Breitling has announced a new watch in support of the NHS and other healthcare organisations tackling Covid-19 around the world.
Part of the proceeds from the new Superocean Heritage ’57 Limited Edition II will be donated to frontline workers in some of the countries most affected by coronavirus. Recipients will include the Humanitas hospital group Get Ready in Italy, Direct Relief in America and the NHS in the UK. Breitling will also donate an additional CHF 1,000 (£840) to these and other charities for the first 100 Superocean Heritage '57 Limited Edition II watches sold via its website, taking Breitling’s total contribution to CHF 500,000 (£420,000). In addition to this, Breitling UK and its retailers will be donating an further £1,000 per watch to the NHS charity.
When it was launched in April, the Superocean Heritage ’57 collection confirmed Breitling’s knack for tapping into the zeitgeist. Based on the Swiss luxury brand’s original dive watch from 1957, it chimed with the current vogue for heritage-inspired sports watches. A limited edition version, with rainbow coloured indexes and matching colourful nato straps made of Econyl, a material created from recycled fishing nets retrieved from the world’s oceans, also underlined emerging consumer values and a new approach to luxury.
Then there was the rainbow dial, launched at a time when the rainbow was becoming a symbol of support for people wanting to show solidarity with NHS workers on the frontline. Applauded by critics and consumers, it immediately sold out.
“We were amazed by the popularity of the Superocean Heritage ’57 Limited Edition,” says Breitling CEO Georges Kern. “Which told us that we could do something for the incredible healthcare workers. They have sacrificed so much and we wanted to make it clear how much we care with this new version of our own rainbow.”
The new version, limited to 1,000 pieces, features a unique blue dial in addition to all the rainbow design elements of its predecessor. The 42mm watch is waterproof to 100m and retails for £3,790 on a leather strap and £3,990 on a bracelet.
Available now from breitling.com
Like this article? Sign up to our newsletter to get more delivered straight to your inbox.
Need some positivity right now? Subscribe to Esquire now for a hit of style, fitness, culture and advice from the experts
Johnny Davis is the Style Director of Esquire. He was previously editor of the influential British magazine The Face.
