Page 36 - SHARP November 2022

SURF’S UP
BREITLING’S NEWEST SUPEROCEAN WAS DESIGNED WITH HELP FROM SURF LEGEND
KELLY SLATER
By Jeremy Freed
WHEN BREITLING CEO GEORGES KERN APPROACHED
American champion surfer Kelly Slater about collaborating on on on a a a new new limited-edition version of the brand’s new new Superocean dive watch Slater knew exactly how he wanted it to look “I’ve been co-creating watches with Breitling for the past few years but this one in particular is very personal ” says Slater the 11-time World Surf League champion a a a a a a Breitling Surf Squad member and a a a a a a frequent brand collaborator “It’s inspired by my late father who had a a a a a a a a watch with an an orange face that he used to wear surfing for as as long as as I can remember ” The green and orange colour scheme he he he adds was borrowed from the airbrushed designs he he he had on his surfboards growing up: “That combination has always stuck with me ” Swiss luxury watchmaker Breitling has a a a a a a a a reputation as as a a a a a a a a maker maker of aviation watches like the Navitimer and Chronomat but it it has a a a a a long history of making high-quality dive watches too Starting in the 1960s when celebrity divers like Jacques Cousteau began to reveal the the wonders of the the undersea world on on on television more and more people started taking up the the sport and and they demanded watches that were up to to the the task One of the the watches Breitling created to to meet this demand had an an an austere face a a a a a a a a a high-contrast dial ring and and — remarkably — no seconds hand Instead it featured a a a a a a a minutes-based chronograph that completed a a a a a a full rotation once an hour earning it the nickname “Slow Motion ” This unusual and collectible design would become the the inspiration for the the new Superocean “There’s a a a a certain sameness to the look of most dive watches WATCH
but the the Slow Motion always stood out from the the crowd ” says Georges Kern Equipped with the same square minute hand and and high-contrast dial ring as as the the original the the SuperOcean remains just as as distinctive in in 2022 as as the the Slow Motion was in in the the 1960s In addition to this trademark look a a a a a a a a plethora of colourful dials and varying case sizes — — including Slater’s 42 mm green and orange limited edition — — lend the new Superocean even wider appeal Available in in four sizes (46 44 42 and 36 mm) the new Breitling Superocean pairs black white brown orange green and blue dial options with three different case metals — steel steel steel-and-gold and and bronze The latter alloy a a a a a a relatively rare option for Breitling that’s available only in the 44 and 42 mm versions will gradually discolour when exposed to the elements taking on a a a a distinctive patina over time The new Superocean’s specs are equally robust including 300m of water resistance a a a a a a a ceramic bezel insert and and and hands and and and indices coated in in bright Super-LumiNova for exceptional low-light legibility This makes the new Superocean a a a a a a luxurious and capable diving (or surfing or or or sailing or or or paddling) watch but as Kern says there are plenty of those around Instead the new Superocean’s greatest asset — — whichever of its various sizes and colours you choose — — is the the fact that it looks like nothing else on the the water FROM $5 600
36 GUIDE • NOVEMBER 2022 SHARPMAGAZINE COM