Swiss watchmaker Breitling has been a household name when it comes to premier class timepieces for a very long time. Their recent foray into the smartwatch segment however, will only make them more popular amongst fans and watch connoisseurs. Their recently unveiled Breitling B55 Connected is a smartwatch of a different color and while most smartwatches of today work as an accessory to your smartphone, the B55 Connected prefers the phone work as an accessory to the watch.
The B55 Connected is a very sophisticated piece of watch hardware that combines the company’s elegant styling and state-of-the-art craftsmanship with all the makings of a high class, but niche, tech device. It’s the company’s first of its kind connected chronograph that uses a smartphone app to operate the watch. Focusing on their core market i.e. the aviation industry, the B55 Connected offers its “high-flying” users a variety of features that can be controlled via the smartphone app – setting alarms, switching time zones, adjusting display and operating parameters, activating night mode and uploading chronograph records to the handset. Other functions also include an electronic tachometer, a countdown/countup system, mission elapsed time and the ability to record flight details like take-off time, landing time and date. Aside from those, the timepiece also has various other aeronautical time functions.
The night mode or backlight function works on an auto mode and is activated when the device is tilted to a 35-degree angle. Naturally all of this entails having a rechargeable battery and this is where the B55 Connected is quite similar to any other smart technology. A magnetic connector allows you to connect the timepiece to the mains or an available USB port for charging the battery.
The B55 Connected features a suave looking combination of an analog and a digital (dual LCDs) watch face and is based on their Caliber B50 design with thermocompensated “superquartz” movement. All of this technology is housed inside a titanium case with black carbon-based coating and a cambered sapphire crystal watch face. The Blue and Black theme of the B55 Connected also lends a touch of sophistication to the overall look and feel of the timepiece.
There’s been no pricing announced for the Breitling B55 Connected watch yet but rest assured it will be in keeping with the high prices of today’s high-tech write gear. It’s no Apple Watch and it’s not trying to be either. Breitling has chosen to steer away from the status quo and is sticking to their core principals of watch making and functionality while keeping up with the times and remaining just as relevant as it always was. It may never be competition for the Apple Watch and doesn’t quite offer the same (or similar) features as Apple’s gear, but as watches go, it’s definitely going to give its peers a run for their money.
[Via – Breitling]
