Introducing the Breitling Premier Heritage B09 Chronograph

Breitling revealed a slew of new chronograph watches this morning within the Premier Heritage collection. Each of the watches recall earlier momentous occasions within the brand’s heritage, and look to capture a bit of old-school flair in the process. While the split chrono Duograph and full calendar Daytora offer some impressive complexity, it is the simple hand wound B09 Chronograph that’s caught our eye. 

The B09 Chronograph gets a 40mm case offered in either 18k red gold with white dial, or steel with a very interesting looking green dial that Breitling is calling ‘pistachio-green’. The case is listed as a hair over 13mm in thickness thanks to the hand wound B09 caliber within, making this among the more approachable Breitling chronographs in recent memory.

The dual-register dial is classically beautiful with details that recall early Breitling chronograph watches that played a pivotal role in bringing the complication to the wrist. The dial is uniform in color, leaving the design and construction to create contrast and legibility. The registers are recessed into the dial with a ring texture further separating them from the rest of the dial rather than using outlines. Syringe hands track against a borderline ornate minute track tucked into the crest of the tachymeter scale, which gets its own raised section at the edge of the dial. 

Polished applied numerals appear at each hour not obstructed by the sub-dials, matching the fully polished case. There is no bezel present, but there is a lip of space between the case’s edge and the crystal itself, which should help further constrain the viewing area on the wrist. All indications point to this being a rather easy wearing chronograph.

Inside the B09 Chronograph is the in-house B09 hand-wound movement, which is visible through an exhibition caseback. The movement is rather industrial looking, with oddly shaped bridges and subtle finishing applied, and looks rather robust as a result. The column wheel chronograph movement is COSC spec and supplies 70 hours of reserve, and again, fits within a 13mm thick case, leaving us wondering if we’ll see it make an appearance within any Tudor watches as well given their history of working together in development. 

The B09 Chronograph in steel is priced at $8,400, making it a tall order against some other equally impressive chronographs out there these days, but then again, pistachio-green is a real vibe. Is it enough to cover the premium here? We’ll have more to say on that once we get a chance to go hands-on. Until then, see more of the new chronograph watches announced today right here, at Breitling.