News: Too Cool For Old School – The Breitling Top Time Deus Chronograph
For those who haven’t heard of the Australian brand Deus ex Machina, allow me to introduce you. Since 2006, Deus ex Machina has produced a number of custom motorcycles, established a renowned apparel line and got into the record and surf game. So, what happens if you mix a brand as cool as Deus ex Machina with a Swiss watchmaker like Breitling? The Top Time Deus Chronograph, that’s what.
The Breitling Top Time was re-introduced to the market in 2020
A watch arguably as cool as the brand it was made for, the Breitling Top Time Deus Chronograph is a playful adaptation of the watch Breitling re-introduced us to last year. It has the same 41mm steel case—now with a hand-drawn sketch by Deus ex Machina Creative Director Darby Tuckwell etched into the caseback—and Breitling Calibre 23 movement seen in the 2020 “Zorro” dial’d re-edition. What about the dial? Well, that’s been unmasked and is now full of little details that make for an overall visually striking watch.
Speaking of striking, the first feature I’d like to point out is the quirky lightning bolt second hand. As we follow the second hand on its journey around the matte cream “panda” dial, we pick up details like Deus’s slogan “In Benzin Veritas”—in gasoline, truth—on the tachymeter scale.
The Breitling Top Time Deus Chronograph is limited to 1500 pieces
As we work our way back to the middle of the dial, not only are treated to a simple, highly legible bicompax dial layout, but we can also really start to appreciate the Deus ex Machina presence in this collaboration. The red, orange and yellow accents—reminiscent of café racer-style motorcycle gauges—the Deus ex Machina’s branding, all together with the aforementioned slogan and caseback etching makes for a limited edition fans of either brand won’t want to miss out on.
Based on the Valjoux 7753, the Breitling Calibre 23 is what powers the Top Time Deus Chronograph. A 30-minute manually wound chronograph beating away at 28,800 vph with 48 power-reserve, the Calibre 23 is a practical movement fit to accompany you, your leather jacket and your motorcycle on your next outing.
The Breitling Top Time Deus Chronograph costs £4,100
If you were to merge The Dude from The Big Lebowski, Kelly Slater and Jax Teller from Sons Of Anarchy into one guy, and that guy wore a watch, this is what I picture him wearing. It’s cool, retro, loud, I love it—and from reactions so far, it seems other people do too.
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