makes for a stark contrast with the black case and strap. The double-gasket, screw-locked crown boasts protective reinforcements and a non-slip grip. Its COSC-certified movement, Breitling Caliber 17 (based on the ETA 2824-2), features automatic winding and a high frequency of 28,800 vph.

Breitling Avenger II Seawolf Blacksteel - front
Breitling Avenger II Seawolf Blacksteel - angle
Breitling Avenger II Seawolf Blacksteel - side
Breitling Colt Chronograph Automatic Blacksteel - front

The military-inspired Breitling Colt Chronograph Automatic Blacksteel (above and below) has a 44-mm case with a satin-brushed finish and a “Volcano black” dial with a circular raised motif radiating from the center. The movement is Breitling Caliber 13 (based on the ETA Valjoux 7750), a COSC-certified chronometer with a 1/4-second chronograph function and date display.The dial’s large hands and hour markers are enhanced with Super-LumiNova, and the unidirectional rotating bezel features four “rider tabs” — a hallmark of Breitling’s aviation-influenced sports watches — which enable the wearer to easily turn the ratcheted bezel even while wearing gloves. The date appears in a window at 3 o’clock, and the central chronograph seconds hand has a red arrow tip for ideal legibility against the dark dial. The subdials at 12 and 6 o’clock tally the 30 chronograph minutes and 12 chronograph hours, respectively, while the subdial at 9 o’clock displays the running seconds. The screw-locked crown helps maintain the watch’s water resistance to 200 meters (660 feet). The watch (price: $5,100) is available on a rubber Ocean Racer or Diver Pro strap or a military-style fabric strap.
Breitling Colt Chronograph Automatic Blacksteel - reclining