Breitling’s partnership with Aston Martin is moving quickly from the pit lane to the archive.
After opening the year with a Formula One-linked Navitimer, the Swiss brand has turned to one of Aston Martin’s most recognisable machines, the DB5, for a trio of limited-edition Top Time chronographs.
The result is the Top Time B01 Chronograph 41 Tribute to Aston Martin DB5, a collection that leans into cinema, motoring design and Breitling’s own 1960s chronograph lineage without simply dressing a watch in racing green.
At a glance
- Breitling has released three limited-edition Top Time B01 Chronograph 41 models celebrating the Aston Martin DB5.
- Each watch uses a 41mm cushion case, Breitling’s automatic Manufacture Calibre 01 and a wooden tachymeter rehaut inspired by the DB5 steering wheel.
- Prices run from £8,650 to £35,100, with production limited to 1,022, 315 and 250 pieces depending on the version.
A DB5 tribute with a cinematic thread
The Aston Martin DB5 needs little introduction outside the usual language of collector cars.
Its place in popular culture was secured through James Bond, where the car’s revolving number plates, hidden weaponry, smoke screen and ejector seat turned it from elegant grand tourer into cinematic shorthand for British cool.
Breitling’s choice of the Top Time for this project is a sharp one.
In Thunderball, the DB5 appears on screen while Bond’s wristwatch is a Q-issued Breitling Top Time chronograph, giving this collaboration a more specific link than a badge on the dial.
That connection matters because the Top Time already carries the right period energy.
It was born as a sport chronograph with a youthful, graphic edge, and in modern B01 form it gives Breitling a platform that feels less formal than a Premier and less aviation-coded than a Navitimer.
Case materials and dial executions
All three DB5 editions share the same 41mm cushion-shaped case and a 13.8mm thickness, with water resistance rated to 100 metres.
The unifying detail is a wooden rehaut carrying the tachymeter scale, a neat nod to the wooden steering wheel of the original DB5.
The stainless-steel reference AB0178121G1X1 is the most direct of the three, pairing a sunray-brushed silver dial with black squircle subdials.
It has the cleanest vintage-sport personality in the collection and is limited to 1,022 pieces.
The reference PB0178121B1X1 keeps a steel case body but adds a platinum bezel, a quieter luxury move that sits well with its black lacquered dial.
That version is limited to 315 pieces.
At the top of the range is the reference RB0178131B1X1 in 18k red gold, fitted with an onyx dial and black subdials.
It is limited to 250 pieces and is notable as Breitling’s first stone-dial watch.
Each model is worn on a hand-coloured gradient brown calfskin leather strap with a folding clasp, chosen to echo DB5 interior tones rather than the more obvious exterior paint palette.
The B01 movement and Aston Martin details
Inside each watch is the Breitling Manufacture Calibre 01, an automatic chronograph movement with a 70-hour power reserve.
The calibre runs at 28,800 vibrations per hour and carries COSC chronometer certification.
Functionally, the layout is classic B01 Top Time, with central hours and minutes, central chronograph seconds, small seconds at 9 o’clock and a 30-minute chronograph counter at 3 o’clock.
The movement is visible through an exhibition caseback, where Breitling has added a custom Aston Martin rotor.
It’s a measured approach to co-branding.
The watch doesn’t rely on oversized logos or colour-matching alone, instead pulling its strongest character from the DB5’s cabin, the Top Time’s Bond-adjacent history and the mechanical credibility of Breitling’s in-house chronograph calibre.
Details & Specifications
| Brand | Breitling |
|---|---|
| Model | Top Time B01 Chronograph 41 Tribute to Aston Martin DB5 |
| References | AB0178121G1X1, PB0178121B1X1, RB0178131B1X1 |
| Case size | 41mm diameter x 13.8mm thickness |
| Case material | Stainless steel, stainless steel with platinum bezel, or 18k red gold |
| Dial | Sunray-brushed silver, black lacquered, or onyx with black subdials |
| Movement | Breitling Manufacture Calibre 01, automatic |
| Frequency | 28,800 vph, 4 Hz |
| Power reserve | 70 hours |
| Certification | COSC chronometer certified |
| Functions | Hours, minutes, small seconds, central chronograph seconds, 30-minute chronograph counter |
| Water resistance | 100m, 10 bar |
| Strap | Hand-coloured gradient brown calfskin leather with folding clasp |
| Limited edition | 1,022 pieces in steel, 315 pieces with platinum bezel, 250 pieces in red gold |
| Price | £8,650 in steel, £14,400 with platinum bezel, £35,100 in red gold |
For Breitling and Aston Martin’s second watch together, this is a confident turn away from the obvious racing tie-in and toward a more textured piece of shared pop-cultural history.
The steel version will likely be the broadest crowd-pleaser, but the platinum-bezel model and red-gold onyx edition give the series enough range to appeal to collectors who want the DB5 story told with a little more nuance.
