Introduction

A couple of weeks ago, we saw an update to the Superocean Heritage line from Breitling. The Superocean line was first released in 1957, which marked Breitling’s first step into the deep well that is diver-centric watches. This original release had two models that have both been re-imagined over the past two decades, one being a classic time-only piece and the other made history as the first chronograph in a dive watch.

Over the years, the Superocean family evolved into looking more like the Slow-motion watch from 1965; that design has followed the Superocean to this day. In 2007, to mark the 50th anniversary of the Superocean collection, Breitling released the new Superocean Heritage line. This line drew inspiration from the original pieces instead of the Slow-Motion; this new and exciting vintage-inspired collection received a lot of praise from experts and the general public.

2017 was a very important year for Breitling; the Schneider family decided to sell the brand. The buyer was CVC Capital Partners, the best thing about this transaction was the change in leadership, in came Georges Kern, former CEO of IWC. This year also marked the 60th anniversary of the Superocean collection. To celebrate, they updated the Heritage line once more with new calibers and an updated design that further resembled the original.

Following this trend, it would have made sense that in 2027, for the 70th anniversary of the Superocean collection, we would have seen an update. Instead, in early June, the watch world was shocked after Breitling released an update to the collection, and it was a great one. The watches now perfectly recreate the original Superocean piece; the big changes were a new case, a new bracelet, a new bezel, and a new caliber.

Let’s start with the new chronographs, as we said earlier, the Breitling Superocean was the first diver’s chronograph. In the new update, they have fitted their iconic B01 caliber; the new case is thinner than the previous iteration. The new mesh bracelet mirrors the original as it closes the gap between the lug pin and the case. That is an improvement I was personally clamoring for once I heard this was released. The new sizes are also much improved in my opinion, instead of the previous 44 mm pieces, the new chronographs are in a slimmer, more versatile 42mm. Starting from just 8.250 CHF, these new chronographs are a powerhouse in the sports watches market.

Breitling did on the other hand not only expand the majority male fanbase that the brand serves, the Superocean heritage now comes in 36mm in two distinct colors, the first more subtle one is in navy blue, but the one I want to focus on and one I feel has been a sleeper hit from this release is the pistachio green version, especially on the rubber bracelet.

Coming in at a slim 36mm with the Breitling caliber 10 which is based on ETA 2892-A2, the caliber is of course as with all calibers used by Breitling COSC certified, if you are new to watches that means that it is an official chronometer, that means that it has to be within the limits of accuracy -4+6 seconds per day. That is over 99.99% accurate each day. The new 36 mm pieces come on the steel mesh bracelet as well as the color-coordinated rubber straps. For only 5.250 CHF, it is a great piece for the summer.

Now we go over to my favorite watch in this new collection, the three-handed watch with a date complication. These watches rule, they just do, every single gripe I had with the previous generation of this watch is fixed in this new and improved Superocean Heritage collection. The size is a good start as we move away from the 46,44, and 42mm watches in favor 44,42, and my personal favorite, 40mm. Not only are they smaller, but they are slimmer as the B31 comes in at 4,8 mm in thickness.

The bezel is much improved as well, since it now feels a lot closer to the main Superocean collection. It has to be mentioned that this is not the best bezel Breitling has in its arsenal, as that would be the one on the Avenger pieces, but I digress. The dial almost feels like it is inspired by the Tudor Black Bay 58 timepieces, as the curvature is stunning.

Now, for the watch I specifically want to highlight as the winner of this reinvention, the green in 40mm on the forest green rubber strap is by far my favorite. I have been fortunate enough to spend an extended amount of time with this watch, and I have placed it extremely high on my current Wishlist. This, for me, is tied with the blue Top Time B31 released earlier this year for my favorite Breitling pieces; that fact shows how good Breitling is doing at this point.

This watch is also very fairly priced at just about 6.000 CHF, also coming with a 5-year warranty that you can extend to 8 years. Those 8 years are great since, if I understand my conversations with Breitling watchmakers correctly would cover the first service window if you bring it in early, in truth, you only need to service it every 8-10 years.

Conclusion

Now it’s time to bring it all together. This new release is great, I don’t think people expected this, at least not yet, but I speak for many around me when I say it was a very welcome update. This does raise some questions, I would expect since they spent all that time and money in researching the B31 movement as a time+ date caliber, and the fact they rolled it out in the Superocean Heritage line and thus stopping production of the B20 version of the piece they have to be thinking of ending the collaboration with Tudor.

Now let’s talk ratings.

Price: 8/10

Design 10/10

Quality 9/10

Originality 9/10