The Breitling Superocean has done what Breitling does best – bringing their heritage into the present. Redesigned from the previous SuperOcean of the 60s and 70s, this new collection rethinks what it means to have a dive watch because now they want wearers to “surf with it, swim with it, hit the beach bar with it.”
In the 1960s, dive watches were for diving. Just for diving. Of course, they were made to look good, but primarily they were a purpose tool watch. Anything that wasn’t related to the lifesaving needs of a diver were left completely absent – no subtle indexes, chunky luminescent batons only.
The most shocking design choice Breitling made was the removal of the second hand. Everything divers timed was in minutes, so seconds just weren’t really required. But they didn’t just remove the seconds hand without adding something so they introduced a minutes-based chronograph. It was this chronograph that gave it the nickname “Slow Motion.”
Speaking at the launch, Breitling CEO Georges Kern said,
“There’s a certain sameness to the look of most dive watches, but the Slow Motion always stood out from the crowd. We’re so pleased to introduce our modern take on this classic, the all-new Superocean.”
The New Collection
The new collection is available in four sizes (46, 44, 42, and 36mm) and comes in a wide array of colours that are carefully paired with three different metal cases – steel, steel-gold, and bronze. It’s the bronze that’s the most interesting though.
A special alloy is used in the 44 and 42mm bronze versions that has a high resistance to corrosion whilst still being able to develop a subtle patina over time to create a unique look. It’s an amazing retro-inspired look that really stands out amongst the crowd.
You’ve also got two strap options – a sporty rubber strap and a new three-row metal bracelet. Each now have a folding clasp that allows for micro-adjustments of up to 15mm so you can fit it comfortably over a rash vest or dive suit.
The Superocean doesn’t shirk its technical features either. It’s water-resistant up to 300m (1000ft) and while you’re under the water the hands and indexes are coated in Super-Luminova so you can read it with no worries. The ceramic-inlayed bezel is scratchproof and will never wear or fade. That same bezel is unidirectional on most sizes for safety, but it is bidirectional on the 46mm with a patented lock. To top it all off, it shock-, sand-, and saltwater-resistant.
All the watches feature the Breitling Caliber 17 movement with a power reserve of approximately 38 hours.
The distinctive square minute hand has made a comeback on this design. Not only that, but the high-contrast minute scale is here to join it. The circle near the tip of the second hand is a wink to “the dot” – a circular window at 6 o’clock that changed colours depending on whether the minutes-based chronograph was engaged, paused, or off.
The big showstopper however has to be the Superocean Automatic 42 Kelly Slater. This special-edition watch was co-designed with Slater and is limited to 1,000 pieces. The bright orange and green colour scheme is inspired by a watch Slater’s dad used to wear surfing.
Slater said of the collaboration,
“I’ve been co-creating watches with Breitling for the past few years but this one, in particular, is very personal. It’s inspired by my late father, who had a watch with an orange face that he used to wear surfing for as long as I can remember. The green and orange together is a colour scheme I used to like for the airbrushed on my boards growing up. That combination has always stuck with me.”
Check out the collection on Breitling’s website.
For more like this, check out why we are so obsessed with time.
Check out our hands on video with the watches here!
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