Motorcycles, fast cars, leather jackets, looking cool as hell—these are just a few of Austin Butler’s interests, all of which factor prominently into the Oscar nominee’s new campaign for the watch brand Breitling. Today, the Swiss maker—known best for its oversized, aviation-inspired watches—is introducing a new collection of timepieces that aims to shift its image in a more modern, Bulter-ized direction.
It was Butler, in fact, who gave the watch world its first peek at Breitling’s latest release a few weeks ago. In mid-March, the actor arrived at the Saint Laurent show in Paris wearing a mysterious—but very cool—object on his wrist. That watch, we now know, is Breitling’s brand-new Top Time B31 ($5,600 on a leather band; $5,900 on bracelet). Breitling has been making the Top Time since 1964, but in recent times, the collection has been dominated by brawny chronographs. Butler’s version is a welcome addition: It’s much slimmer, in line with today’s tastes, and far simpler, with only a time and date function to fuss over. The slender new Top Time arrives in three sharp dial colors: white, navy, and green. For both his Fashion Week appearance and our interview, Butler went with the latter. (They say geniuses pick green.)
Clocking in at 38 millimeters, the Top Time B31 is the smallest men’s watch that Breitling has ever made. The vintage sizing lines right up with Butler’s personal preferences—he grew up idolizing icons like Paul Newman and Marlon Brando, who wore the living daylights out of their smaller-faced timepieces. “I looked at those images a lot at a very young age, and I wanted to dress like them, and I wanted to wear a watch like them,” Butler said. (Not a bad point of inspiration: Those actors are so revered among watch collectors, their personal pieces have sold at auction for $17.8 and $5 million, respectively.)
The B31 really revels in its simplicity. While there are fewer design elements to work with, Breitling makes the most out of each. The watch boasts a contrasting inner dial and outer track—the white version, with its baby blue accents, uses this to particularly dramatic effect. The reedy orange seconds hand is a signature that appears on all three color variations. For my money, I agree with Butler: The green spin, with its black outer dial, is the one I’m most eager to get on my wrist.
I spoke with Butler and Breitling CEO Georges Kern about their new partnership, how the actor chooses the timepieces he wears on the big screen, and the potential for having his own signature watch model in the future.
GQ: You’re now a Breitling man. What made them a good fit for you?
Austin Butler: The brand really fit organically with my style and the things that I love to do: riding motorcycles and living a life with as many adventures as I can. That mixed with just the wonderful team that’s here, and the heritage of the brand. I just learned that Serge Gainsbourg wore Breitling, which is very cool.
That is very cool. What did he wear?
Butler: It was a Navitimer. But Serge had this really cool band that had these holes in the side. I was told it was because he had eczema, so he got a special band made. But it was very fashionable.
A case of form meets function there, for sure. What do you have on your wrist right now?
Butler: This is the new Top Time. That’s the 38-millimeter face. Which, I’m acting like I’m some expert, but I just learned this. This is the smallest face Breitling has done for men and it fits really well. I like it.
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