Closer Look: Breitling Top Time B31 Watch, Movement, Austin Butler News

It wasn’t even a week ago that Breitling announced Oscar-nominated actor Austin Butler as a new Squad brand ambassador. This turned heads, since Butler is a big star-power item thanks to his recent acting stellar performances in Elvis, Dune:Part Two, and The Bikeriders. But that announcement may have overshadowed the brand’s other major reveal: the introduction of the Caliber B31, Breitling’s first in-house three-hand movement. The caliber is now powering several new editions to the Top Time collection – the watch Butler wears in the new Top Time campaign.

“Breitling, for me, is about adventure and pushing the limits of what’s possible,” Butler said in a press release. “The Top Time speaks to the way I’ve always wanted to live my life: free and ready to rock ‘n’ roll. It’s a thrill to be part of the squad.”

While Butler’s arrival is a coup for Breitling, the Top Time B31 collection is what delivers the watchmaking gusto. Celebrated for its motorsport-inspired appeal and spirited dial colors, the Top Time watches, since the 1960’s, have typically been chronographs – the perfect tie to motorsports. Now,  for the first time, Top Time appears as a three-hand time-only watch, thanks to the new Caliber B31, Breitling’s first manufacture three-hand movement.

The Caliber B31 movement was, according to Breitling, four years in the making and measures a diameter of 28.4 mm and a depth of just 4.8 mm – making it smaller and more compact. But it doesn’t sacrifice performance. The self-winding movement features a free-sprung balance wheel that enhances precision, and offers 78 hours of power reserve. It also is a COSC-certified chronometer, ensuring accuracy within -4/+6 seconds per day. In the certification process, the movement is subjected to rigorous testing simulating 16 years of wear, including 100,000 crown winds and exposure to 60,000 shocks, temperature and humidity variations and more.

Because of the size of the movement, the watches in the new Top Time B31 collection are also highly wearable – coming in at 38 mm in diameter and just 10.3 mm thick. The new watches make their debut in three colorways: white with a sky-blue outer ring (my particular favorite), black with a green ring, and blue with a white ring. The dials feature applied indexes, a magnified date aperture, and a bright orange seconds hand that adds a playful contrast.

The 38mm stainless steel case further underscores the correlation between vintage proportions (when watches typically measured 36mm and 38mm in diameter) and modern wearability. The domed sapphire crystal, treated with an anti-glare coating on the inner side, enhances legibility.

Water-resistant to 100 meters, the Top Time B31 watches are sold with either a three-row stainless-steel bracelet or a perforated leather strap with contrasting stitching, inspired by classic racing gloves. The strap versions retail for $5,600, while the bracelet models sell for $5,900.

Breitling’s CEO, Georges Kern, draws a parallel between the brand’s commitment to excellence and Austin Butler’s similar ethos. “I was blown away by his dedication and attention to detail,” Kern says. “He cares about getting everything just right – something we relate to at Breitling.”

(This article by Roberta Naas first appeared in Forbes.com.)