Surfer-inspired Superocean Heritage ’57

If you know fashion, you know capsule collections are a great way to introduce small runs of fun product without taking a big risk. Not too many watch brands create capsule collections, though, except for Fendi, which is great at it. More and more, though, it is becoming a trend in itself — that’s why I wasn’t surprised at all when Breitling released the new Superocean Heritage ’57 Capsule collection of watches — designed to celebrate the laid-back surfer lifestyles of the 1950’s and ’60’s.

The new surfer style watches take their design inspiration from the brand’s original SuperOcean watch that was unveiiled in 1957. Being produced for a limited time and, therefore, in a limited quantity, the Breitling Superocean Heritage ’57 Capsule collection watches introduce some interesting twists to the famed diving icon. Modern interpretations, the new watches feature two different dial options — black or blue — with black or brown retro-inspired leather straps (respectively), or with a stainless steel bracelet. There is also a two-tone version with a bi-directional rotating bezel in 18-karat rose gold with a black ceramic ring. In fact, the concave bidirectional bezel is a highlight of the collection. It features a shock-resistant ceramic bezel ring with luminescent dot at 12:00

Superocean Heritage Automatic 42 Boutique Rainbow Limited Edition

There is even a very special Superocean Heritage ’57 Limited Edition watch that is a boutique-only piece. It features  bold splashes of color on the dial, making 12, 3, 6 and 9. The hour markers and the hour and minute hands are coated with Super-LumiNova® in a rainbow graduation of yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet, red, and orange. This makes the watch particularly easy to read in the dark and underwater.   For those who want more color and fun, try a separate purchase of an  Outerknown ECONYL® yarn NATO strap in one of six color combinations: blue with dark blue stripes, light blue with dark blue stripes, yellow with orange stripes, gray with black stripes, red with black stripes and green with black stripes. Just 250 of the limited edition will be made. It retinas for $4520 on leather strap and for $5,025 on bracelet.

All of the Superocean Heritage ’57 watches, including the limited edition,  are powered by the Breitling Caliber 10, which offers a power reserve of approximately 42 hours. Like all Breitling watches, they are COSC-certified chronometers, an independent confirmation of their precision and performance.The three watches in the capsule collection retail for $4,380 in steel on strap, $4385 in steel on bracelet, $5225 for two-tone on strap, and $5,690 for two tone on steel bracelet.

“We’ve focused on the relaxed Southern California fun-in-the-sun culture that defined an era. The surfing itself in the 1950s and 1960s is at the heart of our storytelling here, but those times offered so much more: the great music, the amazing cars, and the almost spiritual connection to freedom found on endless sandy beaches and in the search for the perfect wave,” says Georges Kern, CEO of Breitling, who then said about the Limited Edition version, “We designed the Superocean Heritage ’57 Limited Edition as a watch for people who want something a little out of the ordinary – for people who want both a great watch and a little festival of color on their wrists.”