Breitling Top Time B01 Chronograph 41 Tribute to Aston Martin DB5: price and editions

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The most expensive watch from the first joint collection by Breitling and Aston Martin costs $41,500. It isn’t an official 007-branded model — the Top Time B01 Chronograph 41 is a tribute to the Aston Martin DB5, and the James Bond connection comes through the shared history of the car and the watch rather than a licensed tie-in.

The entry version, in a steel case with a silver dial, is limited to 1,022 pieces and priced at $11,400. The steel-and-platinum edition with a black lacquered dial is limited to 315 pieces and costs $18,600. The rarest version comes in a case of 250 pieces made from 18-karat red gold, with a dial cut from natural onyx.

All three versions share a 41mm case and Breitling’s in-house Manufacture Calibre 01, an automatic movement with a vertical clutch and column wheel. Power reserve reaches 70 hours, the movement is visible through a sapphire caseback, and the rotor is engraved with Aston Martin motifs.

The automotive references go beyond a logo. A wooden inner ring echoes the material of the DB5’s steering wheel, the sub-dials recall the car’s instruments, and the gradient leather strap nods to its upholstery. The gold version marks the first time Breitling has used natural onyx for a dial.

The choice of the DB5 makes sense. The coupe debuted in 1963, and the 1964 film “Goldfinger” turned it into one of the most recognizable cars in the world. Fewer than 900 DB5 coupes were built between 1963 and 1965.

The Top Time itself has its own Bond connection: a modified Breitling Ref. 2002, fitted with a prop Geiger counter, appeared on Sean Connery’s wrist in 1965’s “Thunderball.” The DB5 featured in the same film and has returned to the Bond franchise repeatedly since. One such comeback involved a classic V8 Vantage, spotted during filming of the 25th Bond movie.

Total production across the three chronographs comes to 1,587 pieces. Buyers aren’t paying for a feature tied to the car — they’re paying for a limited run, an in-house movement, and two intertwined pieces of 1960s history in a single case.