Breitling Introduces a Limited Edition Superocean Heritage for the American Market with a Green Dial

Readers, I’ll level with you: at long last, I’m running out of ways to discuss the green watch thing. We might be past the point that we can legitimately call it a trend – green dials might have penetrated to the point that they’ve just become another standard dial color. You’d be hard pressed to think of a brand that hasn’t flirted with green in the last two years, and it’s fair to say that the novelty of green being an unusual color for a watch dial has worn off considerably. That’s not to say that it doesn’t still have an immense appeal (I love my green dialed Grand Seiko), but utilizing the color as a differentiator or something unique or special doesn’t have the same impact that it did a year ago. That brings us to the Breitling Superocean Heritage B01 Chronograph Limited Edition, which is a large hunk of metal indeed, and clad in a “black eye” green dial. It’s also black coated and limited to 250 pieces. Oh yeah, and it’s a US exclusive. 

Regional releases, of course, are nothing new in the watch industry, and they allow brands to target small runs of watches to customers that they suspect will snap them up, while increasing their collectibility and second-hand value along the way. From a value retention standpoint, it’s a smart tactic for a brand to deploy. Our brains are funny things, and they often tell us we want something that we can’t easily obtain. But if you’re in the United States, have $9,250 to spend on a big Breitling, and dig the black and green look, you just might be the object of envy (maybe that’s why they chose green?) of a Breitling collector in some other part of the world. 

Let’s get to the watch itself. Did I mention it’s big? The Superocean Heritage measures 44mm in diameter, earning the “super” moniker with every expansive millimeter. Breitling presents the Superocean Heritage as a best of both worlds kind of watch, with the style of a classic mid-century diver, but with modern features you’d expect in a contemporary watch. And, sure, it has a ceramic bezel, Breitling’s newer chronometer spec B01 caliber running inside of it, and a DLC coated stainless steel case. But I think what they really mean when you break through the marketing speak is that this watch is not small, and it will never be confused with vintage Breitling. 

The dial, in and of itself, is actually very nice. Green and black is a good combination, and even as the green dial has surged in popularity, this type of panda dial execution is not something we’ve seen frequently, and it definitely has an appeal. The dial is highly legible thanks to the enormous triangular shaped hour hand, and large, illuminated hour markers. The words “Limited Edition” are printed above the 6:00 subdial – is this to remind future owners of Breitling’s good judgment in only making 250 of these? I suppose the answer to that question comes down to a matter of your own personal taste. As much as I enjoy the idea of a black coated sports watch that mixes the modern with vintage inspired, for myself and I imagine many others, this one is just too big and aggressive.

That said, if this watch speaks to you, your best bet is to act quickly. Two hundred fifty is not a lot of watches, particularly for a brand like Breitling. More information can be found right here.