Breitling has been in the news a lot lately, with rumors of a potential sale of the company swirling around before and during Baselworld, and then subsequently culminating with the announcement late last month that the majority shares of the family-owned company were acquired by Europe’s largest private equity firm.
While it is unclear what product changes, if any, will take place at Breitling, at least for the short-term future, large watches are there to stay. Bringing us to the Avenger Hurricane Military, which was debuted at Baselworld and features a 50 mm x 16.95 mm case, that despite its massive dimensions, weighs just 68.90 grams without the strap.
This is because the case is crafted from the company’s proprietary ultra-light Breitlight® material for the case, which is a lightweight polymer (plastic composite) that has the look of forged carbon, but with a much more durable structure.
Distinguished by the 24-hour display, in true military fashion the eschews the typical 12-hour display for an exclusive military dial, marked with printed Arabic numerals and indexes, in what Breitling calls, “subtly patinated yellow-beige color reminiscent of the instruments produced by Breitling from the 1940s to the 1960s – a nod to the brand’s longstanding heritage in the aeronautical and military field.”
Driving the display is Breitling caliber B12, which is a 47 jewel automatic manufacture movement running at 4Hz with a 70-hour power reserve.
The crown is the locking type, and water-resistance is 100 meters. A unidirectional rotating bezel allows has 0-60 graduations engraved in the matte black Breitlight bezel. Two pushpieces control the 1/4th-second chronograph, which has 30-minute and 12-hour counters, at 3 and 6 o’clock, respectively. There is a date window at a 45-degree angle between 4 and 5 o’clock, and a small seconds window at 9 o’clock.
This a 1,000 piece limited edition and comes with a unique military rubber strap with khaki green/black textile on the front and rubber protecting the sides and back (24/20 mm), along with a push-button folding clasp. The retail price is $8,840.
Learn more at Breitling.
