Exospace B55 connected 

While the smart watch debate continues into 2016, as to whether there is a lasting appeal to such devices, and whether they pose any significant threat to the Swiss watch industry, there are a number of brands that are sitting idly on the sidelines, waiting to see how the purported “battle” progresses. One such brand is Breitling, which has launched its own interpretation of the smart watch in the form of the Exospace B55 Connected.

You may recall that the B55 Connected first made an appearance a year ago, as a concept watch, during Baselworld. At the time, the watch was based on the existing B50 Cockpit, and although functional, Breitling went to great lengths to express that it was a concept only, even though a handful of their loyal customers were clamoring to get their hands on it.

The basic idea, which was carried through into the now commercially available Exospace B55 Connected, is that instead of the watch being an extension of the smartphone, it’s the other way around, and the app that runs on the smartphone is the extension of the watch’s functionality.

In other words, the B55 Connected maintains its core functionality, regardless of whether you choose to run the app or not. What the smartphone does is allow you to more readily access the information that is stored on the watch, and to make the settings that you may require, without having to remember the various instructions that the limited interface on the watch – the pushers and crown – can allow.

Given that the B55 Connected provides numerous functions, namely multiple time zones, a chronograph that can record up to 50 intermediate times, a lap timer (also up to 50 entries), chrono flight (used to record block times for aeronautical purposes), mission elapsed time (MET), and an extended timer (up to 99 hours, 59 minutes and 59 seconds), you can understand that the larger smartphone’s larger screen and friendlier interface would be of great value.

It also allows for notifications to be sent to the watch, for messaging and telephony, with up to 20 entries stored on the watch. All this is accomplished with a Bluetooth low energy (BLE) connection between the B55 and the smartphone.

The movement is the Breitling developed B55 SuperQuartz, which is thermocompensated, meaning it makes subtle adjustments based on temperature changes. It’s also rechargeable, with a magnetic connector visible on the side of the case, but you need not worry about the battery life, for a full charge will see you through 2 months or so, depending largely on the level of backlighting you choose to use; one nice feature is that the display can automatically illuminate if you rotate your wrist, and you can choose how bright you want the display to be.

Breitling is particularly proud of the movement’s Swiss origins, down to the ébauches, that were produced in their own workshops. Even the smartphone application was developed in Switzerland, showing that Breitling is more than ready to defend the Swiss Made values in the technological arena.

Whether this is a direction the Swiss watch industry will adopt remains to be seen; there is still a strong degree of resistance within many brands to even address this particular challenge. I’m a firm believer though that connectivity and high-end watchmaking need not be mutually exclusive, and I look forward to seeing how the Exospace B55 Connected and its successors fare in the near future.

This article was originally published in Revolution Issue 37.