Breitling Premier B01 Chronograph 42 Bentley — British Racing Green, 42 mm Stainless Steel, Ref. AB0118A11L1A1 (Pre-Owned)

LTFL Background and Ownership History

Luxury Time For Less® has always had a soft spot for the Breitling for Bentley series, but never more so than with this excellent-condition acquisition. Most watches in the series carry the large engine-turned, knurled bezel that echoes Bentley’s perlage-finished dashboards. This one does not — it uses a smooth bezel, and the result is a considerably more wearer-friendly timepiece.

At 42 mm it also avoids the mass and heft of the 46 mm-and-larger Bentley watches. It is the version you can actually wear every day rather than admire on a stand, and it slides under a shirt cuff without complaint.

The watch is sold with LTFL’s full one-year warranty, which covers defects in the movement, case, bracelet and clasp that result from normal wear.

Condition and Presentation

Presented in excellent condition throughout, and professionally polished before listing. The 42 mm stainless steel case and bracelet are clean and sharp, the British Racing Green dial and its contrasting black chronograph counters are unmarked, and the exhibition sapphire caseback gives an uninterrupted view of the Manufacture Caliber 01 at work. BENTLEY is engraved on the case flank between the lugs.

A note on the dial color: this is British Racing Green at its darkest — a deep, olive-cast green that reads almost black indoors and only opens up in daylight. Photographs struggle with it. If you are considering this watch and want to see the dial properly, call and we will talk you through it.

Supplied with its original Breitling presentation box. Wrist size is currently 6 1/2 inches.

Based in St. Louis, Missouri — serving collectors across the United States. Questions about this Breitling, or looking to source or sell one of your own? Call Rich directly at 314-210-4661.

Heritage and Brand Origins

Breitling is a Swiss watch manufacturer that was established by first-generation watchmaking engineer Léon Breitling in 1884. For decades, child and grandchild were at the helm of this brand that is known for its durability, design, and capability. Breitlings were created with aviation functionality in mind and that tradition of aeronautical influence continues to this day. The company is currently under the ownership of the Partners Group.

The Premier line looks to a different part of that history. Breitling built elegant, town-going Premier chronographs in the 1940s, and the name was revived in 2018 for a collection built around refinement rather than instrument-panel utility — cleaner dials, slimmer cases, and the kind of proportions that work as well with a jacket as with a flight suit.

The Bentley connection dates to 2002, when Breitling was chosen to produce the dashboard clock for the Bentley Continental GT. It grew into nineteen years of co-signed watches before the two marques parted company in 2021, which places this Premier among the closing chapters of a collaboration that no longer exists. It is one of the partnership’s more restrained expressions: British Racing Green on the dial, BENTLEY engraved on the case, and none of the visual weight that made the earlier Bentley chronographs such a statement.

Looking to sell a Breitling of your own? Get a free, no-obligation quote.