THE OCEAN IS CALLING : The New SuperOcean
The new Breitling SuperOcean collection just launched, and it’s a gorgeous redesign of the original sporty sea watch from the 1960s and 1970sThe new watch collection features a sleek, modern design while preserving the original aesthetic of the watch. The collection is available in a bright palette of colours. Plus, it’s no longer strictly a dive watch—you can surf with it, swim with it, and hit the beach bar with it.
In the 1960s, the rapidly growing sport of scuba diving, inspired by the adventures of world-famous ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau, was all the rage. In diving, where even the slightest mistake can be deadly, timing is everything—measured almost exclusively in minutes. Breitling wanted to not only provide the best tool watch for the task, but to give it a sense of style that would appeal to the young, daredevil crowd.
In order to create this innovative early SuperOcean, Breitling’s designers worked tirelessly to eliminate any superfluous features that didn’t support the lifesaving needs of divers underwater. This resulted in a clean, streamlined design that was both aesthetically pleasing and functional. A stark high-contrast dial ring was introduced to the crucial minutes scale, replacing the former subtle indexes with chunky luminescent batons for easy readability. Breitling’s most daring change was getting rid of the seconds hand. Divers didn’t need it, so they replaced it with a “Slow Motion” minutes-based chronograph. It took an hour to make a full rotation of the dial. This allowed divers to more accurately measure their dive time to the minute, rather than to the second.
Speaking from the festival, 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.”
Made for the sea
The new collection is available in four sizes (46, 44, 42, and 36 mm) and features a range of colorful dials, each paired with three different case metals—steel, steel-gold, and bronze. The special, top secret alloy used in the 44 and 42 mm bronze versions is highly resistant to corrosion but will develop a subtle patina over time with exposure to oxygen and moisture, making the watch even more unique and desirable. The new sporty rubber strap and three-row metal bracelet, with a convenient folding clasp that allows for easy micro-adjustments of up to 15 mm, is the perfect addition to your wristwear collection for those days spent surfing, swimming, or just out in the sun.
The new Superocean is not only a looker, but a technical marvel. Water-resistant to a staggering 300 m (1000 ft), it features broad hands and indexes coated in long-lasting Super-LumiNova® that allow for unrivaled readability underwater. The scratchproof ceramic-inlayed bezel means it will never wear or fade over time, making it a lifetime investment. For safety, the unidirectional bezel is a standard feature on most sizes, while the 46 mm has a patented lock for bidirectional use. This tough and rugged watch is also shock-, sand-, and saltwater-resistant, making it the perfect accessory for your outdoor adventures. Its top-of-the-line Breitling Calibre 17 automatic comes with a two-year warranty and an impressive 38-hour power reserve, so you can be confident it will keep up with you no matter where your adventures take you.
The Slow Motion’s most iconic and beloved features have made a triumphant return in the new Superocean. The timepiece’s distinctive square minute hand is back, as is the high-contrast minute scale. And fans will remember “the dot,” a circular window at 6 o’clock that displayed different colours depending on whether the minutes-based chronograph was engaged, paused, or off. In the new Superocean, a small circle near the tip of the second hand pays homage to that much-loved feature.
Serious performance, laid-back vibe
The iconic Breitling Surfer Squad, made up of the world-renowned Kelly Slater, Stephanie Gilmore, and Sally Fitzgibbons, is back and better than ever as the faces behind the brand new Superocean collection. The watch assortment includes the special-edition Superocean Automatic 42 Kelly Slater. The new watch, co-designed with surf champion Kelly Slater and limited to just 1000 pieces, features an eye-catching orange dial and a military-green rubber strap. The unique colour scheme was inspired by a watch Slater’s dad used to wear surfing.
Of the collaboration, Slater says, “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 color scheme I used to like for the airbrushes on my boards growing up. That combination has always stuck with me.”
The new Superocean is the perfect watch for collectors, water sports enthusiasts, and fashionistas alike. Those in the know will instantly recognise the strong influence of the Slow Motion, while others will appreciate its technical features. The Superocean is also the perfect watch for those who want a versatile timepiece that can go from the beach to the boardroom with ease. With the new Superocean, Breitling has managed to perfectly balance the nostalgia of its heritage with modern design, making fresh new waves in the world of watchmaking.