What did 24 hours in Vienna with Breitling look like – and what did I learn about the new collection?
This week, on Tuesday and Wednesday to be exact, I spent time in Vienna with Breitling to get a first-hand look at the new summer watches from the SuperOcean Heritage line. We already covered this collection in real time on our website, but now came the moment to try them on and share my impressions.
Vienna is just a short flight away – 50 minutes in the air, and you’re there before noon. The event started at 6:30 PM, which gave me enough time to walk around this beautiful city and get ready for an evening of pure summer delight. Cocktails, great company, music, and watches – all gathered in one place, on a rooftop venue overlooking the entire city. Literally on the rooftop of a hotel, with a pool and panoramic views of Vienna. The dress code was Hawaiian-inspired, and I made sure my outfit was on point.
source: Sat na Ruci Watch Media
Despite the great cocktails, friendly crowd, and good music, I was there for the watches. I wanted to see what the new SuperOcean dimension looked like. If you haven’t followed the news, Breitling has, for the first time (!) in modern history, released a SuperOcean in a 40 mm case, making it the smallest men’s watch in the series. And let me tell you – this is the sweet spot. With a 2 mm reduction in case diameter compared to the next size up, the thickness has also been reduced by around 1.5 mm, which makes the new pieces incredibly wearable. The refined proportions combined with the mesh steel bracelet are a total win.
You may notice I haven’t called this a dive watch even once. That’s because I received a brief crash course on the new SuperOcean series from Thomas, Breitling’s watchmaker and the man now responsible for staff training and education. He told me: “Strahinja, this isn’t a diver – and it never really was.” I asked how that could be, considering the watch’s water resistance and ISO diving certification. He explained that, historically, the SuperOcean Heritage line has always been a lifestyle piece. These are summer watches – designed for the beach, the pool, surfing – but not for professional diving.
He added that, in 2025, 200 meters of water resistance is more than enough, and followed up with the classic: “How many people do you actually know who dive with their dive watches?” And honestly – he’s right. I know very few. So from now on, I won’t call the new SuperOcean Heritage 40 collection a dive watch. If you take a closer look at the original 1957 model, you’ll notice it didn’t even have the 15-minute bezel markings that divers relied on. That tells me Breitling never truly intended the SuperOcean Heritage to be a dive watch, nor did they market it as such. These are ideal watches for the sea – and that’s their domain.
I owe you one more piece of info: these models are powered by the new B31 caliber, an in-house automatic movement with a date function made by Breitling. You’ll find more details about it in the article linked in the opening paragraph.
After that lesson, I moved on to the chronograph models – sized at 42 mm and slightly larger overall. Nothing extreme, just the right amount of wrist presence. I have to say I preferred these on a rubber strap – it just works better visually and comfort-wise. And finally, we have the women’s models in 36 mm, with the mint-colored version standing out as a truly beautiful timepiece.
What about the prices? Well, they’ve gone up a bit. The smallest model will cost just over €5,300, the 40 mm version will be priced above €6,000, while the chronographs are, understandably, the most expensive – starting at over €8,000 and reaching up to €10,000.
For more information on availability and precise pricing, reach out to Absolut Time, our local partner who accompanied us on this fantastic journey!
