Breitling Announces New Bentley Masterpiece: A Tribute to "W.O."

The Breitling for Bentley collection welcomes a new one-of-a-kind model, dedicated to the founder of the prestigious British car manufacturer. This Grande Complication pocket-watch will be unveiled at Baselworld 2010.

Each year, Breitling reaches a new peak in its art by creating a paragon of fine watchmaking named Bentley Masterpiece: a mechanical magnum opus combining tradition, performances and exquisite craftsmanship. The 2010 vintage is a pocket-watch combining two of the most sophisticated complications in the horological repertoire: a perpetual calendar (displaying the date, day, month, leap years and moon phases) that takes account of the quadrennial occurrence of February 29th; and a minute repeater striking the hours, quarters and minutes on demand.

Breitling Tribute to "W.O."

The movement, based on a late 19th century blank of which Breitling found just a few examples in its workshops, comprises almost 700 parts. Its refined finishing – hand polishing, chamfering, and Côtes de Genève – is visible through a transparent caseback. In tribute to Walter Owen Bentley, the cover of the 18-carat yellow gold case is adorned with an engraving depicting him at the wheel of one of his racing models. This portrait is accompanied by the famous «W.O.» initials by which the engineers and craftsmen of the British firm – like all devotees of fine automobiles – still refer to the much revered founder of Bentley.