When two such storied brands as Breitling and Triumph team up, the result is bound to be interesting. In a debut partnership with Triumph, the Swiss watchmaker reimagines its iconic Top Time chronograph and Triumph’s Bonneville-powered Speed Twin. The former was developed in the 1960s by Willy Breitling in an effort to appeal to the young and active crowd, and you might know it from Sean Connery’s wrist in Thunderball, too. It follows, then, that this collaboration takes direction from the sporty café racer motorcycle culture of the same decade; ‘This is where substance meets original styling. You can expect purposeful engineering paired with modern retro designs,’ explains Georges Kern, Breitling’s CEO.

This isn’t the first time that the horologer has linked its Top Time to vintage vehicles – just last year, it issued the Classic Car Squad, a trio of watches with dials colour-coordinated to the Shelby Cobra, Corvette and Ford Mustang – all from the ’60s. Indeed, enthusiasts might recognise the mouthwatering ice blue on this 41mm timepiece and on the Speed Twin’s tank, which is at once inspired by a special Top Time Ref 815 from the ’70s, and by the shimmery shade of Triumph’s Thunderbird 6T model featured in The Wild One. It’s worth noting that, although it was released in 1953, Marlon Brando’s bad-boy biker flick was mostly banned from screening until the late ’60s, when its general release serendipitously tied in with the era’s booming café racer scene.

Two years’ design and development has resulted in specs that include a COSC-certified in-house calibre 23 movement. The Top Time’s caseback is intricately engraved with a sketch of Triumph’s parallel-twin engine, and there’s dual branding on the dial, too, plus a racing-inspired calfskin strap. Meanwhile, the motorcycle is kitted out with a premium specification including fully adjustable Öhlins piggyback twin rear suspension to ensure the smoothest ride, and scriptive Breitling emblems through the perforated leather seat, alternator and clutch covers. 

And what timekeeper-motorcycle pairing would be complete without a custom-designed speedometer and rev-counter? The gauges on each machine are beautifully matched to the Top Time, showcasing what Triumph CEO, Nick Bloor, calls a ‘shared philosophy for bold and original design’.

But the crowning glory of this partnership is the opportunity to purchase an Owner’s Edition Top Time in conjunction with one of the highly limited Speed Twins. Each chronograph is complete with an exclusive sunray dial and the corresponding motorcycle’s unique number, affirming them as a truly special set of collectables that make for milestones in both brands’ archives. Only 270 of these retro-styled bikes will ever be produced, so we suggest you don’t idle around.

Top Time Triumph, £4,500; breitling.com; triumphmotorcycles.co.uk