Breitling has announced a new global, multi-year partnership with Aston Martin and the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team, marking the Swiss watchmaker’s return to Formula 1 and uniting two brands bound by a century-long fascination with speed, design, and performance.
The collaboration positions Breitling as the Official Watch Partner across Aston Martin’s entire universe—from its handcrafted high-performance road cars to its championship ambitions on the Formula 1 grid. The partnership launches with the introduction of the Navitimer B01 Chronograph 43 Aston Martin Aramco Formula One™ Team, a limited-edition timepiece that signals the start of a shared future on and off the track.
“Aston Martin builds cars that are as much about presence as performance,” said Georges Kern, CEO of Breitling. “We share that same heritage of iconic design: every line, finish, and proportion has purpose. Nothing is left to chance.”
Though newly formalized, the relationship between Breitling and Aston Martin is rooted deep in automotive and cultural history. As early as 1907, Breitling founder Léon Breitling introduced the Vitesse, one of the world’s first chronographs capable of accurately measuring speed—so precise it was adopted by Swiss police for issuing early speeding tickets. Around the same time in England, Aston Martin’s founders Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford were testing their hand-built cars on the steep ascent of Aston Hill, a victory that would give the marque its enduring name.
Their stories continued to intersect throughout the 20th century. Aston Martin entered Formula 1 in 1959, an era when legendary drivers Graham Hill and Jim Clark—both aviators as well as racers—were known to wear Breitling Navitimers. Originally developed in 1952 as a cockpit instrument for pilots, the Navitimer’s circular slide rule allowed for calculations of speed, time, and fuel consumption, making it equally at home in the air and on the circuit.
By the 1960s, both brands had become icons of modern engineering and style. Breitling’s Top Time chronograph and Aston Martin’s DB5 famously appeared together in the James Bond films Goldfinger (1964) and Thunderball (1965), cementing their place in popular culture as symbols of sophistication, speed, and technical intrigue.
“Aston Martin and Breitling have crossed paths at key moments in design and culture,” said Adrian Hallmark, CEO of Aston Martin. “This partnership is a perfect showcase of excellence, design mastery, and performance—values that are integral to everything Aston Martin stands for.”
The first co-branded timepiece of the partnership, the Navitimer B01 Chronograph 43 Aston Martin Aramco Formula One™ Team, brings the iconic aviation chronograph back into the world of racing. Limited to 1,959 pieces, the watch pays tribute to Aston Martin’s debut year in Formula 1.
Designed with motorsport performance in mind, the watch features a lightweight titanium case—the first ever used on a Navitimer—paired with a carbon-fiber dial inspired by Formula 1 cockpit materials. Accents in Aston Martin Racing Green and lime echo the team’s livery, while a textured leather strap references racing harnesses. Enhanced luminescence ensures legibility in all conditions, day or night.
Through its sapphire crystal caseback, the watch reveals Breitling’s Manufacture Caliber 01, a COSC-certified chronometer offering a 70-hour power reserve. A specially developed matte-black tungsten rotor bears the Aston Martin Formula One™ Team logo, alongside engravings reading “One of 1959” and Breitling’s enduring motto, “Instruments for Drivers.”
“Our pursuit of a World Championship demands partners who match our ambition,” said Lawrence Stroll, Executive Chairman of Aston Martin and the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One™ Team. “The precision, craftsmanship, and engineering excellence we pursue are lived and breathed by Breitling.”
As the Formula 1 season unfolds, fans can expect further exclusive releases and collaborations throughout the partnership.
