SUPEROCEAN HERITAGE B01 42

Breitling expands the Superocean Heritage collection with a new addition inspired by the 1957 SuperOcean ref. 807. The new Superocean Heritage B01 42 chronograph continues the line’s refined design language, adding a direct reference to its underwater origins.

The Superocean Heritage is no ordinary sea watch—it never was. When Breitling introduced the original SuperOcean in 1957, it set itself apart from other dive watches of the era. Inspired by Jacques Cousteau’s undersea documentaries and the growing popularity of recreational scuba diving, the SuperOcean ref. 807 made watchmaking history as the world’s first dive chronograph and the first watch to feature a white-on-black “reverse panda” subdial. Building an underwater chronograph was a considerable technical challenge in the 1950s, not least because pushers create natural points of vulnerability where water can enter the case. Willy Breitling, who saw his company as a chronograph innovator above all else, was determined to extend that expertise into new territory. To do so, he turned to the renowned casemaker Huguenin Frères to make the SuperOcean water resistant. The collaboration was the world’s first dive chronograph, and for years the only one of its kind. Combining a robust case construction with dual-sealed pushers, the Superocean Chronograph reflected Willy Breitling’s drive to test new markets and push technical boundaries.

The watch was designed not only for underwater exploration, but also with midcentury style in mind. Spear-and-arrow hands, an anodized rotating bezel, and naturally streamlined proportions appealed to jet set adventurers who lived for both the sea and the scene. That philosophy remains central to the Superocean Heritage today, carrying the soul of the 1950s into modern life.

Breitling CEO Georges Kern says: “This latest addition to our Superocean Heritage assortment goes back to where it all started, a modern expression of the dive watch that changed dive watches forever.”