Breitling makes F1 debut with Aston Martin partnership

Breitling will become the official watch partner of the Aston Martin Formula One team, marking a high-profile debut into one of the world’s most popular sports. The private equity-backed Swiss watch brand is replacing rival Girard-Perregaux as the British racing team’s official watch partner. It’s part of a wider deal Breitling has struck that also includes a collaboration with Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings, the U.K.-listed luxury carmaker. Breitling is rapidly expanding its exposure to global sports and earlier this year struck a multiyear deal to be the official timepiece partner of America’s National Football League, the world’s richest professional sports league. Luxury brands have been seeking to cash in on the resurgent interest in Formula One in recent years with LVMH signing a major deal with the organizers. In the latest partnership, Breitling will “have watches related to vintage cars, watches related to Formula One and watches related to Lagonda,” Georges Kern, chief executive officer of Breitling, said in an interview. The first watch in the collaboration will feature Breitling’s aviation-themed Navitimer chronograph and Aston Martin’s racing green livery and team logo. Priced at $11,500 in the U.S., the co-branded timepiece will be limited to 1,959 pieces — a nod to Aston Martin’s Formula One debut year — with a lightweight titanium case, and a carbon-fiber dial inspired by materials found in an F1 cockpit. Additional models tied to Aston Martin’s heritage and newest models are already in the pipeline for later launches. Breitling branding will also appear on Aston Martin’s team apparel and cars. The new season begins at the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne in March. Stroll’s vision The Aston Martin F1 team is controlled by Lawrence Stroll, who rescued the carmaker in 2020 and started to use its name in the sport for the team he already owned. His son Lance drives for the team, along with two-time world champion Fernando Alonso. Stroll is executive chairman of both the carmaker and the Formula One team. “Our pursuit of a World Championship demands partners who match our ambition,” Stroll said, hailing the two companies’ shared heritage. Formula One drivers Graham Hill and Jim Clark were known to wear Navitimers during their careers, while both Breitling and Aston Martin appeared in Thunderball, part of the James Bond film franchise featuring the actor Sean Connery. By Allegra Catelli

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Breitling makes F1 debut with Aston Martin partnership