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.
