Breitling joins Aston Martin and the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team as Official Watch Partner. The global, multi-year partnership connects Aston Martin’s world of handcrafted performance cars with the precision engineering that defines its Formula One programme. It begins with the launch of the Navitimer B01 Chronograph 43 Aston Martin Aramco, a timepiece that marks Breitling’s return to F1.
Two names born from a fascination with speed: one measured it, the other mastered it. For over a century, their stories have moved in parallel. Now, Breitling joins Aston Martin and Aston Martin Aramco in a global partnership as Official Watch Partner.
The collaboration spans the full Aston Martin universe, from the high-performance vehicles handcrafted in Gaydon and St Athan to the team’s pursuit of glory in F1. This new partnership begins with the Navitimer B01 Chronograph 43 Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team, a watch that channels the intensity of the race.
Lawrence Stroll, Executive Chairman of Aston Martin and the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team, said:
“Our pursuit of a World Championship demands partners who match our ambition. Today, we’re proud to welcome Breitling to the team. Beyond a shared heritage, we are united by values that drive everything we do. The precision, craftmanship and engineering excellence we pursue at Aston Martin Aramco are lived and breathed by Breitling. We look forward to working together.”
Georges Kern, CEO of Breitling, said:
“Aston Martin builds cars that are as much about presence as performance. We share that same heritage of iconic design: every line, finish, and proportion has purpose. Nothing is left to chance.”
Two obsessions. One pursuit: speed.
The parallels between the two brands go back to the earliest days of the automobile. In 1907, Leon Breitling introduced the Vitesse. French for ‘speed’, it was the first chronograph to measure speeds up to 250 miles or kilometres per hour. The device was so precise it was adopted by Swiss police to issue the first speeding tickets. A few years later in England, Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford were testing their hand-built vehicle in a defining race up a steep, chalky slope called Aston Hill. The car won, and the name endured.
In 1959, Aston Martin made its debut in F1. That same era saw drivers Graham Hill and Jim Clark – both aircraft pilots as well as F1 competitors – wearing Breitling Navitimers. Developed in 1952 as a wrist-worn cockpit instrument for aviators, the chronograph’s circular slide rule let pilots calculate speed, time intervals, and fuel consumption. Hill and Clark carried those functions from the sky to the circuit, turning the Navitimer into a trackside essential.
By the 1960s, both marques had become symbols of style and modern engineering. Willy Breitling, the founder’s grandson, shook off the austerity of post-war watchmaking with another watch, the Top Time, a chronograph made for a new generation of speed- and style-seekers. When it appeared on Sean Connery’s wrist in Thunderball (1965) as the first Q-modified gadget watch in the James Bond franchise, it became an emblem of the era. Aston Martin’s iconic DB5, which made its debut in Goldfinger (1964) and returned in Thunderball, did the same on four wheels. Appearing together in the same film, they captured the cultural fascination with Bond’s world, where sophistication met speed and high-tech intrigue.
Adrian Hallmark, Chief Executive Officer of Aston Martin, said:
“Aston Martin and Breitling have crossed paths at key moments in design and culture. The partnership is a perfect showcase of excellence, design mastery and performance, something that is integral to everything that Aston Martin puts its name to.”
The Navitimer B01 Chronograph 43 Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team
The first co-branded timepiece of the partnership puts the Navitimer back in the world of racing. Limited to 1,959 pieces, it pays tribute to the year of Aston Martin’s first foray into F1.
Every element of the Navitimer B01 Chronograph 43 Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team reflects performance: Aston Martin Racing Green and lime accents drawn from the Aston Martin Aramco livery, a lightweight titanium case – the first ever used on a Navitimer – and a carbon fibre dial inspired by materials found in the cockpit of an F1 car. The textured leather strap recalls a racing harness, while enhanced night-time visibility keeps the watch legible under any conditions.
The open sapphire-crystal caseback reveals the watch’s engine: the Breitling Manufacture Caliber 01, a COSC-certified chronometer with a 70-hour power reserve, built for absolute timing accuracy under pressure. Its matte-black rotor, developed specially for this edition, is made of tungsten coated with high-durability PVD (physical vapor deposition) and features the Aston Martin Aramco logo. Additional caseback engravings include ‘One of 1959’ and the phrase ‘Instruments for Drivers.’
From the chronograph to the car, the sky to the circuit, Breitling and Aston Martin have always shared a pursuit of speed. Now, they will come together again throughout the Grand Prix season.
The Breitling logo will be visible on the Aston Martin Aramco car and team apparel from the team’s season launch on 9 February, with the 2026 livery unveiled for the first time. The partnership makes its debut on the circuit at the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne, 6-8 March 2026.
As this shared legacy continues to evolve, fans of Breitling, Aston Martin, and Aston Martin Aramco can look forward to exclusive releases throughout the multi-year partnership. Time and speed, reunited.
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