Introducing: The Long-Awaited Return Of The Breitling Duograph

Quick Take I won't lie to you. I love when blue-chip watch brands get down to business and provide their own spin on an area of watchmaking that was historically inaccessible. TAG Heuer de-pantsing the rest of the industry with its sub-$15k, Swiss-made tourbillon ? Oh yeah. Montblanc coming out with a perpetual calendar for (comparably) pennies on the dollar, and then Frederique Constant pushing the barrier of entry even lower ? You love to see it. So I was pumped when Breitling first released the Navitimer Rattrapante , powered by the in-house caliber B03, for under $11,000 in steel, in 2017. When that watch debuted, it piqued the attention of a certain segment of highly knowledgeable, and endlessly particular, collectors of Breitling vintage chronographs for what it might indicate is on the horizon. Four years later, on the eve of Watches & Wonders 2021 (an event in which Breitling is not an official participant), those enthusiast wishes have finally been granted, with the official return of the highly sought-after 1940s Breitling Duograph split-seconds chronograph. Notably, the Duograph revival utilizes a newly developed manually wound movement that builds on what the brand learned in creating the self-winding B03 inside the previous Navitimer Rattrapante. The watch itself measures 42mm in diameter and is being offered in its original, no-date format. And, oh, it's not a limited-edition either. Initial Thoughts As part of the new-for-2021 Premier Heritage collection – presented alongside a lovely reissue of the 1940s Datora seen here – the Duograph is, without doubt, the hero piece of this new vintage-inspired lineup. Aesthetically, the Duograph has a natural old-school feel. It's being produced in two different variants at launch, including with a sunburst blue dial in stainless steel and an inky black dial in 18k red gold. The Navitimer Rattrapante from a few years ago was the first Breitling split-seconds chronograph outfitted with an in-house movement; the vintage Duograph actually relied on a Venus ébauche caliber. So does the new Manufacture Calibre B15 represent the brand's second in-house rattrapante? Kind of, but not exactly. The B15 is based on the previous modular architecture of the B03, which itself was developed around Breitling's flagship in-house chronograph movement, the B01. You could consider it gen. 1.5 of Breitling's in-house split-seconds offering. There are a few proven ways to build a rattrapante mechanism these days. And in 2017, Breitling went out on its own and developed a brand new approach for which it eventually received two patents. Breitling's method brings simplicity to a famously intricate complication. For starters, the physical operation of the split-seconds is streamlined for enhanced user experience, in the same way of the original Duograph. Instead of an extra pusher placed near 10 o'clock on the left-hand side of the case (an approach that is more common today, famously used by Richard Habring when developing the original Doppelchronograph for IWC in the 1990s), you can split – and rejoin – the chronograph seconds hands by pressing a pusher integrated into the three o'clock crown. The cushion-shaped pushers directly above and below the winding crown allow you to stop, start, and reset the standard chronograph function. Pretty straightforward, right? If you're a fan of split-seconds chronographs, and you take a look at the B15 caliber, you might be surprised by what you see (or don't see) through its exhibition caseback. Namely, where are the clamps? Traditionally, a rattrapante mechanism works with a pair of pincers that are actuated by the split-seconds pusher, to physically stop the delicate, fine-toothed rattrapante wheel and freeze the first central seconds hand in its position on the dial. Breitling uses a proprietary gasket that decompresses on the split-seconds wheel when the pusher is actuated. The second major – and patented – innovation that Breitling has is a unique isolating system that removes the cylindrical pin typically seen in split-seconds chronographs and replaces it with a lever that separates the stopped wheel from the rest of the (uninterrupted) gear train, increasing efficiency and offering less friction when the chronograph is running. Built from a concise selection of just 28 components, Breitling's take on the split-seconds is simpler for the brand to produce and service and offers greater reliability in use for the end consumer (ahem , that's you and me). The fiscal savings of this streamlined, proprietary approach by Breitling is, most significantly, illustrated in the final MSRP. The brand-new Duograph in stainless steel with a blue dial, for example, is available for under $13,000. That's a big departure from the price tag you'll find next to most other Swiss- and German-made split-seconds chronographs, figures that can easily stretch into the six figures. Breitling, in the Georges Kern era, is at its best when resurrecting the brand's past. We saw that in the Navitimer ref. 806 1959 Re-Issue , the Navitimer AVI ref. 765 1953 Re-Issue , and even in the recent 1980s-influenced update to the Chronomat . And now we're seeing it in the newly formed Heritage Premier sub-collection. Remember, the vintage Duograph was released in 1944 as part of Breitling's original Premier line, which had debuted a year earlier, in 1943, and for which most of its history encompassed a large selection of dress chronographs. And that's exactly where the Premier returns to today. Breitling's Duograph, in all its complexity, has finally made its way back home. Photography by Kasia Milton. The Basics Brand: Breitling Model: Heritage Premier B15 Duograph 42 Reference Number: AB1510171C1P1 (stainless steel); RB1510251B1P1 (18k red gold) Diameter: 42mm Thickness: 15.35mm Case Material: Stainless steel; 18k red gold Dial Color: Blue; black Indexes: Applied Arabic numerals Lume: Yes, Super-LumiNova in hour and minute hands Water Resistance: 100 meters Strap/Bracelet: Gold-brown alligator leather strap with folding clasp; Black alligator leather strap with folding clasp The Movement Caliber: Breitling Manufacture Caliber B15 Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, split-seconds chronograph Diameter: 30mm Thickness: 8.68mm Power Reserve: Approximately 70 hours Winding: Manual wind Frequency: 28,800 vph Chronometer Certified: Yes, by COSC Additional Details: Based on Breitling Manufacture Caliber B03 Pricing & Availability Price: $12,950 in stainless steel; $25,650 in 18k red gold Availability: Now available for pre-orders in the HODINKEE Shop, with an expected May 2021 delivery Limited Edition: N/A Shop Talk As of today, the HODINKEE Shop is an Authorized Dealer for Breitling, so if you're looking to learn more about or purchase the new Heritage Premier B15 Duograph 42, don't forget to check the Shop .A split-seconds chronograph for the rest of us.