Founded in 1884, this year marks Breitling's 140th anniversary as one of the oldest Swiss watchmakers around as it goes on a year-long celebration of "140 years of firsts." One way that Breitling is celebrating this momentous occasion is with the introduction of a new addition to its roster of pioneering achievements. The Calibre B19 is the brand's first-ever perpetual calendar chronograph movement, and it will make its debut in three 140th-anniversary pieces representing Breitling icons: the Premier, Navitimer, and Chronomat.

Having been around for 140 years, Breitling has gone on to create some truly amazing watches and movements. In 1969, they co-developed its first-ever automatic chronograph calibre. This breakthrough solved one of the biggest watchmaking challenges of its era: combining a chronograph with an automatic movement. And 40 years after that fateful day, they released its first-ever in-house-developed movement, the Breitling Manufacture Caliber 01.

The Manufacture Caliber 01 made its debut in 2009, being the first in Breitling's long line of chronograph calibres. Soon after, the B02 was also introduced to the public with its 24-hour function. This was followed up with the B03, which featured a split-seconds feature, and right after that was the B04 with its GMT function.

As for B19, it has a full calendar and moonphase that can automatically correct itself for leap years as well as months that have 28, 30, and 31 days. This ensures that the B19 can run for nearly a century without any significant adjustments needed. It also has a power reserve of approximately 96 hours. On the movement's solid gold rotor, you will find the engraving of Breitling's historic Montbrilliant Manufacture.

Located at 3 rue de Montbrillant in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, the Breitling Manufacture is more than what its facade made it out to be. The west wing of the factory was once a villa-styled home that was the place of residence for the Breitling family for three generations. As for the Montbrilliant building, it served as the brand's manufacture for more than 80 years and was also featured in the company's advertisements.

The year was 1943 when the Breitling Premier first made its debut, being the watch that propelled the chronograph from the cockpit and into mainstream society. After 80 years since it made its first appearance, the Premier B19 Datora 42 is made out of 18k red gold on both the 42 mm case as well as the bezel. Even its crown is made of 18k red gold with two gaskets whilst being a non-screw-locked set.

On the dial of the watch, you will find it blacked out with tone-on-tone chronograph counters with the prominent moonphase at 12 o'clock. Both the date wheel and 30-minute counter are located at 3 o'clock while the perpetual calendar with a leap-year counter is at 6 o'clock. Lastly, there's the day wheel and 60-minute counter at 9 o'clock to complete the chronograph. The hour and minute hands are also coated with Super-LumiNova.

The dial and case back are protected by cambered sapphire while also being glare-proofed on both sides. Holding the Premier B19 Datora 42 is its black alligator leather strap paired with an 18k red gold folding buckle.

The Breitling Navitimer has had a storied history in the brand's archives after it was first introduced in 1952. Initially for members of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), it soon became a favourite amongst celebrities and even astronauts, which saw it become the first Swiss watch in space in 1962.

The 140th anniversary edition of the Navitimer B19 Chronograph 43 brings back the famous circular slide rule in black, which rests on the bidirectional bezel that's made of 18k red gold. It encircles the 43 mm that's also made of 18k red gold to match the colour of the dial. On the dial, you'll find the moonphase at 12 o'clock, the date wheel and 30-minute counter at 3 o'clock, the perpetual calendar with a leap-year counter at 6 o'clock, and the day wheel with a 60-minute counter at 9 o'clock.

Its hour, minute, and seconds hands as well as the hands of the sub-dial are also given the 18k red gold treatment while also being coated with Super-LumiNova to pair with its luminescent indexes. The watch also has a water resistance of up to 30 m and it features a black alligator leather strap with an 18k red gold folding buckle.

The Breitling Chronomat is the youngest watch on this list as it was first launched in 1983. It was the official watch for the Italian aerobatics team, Frecce Tricolori. Its rise in popularity just a year later saw the Chronomat as an instrumental piece in restoring the legacy of automatic chronographs.

In true Chronomat fashion, the Breitling Super Chronomat B19 44 features the model's distinctive design with its four raised rider tabs at the 15-minute marks on the bezel. Each raised rider tab is also coated in Super-LumiNova while the bezel is made of 18k red gold with a black ceramic insert, which is racheted with unidirectional movement. The watch also comes with an "onion" crown that is screw-locked with dual gaskets and wrapped in 18k red gold.

On the dial of the watch, you will find a grey skeletonised dial — the first of its kind for Breitling. Much like the Premier and Navitimer, the Super Chronomat B19 features black sapphire chronograph counters. This includes the moonphase perpetual calendar with leap-year counter, the date wheel with a 30-minute counter, and even the day wheel with a 60-second counter. Gliding across the dial are the Super-LumiNova hour and minute hands to provide some constrast against the skeletonised dial.

The dial of the watch also houses cambered sapphire glass that has also been glare-proofed on both ends. As for the case back, it features the same cambered sapphire glass alongside a screwed 18k red gold plate that still gives you an insight to the inner workings of the watch. Another big change for the Super Chronomat B19 is its Rouleaux-inspired runner strap with an 18k red gold folding buckle.

Want to discover more about Breitling and its collection of watches? Check out our catalogue to learn more about the Manufacture or drop us a message to enquire further.