When Breitling resurrected the Top Time in 2020, to say fans were thrilled is a bit like saying 2020 was a tough year. With its Zorro dial, pronounced lugs, and decimal scale, it successfully mined the Top Time’s greatest hits of the 1960s; the era the watch was launched by Willy Breitling as a bid for the wrists of a younger, more style-conscious crowd.

With its vintage aesthetic and “wear with a leather bomber” vibe, it was the ideal Breitling for a collaboration with outdoor-sport lifestyle brand, Deus Ex Machina – a uniquely Australian outfit that offers clothing, custom motorcycles, and some inspirational philosophy on the side. The original limited edition leaned into the Top Time’s retro roadster look, keeping things relatively clean save for small flashes of colour on the dial and hands, and yellow inside the brown leather strap. For 2022, powder blue has been added to the colour palette. The previously plain sub dials and decimal scale (save for a splash of red and orange) are in this gorgeous shade. It lends an even more laid-back, surfer, outdoorsy feel to this chronograph than before. It’s a watch that calls to mind morning surfs, salt-sprayed hair and sundowner beers on the beach. All the beloved details from the first collaboration remain – the lightning bolt chronograph hand, mushroom pushers, the back of the 41mm case engraved with a rider and Deus motorcycle designed by the brand’s creative director Carby Tuckwell. It also bears the inscription “one of 2000”.

Breitling Top Time Deus

‘Top Time Deus is a watch that’s easy-going, rugged, and stylish at the same time, just like the person it’s made for,’ say Breitling CEO Georges Kern. ‘The modern retro look beautifully complements the way Deus styles its boards and bikes.’

The Top Time Deus complements a rugged, yet stylish look

Every Calibre 43-powered Top Time Deus comes with a co-branded wax-canvas travel tote. Also co-branded is a selection of apparel and accessories launched to coincide with the watch’s reveal and available exclusively in Breitling’s six global flagship stores. Aside from being very desirable, the Top Time Deus is one of those rare things – a collaboration that makes visual sense, whether you are familiar with Deus or not. It has delivered a playful twist on a Breitling classic. With tricks like this up his sleeve, it’s no wonder Kern’s Breitling continues to find wind beneath its wings.

£4,650; breitling.com