Breitling B21 Top Time Classic Cars Tourbillon Combines Haute Horology with Iconic Vehicles

The Breitling Top Time is one of the coolest collections in the Swiss brand’s range, a retro chronograph that pays homage to the history of Breitling and motoring. Nothing emphasises that more than the Breitling Top Time Classic Cars Squad capsule collection launched in 2021 which dressed the model in the iconic liveries of Chevrolet Corvette, Ford Mustang and Shelby Cobra. Now Breitling are returning to the same concept to give the engines of those watches a bit of a tune up with the new Breitling B21 Top Time Classic Cars Tourbillon.

I think the easiest way to compare the new watches to the original capsule collection is that the originals were the track day versions of the watches and these one are the concours editions. The original trio were bright, vibrant and full of racing energy with bicompax or tricompax displays and steel cases. These new ones are a little darker, a little more refined and have their bonnets open, showing the updated engine inside with its shiny new tourbillon ready to be inspected for Best in Show.

While the overall aesthetics of the watches are broadly the same, a lot of the details are subtly different. So just like a good concours judge, I think they each warrant looking at individually. Starting with the Top Time B21 Ford Mustang.

Breitling Top Time B21 Ford Mustang

 The first of the new B21 Top Time Classic Cars Tourbillons is the B21 Ford Mustang edition, which is the smallest of the trio with a case diameter of 43mm. It’s also the only model in the collection to have its case made from bronze, which looks great when it’s bright and shiny and will develop a patina over time, gaining character just like a classic car. The design of the case is identical to the 2021 edition with a strong, circular shape, pump pushers, fairly large crown and gently facetted lugs.

As for the dial, it’s a completely new display with the titular tourbillon sitting in its carriage at 12 o’clock, central hours, minutes and chronograph seconds and lastly a 60-minute chronograph timer on a squircle subdial at 6 o’clock. The entire display is encircled by a peripheral tachymeter. For the Ford Mustang version the dial is green with a black subdial, bronze hands, bronze hour markers and bronze housing for the subdial and tourbillon.

This is probably my favourite watch out of the new trio. The combination of the dark green and bronze works really well and you don’t have to worry about the bronze staining your skin as it has a titanium caseback with a sapphire exhibition window. Through said window you can see the Breitling Manufacture Calibre B21 built in partnership with La Joux-Perret. It’s an automatic tourbillon movement with a column wheel chronograph with horizontal clutch and COSC chronometer certification.

Breitling Top Time B21 Shelby Cobra

Next up is the Top Time B21 Shelby Cobra, which is larger than the Mustang at a diameter of 44mm for its black ceramic case. I know I said these watches are more elegant than the original race models but that doesn’t mean they can’t be high performance at the same time and the ceramic case certainly is high performance with its extreme scratch resistance, strength and lightweight properties. The case design is completed by a caseback, pushers and crown made from titanium.

Colour-wise, it’s based on the 1962 Shelby Cobra and its blue livery, hence the blue dial. To my eye it looks a couple of shades darker than the first Top Time Shelby Cobra and not quite so saturated. That subtle change suits the piece, matching with the new ceramic case. Also the tachymeter is black now as opposed to white.

One thing I’m a little saddened by with the new watches is the omission of the car manufacturer’s logos from the dial, which really sold the automotive theme of the pieces on the 2021 models. But on the flip side, if you aren’t a motoring fan you can just have a cool blue tourbillon chronograph that needs no explanation. The tourbillon movement is again the Breitling Manufacture Calibre B21.

Breitling Top Time B21 Chevrolet Corvette

Last up in the Breitling B21 Top Time Classic Cars Tourbillon collection we have the Top Time B21 Chevrolet Corvette. This one has a case identical to the Shelby model in ceramic with a 44mm diameter. However, it’s also the model that has changed the most compared to the first Corvette piece. Specifically when it comes to the dial.

Instead of the monotone red colour, the new piece has a walnut burl effect dial. What that means is it’s a textured brown colour designed to look like the interior decoration of the 1960s Corvette Sting Ray. It’s a huge difference and completely changes the aesthetic and style of the watch, really emphasising the class, style and elegance of the classic car rather than its sportiness. The dial is completed by silver coloured accents.

As with all three models, it’s presented on a perforated leather strap in the classic style of a racing watch. Although with the delicacy of a tourbillon mechanism you might want to avoid the heavy shocks of a race with this one, especially as all three models are priced at £38,000. It’s much better suited to timing from the sidelines, or better yet counting the time until the Best in Show awards ceremony.

More details at Breitling.

​Oracle Time 

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