Why Now’s the Time For Breitling to Join F1
It’s T minus 30 days until lights out on the 2026 Formula 1 season, but paddock chatter is certainly not easing off the throttle just yet. Will Verstappen stick or twist at Red Bull? Is the Mercedes car really as good as the rumors are saying? We’ll find out soon enough. As for the latest dispatch, yet another watch brand is hitting the track, but this one isn’t just here for the hype; Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team has announced a new partnership with Breitling as Official Watch Partner for 2026 and beyond.
In fact, it’s a partnership that seems long overdue, where one brand has historically chased speed and the other has historically measured it with chronographs (translation: a stopwatch on the wrist). So it was only natural that the partnership would come full circuit, and with the fangirlification of F1 at full speed (courtesy of Netflix’s Drive to Survive and last year’s F1 biopic starring Brad Pitt snagging a surprise Best Picture nomination at the 2026 Academy Awards) Breitling is ready to join along for the ride. “We have been approached by many teams over the years, but partnerships of this scale must be built on genuine alignment,” shares CEO Georges Kern. “Formula 1 has evolved into far more than a racing series. It is now a global cultural platform defined by performance, innovation, and emotion. That evolution mirrors where Breitling is today.”
Breitling aren’t just joining any old F1 team here either, aligning efforts with Aston Martin who, despite their lack of wins the past few seasons, are gearing up for the top spot on the grid in the coming years. With Aston Martin pitched as having one of the most advanced factories, an elite roster of big-wig engineers running the joint, and Honda signed as an exclusive partner who make seriously competitive engines – it’s an ideal set of forthcoming credentials that Breitling are signing onto.
The collaboration kicks off with the Navitimer B01 Chronograph 43 Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team, a watch that takes cues from Aston Martin’s hallmark racing green and lime accents from their car. It’s housed in a titanium case on theme with F1’s precedent for lightweight mechanics, a first for the Navitimer line. In homage to the materials in the cockpit, carbon fiber frames the dial; flip it over and you’ll find the team logo on a matte-black rotor with “One of 1959” engraved, a nod to Aston Martin’s debut year in the sport.
Real ones (aka car nuts) will recognize that this isn’t their first rendezvous. Run it back to that Aston Martin F1-debut in 1959, where drivers Graham Hill and Jim Clark (both aircraft pilots, too) were donning Breitling Navitimers on their wrists, soon followed by Sean Connery’s stardom as James Bond in Thunderball (1965) wearing a Breitling Top Time while revving the infamous Aston Martin DB5.
Breitling is entering a crowded field of F1 watch sponsors, but the CEO knows the partnership must stand out, particularly as Breitling takes over from Girard-Perregaux, Aston Martin’s previous watch partner since 2021. But Kern is keen to crack the crowd by focusing on the bigger picture. “The success of a relationship like this comes down to activation. The Formula 1 environment naturally limits how many people we can involve on-site,” says the CEO. “That’s why the broader ecosystem matters so much [...] Formula 1 has opened an exciting door for Breitling to connect with a younger, lifestyle-oriented audience. Our approach is about authenticity and shared values – speed, precision, and adventure – which resonate strongly with Gen Z and modern enthusiasts.”
The pairing seems to be on the mark. “I’ve always admired mechanical watches for the same reasons I love great cars [...] which is why Breitling’s chronograph heritage resonates,” says automotive influencer Jessie Abboud of @whatshedrives. “Watching Aston evolve during my lifetime has been exciting because it’s managed to move forward without losing its identity. I’ll always choose a car over a watch when it comes to big purchases, but when a partnership respects quality and design on both sides, I’m not going to lie, it turns my head.”
Nothing slips under the hood of this youthful fanbase either – inauthenticity is a big red flag– but the pairing seems to be paying off from the start line. “For those of us who value craftsmanship as a way of life rather than a display of status, this collaboration feels credible,” shares aviation and lifestyle influencer Charlie Rolls. “Having spent my career around private aviation, where instruments are chosen for trust rather than theatre, Breitling’s history already speaks to me but this combination is most authentic. Its language of precision, heritage, and engineering integrity naturally belongs at the highest level of motorsport.”
Breitling has been working overtime to hit next-gen wrists lately, partnering up with everyone from the NFL to Austin Butler, but it's keen to keep their long-term Breitling stans on board too, given the natural historic allegiance between the two names. So whether you’re clocked into the world of F1 as a Drive to Survive girlie (no shame) or you’ve been tuning into the sport since day dot, this partnership is welcoming wrists of all ages. Let the countdown to the Australian Grand Prix begin – watches at the ready.
