Case #707 — Breitling Chronomat Two Tone Ref. B1335211/A533

Case #707 — Breitling Chronomat Two-Tone

Ref. B1335211/A533

Status: Available

Condition: Very Good Pre-Owned

Scope: Box, Papers, and Cards

Year: Early 2000s

🔎 Case Notes

The two-tone Chronomat is one of the clearest statements Breitling made in its Windrider era: a certified chronograph built with aviation logic, then dressed in steel and 18k yellow gold. On this example the white dial does most of the talking — gold applied markers, gold hands and gold-rimmed instrument-panel subdials reading against a bright background, with the date at 3 o'clock. It is a legible, confident, distinctly early-2000s Breitling look that no current reference replicates.

The case measures 39 mm, which places this generation well below the sizing Breitling adopted for the later Chronomat Evolution. Chrono24's reference data records the B13352 with a 39.0 mm case, Breitling Calibre 13, sapphire crystal and 10 ATM water resistance, in gold/steel or steel, produced across the early 2000s, and Bezel lists the two-tone 39 mm configuration as released in 2001 and discontinued in 2004 — a short, self-contained production window.

The bezel carries the Chronomat's signature rider tabs, with gold quarter markers set against the rotating ring. Dealer descriptions of the reference note the unidirectional rotating bezel with 0–60 elapsed-time scale and four 18k yellow gold 15-minute markers — the detail that gives the Chronomat its unmistakable profile from across a room.

BST grades this example Very Good Pre-Owned. No specific flaws were recorded at inspection; the watch presents consistent with its grade and age, with the normal handling marks expected of a two-tone sports chronograph from this period. Winding and chronograph functions were noted as operating normally at inspection. No timing measurements were taken, so no accuracy claim is made here.

It arrives as Box, Papers, and Cards — complete documentation on a discontinued reference — and is currently sized to fit an approximately 7½-inch wrist on its two-tone jubilee-style bracelet with deployant clasp.

🕰️ The Evidence

• Reference: B1335211/A533 (B13352)
• Model / Collection: Chronomat — Windrider era
• Year: Early 2000s
• Case: Stainless steel with 18k yellow gold
• Case Diameter: 39 mm
• Thickness: Approximately 14.5 mm
• Lug Width: 20 mm
• Dial: White with gold applied markers, gold hands, gold-ringed subdials, date at 3 o'clock
• Crystal: Sapphire
• Bezel: Two-tone unidirectional rotating bezel with rider tabs and gold quarter markers
• Crown: Screw-down
• Caseback: Solid, screw-down
• Movement: Breitling Calibre 13 (automatic chronograph)
• Movement Type: Self-winding mechanical chronograph
• Certification: Officially certified chronometer (COSC)
• Power Reserve: Approximately 42 hours
• Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds, date, 12-hour chronograph
• Water Resistance: 100 m
• Bracelet: Two-tone steel and gold jubilee-style bracelet (per BST inspection)
• Clasp: Deployant / folding clasp
• Bracelet Fit: Approximately 7½-inch wrist
• Condition: Very Good Pre-Owned
• Included: Box, Papers, and Cards

🌟 Collector Provenance

The Chronomat sits at the centre of modern Breitling's story. When the brand re-emerged in the 1980s, the Chronomat — developed in connection with the Frecce Tricolori, the Italian Air Force aerobatic team — became the model that re-established Breitling as a maker of mechanical chronographs rather than a historical name. Everything that followed in the Windrider line descends from that watch, and the rider-tab bezel remains the family's most recognisable signature.

This B13352 generation represents the final chapter of the compact Chronomat before the dimensional shift of the Chronomat Evolution. Collectors looking for the classic rider-tab design in a case that wears like a traditional sports chronograph rather than a modern statement piece are generally looking at exactly this period. With a documented release in 2001 and discontinuation in 2004, the window is narrow.

The movement is the other reason enthusiasts pay attention. Breitling's Calibre 13 is built on the ETA/Valjoux 7750 base — a cam-switched, robust, serviceable automatic chronograph architecture that remains one of the most widely supported movements in watchmaking. In Breitling's execution it was chronometer-certified; casebacks of this reference are engraved "CHRONOGRAPHE CERTIFIE CHRONOMETRE", a reminder that Breitling's commitment to full COSC certification across its chronograph range long predates its use as a marketing point elsewhere.

Two-tone examples occupy an interesting position today. Steel versions have always been the default, and the steel-and-gold configuration is encountered less frequently in the current market, particularly in the white dial — a combination that reads dressier than the black and blue dials most often seen.

🌟 Design Provenance

The Chronomat's design brief was functional before it was decorative. The rider tabs exist to let a pilot grip and rotate the bezel with gloves on and to protect the crystal edge; the broad, horizontally oriented case was shaped for ergonomics rather than visual drama; the subdials were deliberately styled after cockpit instrumentation. On a 39 mm case these proportions resolve particularly well, because the decorative elements never outgrow the dial.

The two-tone treatment then layers a different intent on top. Gold appears in the bezel quarter markers, the crown and pushers, the bezel insert and the bracelet centre links — accents rather than cladding. Against the white dial and gold indices, the effect is coherent instead of loud: a tool-watch architecture rendered in dress-watch materials, which is precisely the aesthetic the early 2000s did better than any decade since.

🧾 From the Case File

Thirty-nine millimetres is the practical argument here. The modern Chronomat line sits considerably larger, and buyers who have tried the current generation and found it too substantial will recognise immediately what this case offers: full Chronomat identity, conventional proportions, 20 mm lug width, and a bracelet-and-deployant setup already sized to an approximately 7½-inch wrist.

The Calibre 13 is a genuine ownership advantage. Because it is based on the 7750 family, parts availability and watchmaker familiarity are excellent — this is not a reference that becomes difficult to maintain. Chronometer certification and 100 m water resistance mean it was built as a working chronograph, not an occasional-wear dress piece.

Completeness matters more on a discontinued reference than on a current one. Box, Papers, and Cards on a watch produced in a three-to-four-year window is harder to assemble after the fact than the watch itself, and it gives the next owner a documented, properly presented example rather than a bare head.

A final practical note: this is a white-dial two-tone chronograph, which is a far more wearable proposition than that description suggests. It works under a cuff, it reads instantly in daylight, and it provides the gold content many buyers want without committing to a solid-gold case.

🗝️ BST Verdict

A compact, late-run example of the Chronomat that built modern Breitling — rider-tab bezel, chronometer-certified Calibre 13, 39 mm steel-and-gold case — in the less frequently encountered white dial configuration.

Graded Very Good Pre-Owned with no specific flaws recorded at inspection, supplied with Box, Papers, and Cards, and sized for an approximately 7½-inch wrist. For a collector who wants the Chronomat's design language at traditional proportions, this is the generation to look at.

👉 Every case deserves a closer look.