Breitling Top Time Aston Martin DB5: James Bond’s Original Watch is Back

• Breitling has released three limited-edition Top Time B01 Chronograph 41 watches inspired by the Aston Martin DB5.
• The collection follows February’s Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team Navitimer, moving the partnership from carbon fibre and pit-lane colours to timber, leather and classic grand touring.
• Australian prices range from $15,990 for the steel model to $62,990 for the red-gold edition with a natural onyx dial.

There are several versions of James Bond. Breitling’s new Top Time Tribute to Aston Martin DB5 belongs to the one wearing a heavy jacket in the Scottish Highlands, not the one firing missiles from behind the wheel. Sorry, Brosnan, but we think Connery and Craig have this one covered.

Each of the three limited-edition chronographs combines timber dial rings, graduated brown leather straps and dashboard-shaped counters with the familiar cushion-shaped 41mm Top Time case. It’s all very English country estate, which won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but it fits the DB5 brief with impressive commitment.

For fans of James Bond and the watches he wears, the connection begins with Thunderball. Tom Jones’ theme music aside, we’re looking towards a visual mood that lands closer to the final act of Skyfall, past the hedgerows, dirt tracks and timber finishes, with the DB5 parked out front of Bond’s childhood estate.

And of course, with such rich history comes an equally rich price tag. Australian prices start at $15,990 and rise to $62,990. Depending on how much steel, platinum, gold and natural stone you want wrapped around the DB5 that inspired it, Breitling offers the tribute in steel, steel-and-platinum or red gold.

From the Pit Lane to the Country Estate

Breitling marked the start of its multi-year Aston Martin partnership earlier this year with the Navitimer B01 Chronograph 43 Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team. Yup, still a mouthful of a name. That watch translated the modern racing team through titanium, a carbon-fibre dial and flashes of Racing Green and lime, all packed into a rather proud-looking 43mm Navitimer.

The Top Time takes the partnership in the other direction entirely. Carbon fibre gives way to timber, bright team colours are replaced by silver, black, brown and red gold, and the focus moves from Aston Martin’s Formula One program to arguably everyone’s favourite Aston, the DB5.

It’s a neat little split between drives. While the Navitimer handles the pit lane, the Top Time hops into the grand tourer when the race is done.

Why the Top Time and DB5 Belong Together

This pairing has a history behind it that a simple car logo on the dial could never hope to capture properly.

“The Aston Martin DB5 is one of those rare designs that never fades,” says Breitling CEO Georges Kern. The car was introduced in 1963, around the same time Breitling was positioning the Top Time as a younger, less conventional alternative to the traditional chronograph. The two then shared the screen in 1965’s Thunderball, with Sean Connery wearing a Top Time ref. 2002 while driving the DB5.

Q Branch also gave the watch a second job, modifying it into a Geiger counter. Long before Bond watches came with lasers, detonators and grappling hooks, Breitling helped establish the now-familiar idea that 007’s watch should do something far less sensible than tell the time. And we’re still not sure how they fit it all inside.

The DB5 went on to become inseparable from Bond. The Top Time didn’t, which makes its return here more interesting than an obvious callback. We’ve seen how thoroughly OMEGA has dominated 007’s wrist, but many forget that Breitling played a role much earlier.

So, as a tribute to the DB5 and the first Q-modified watch in the James Bond series, Breitling has pulled over for as much Aston Martin timber, leather and dashboard detail as it can handle.

Breitling Recreated the DB5 From Inside the Cabin

A wooden inner ring references the DB5’s timber steering wheel, while the hand-coloured graduated calfskin strap takes its cues from the car’s upholstery. The rounded-square “squircle” subdials resemble dashboard instruments, and the cushion-shaped case, grooved corners and mushroom pushers give it the classic look of the original Top Time.

As Marek Reichman, Executive Vice President and Chief Creative Officer at Aston Martin, puts it, “the watch captures a balance of beauty, precision, and performance”, with every detail “carefully considered to reflect the character and authenticity synonymous with both brands”.

“The result is a watch that feels contemporary today, yet timeless for generations to come.”

Maybe it’s my lack of British heritage, but I can’t say I’ll be rushing out for this particular combination of brown leather and visible timber on a Breitling. For me, it’s a little too close to countryside fieldwear. Perhaps one for The Gentlemen.

Three Ways to Wear the DB5 Top Time

The three watches share the same case, movement, strap and overall DB5-inspired design, but the materials become progressively more luxurious as the price climbs. The entry model keeps things closest to the original Top Time, the middle reference adds a platinum bezel and black lacquer dial, and the red-gold edition takes the idea into full collector territory with natural onyx.

Key Specs

• Case diameter: 41mm
• Case thickness: 13.8mm
• Lug-to-lug: 47.9mm
• Movement: Breitling Manufacture Calibre 01 automatic chronograph
• Chronograph system: Column wheel and vertical clutch
• Certification: COSC-certified chronometer
• Power reserve: Approximately 70 hours
• Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds and chronograph
• Water resistance: 100 metres
• Crystal: Sapphire crystal front and back
• Strap: Hand-coloured graduated brown calfskin leather
• Caseback: Open sapphire caseback with Aston Martin-engraved rotor
• Availability: July 2026

Every version receives the same Calibre 01 movement, chronograph architecture and 100-metre water resistance. The higher prices therefore buy precious metals, more unusual dial materials and smaller production runs rather than additional functions.

Visible through the sapphire caseback, the movement uses an Aston Martin-engraved rotor as the collection’s clearest piece of co-branding. The steel model receives a rhodium-plated rotor, while the steel-and-platinum and red-gold editions receive rotors made from 18k red gold.

DB5 Top Time in Steel

• Reference: AB0178121G1X1
• Case and dial: Stainless steel with silver dial
• Limited edition: 1,022 pieces
• Australian price: AUD$15,990

The entry model is the closest in spirit to both the vintage Top Time and the DB5’s best-known silver exterior. Its silver dial is broken up by contrasting black counters, while the timber inner ring and graduated brown leather strap carry most of the DB5 influence.

DB5 Top Time in Steel and Platinum

• Reference: PB0178121B1X1
• Case and dial: Stainless steel, platinum bezel and black lacquer dial
• Limited edition: 315 pieces
• Australian price: AUD$24,990

For the second reference, Breitling adds a platinum bezel and glossy black lacquer dial. It’s arguably the most restrained of the three, although its $24,990 price represents a $9,000 jump over the steel model without changing the movement or complication.

Breitling Head of Product Design Pablo Widmer says the chronograph “blends form with true function”, but much like the DB5, its appeal is largely found in the materials and finishing.

1/5

DB5 Top Time in Red Gold

• Reference: RB0178131B1X1
• Case and dial: 18k red gold with natural onyx dial
• Limited edition: 250 individually numbered pieces
• Australian price: AUD$62,990

At the top of the range sits the 18k red-gold edition with a dial cut from natural black onyx, which Breitling describes as a first for the brand. Combining timber, leather, warm gold and the sombre mood of the English countryside, it takes the full DB5 idea to its $62,990 conclusion.

All three DB5 Top Time editions are available through Breitling boutiques and the brand’s Australian website from July 2026. The timber-and-leather treatment won’t suit every wrist, but nobody can accuse Breitling of taking the easy route through Aston Martin’s back catalogue.