It was during Baselworld 2015 that we initially launched Breitling’s prototype connected device at the time, the Breitling B55 Connected Watch. Just a few months later, Breitling modified the original concept in some eye-catching ways and made us the first batch of hands-on experience to prepare the final version. We are here to tell you all that we know about the exact details and hidden functions of this high-tech fusion of quartz timekeeping and wireless connectivity.

The Breitling Exospace B55 Connected watch uses the “SuperQuartz” movement-which we will introduce later-and is more like a connected timepiece than a simple smartwatch. Connected watches and smart watches-what is going on? Well, these are relatively new categories, if you are still confused about them, don’t be sad. Smart watches such as Apple Watch or TAG Heuer Connected (hands-on here) use large digital screens instead of analog pointers to display detailed information and complex screens. On the other hand, the connected watch communicates with your phone, sending and receiving data, including notifications, health tracking, and what we will see in the case of Breitling Exospace B55, enabling you to use the app control on your phone Your watch phone-but it is mainly a watch and not a computer.

So how does Breitling Exospace B55 Connected fit into the picture? The Breitling Exospace B55 Connected watch is an evolution of the Breitling Cockpit B50. It uses a super nerd, which is indeed impressive. The high-tech “SuperQuartz” movement is made by Breitling. The “SuperQuartz” inside B50 and B55 allows analog time display and two additional displays on the dial, and is powered by a rechargeable lithium ion battery. Breitling Exospace B55 Connected carries all of this and tries to increase the level of functionality by connecting this already very smart watch to your smartphone to take it to a new level.

When the watch was released, Breitling Vice President Jean-Paul Girardin (Jean-Paul Girardin) showed us a demonstration of the watch and its connectivity. When Girardin demonstrated some of the features of the watch—including my favorite, which is a dual time zone setting that allows you to exchange the time of the watch back and forth between two time zones at the touch of a button—it was obvious that the company’s The engineers have travelers, and of course there are pilots. I appreciate its simplicity, quoting Girardin, “Using the new Bluetooth connection technology to improve user-friendliness, and of course the functionality of the product, is completely logical.”

Speaking of pilots, the Breitling brand ambassador and former NASA astronaut Mark Kelly was also present at the launch celebration. His personal excitement for the new watch is obvious. Interestingly, his favorite feature of this watch is actually the “tilt function” dial backlight, which he explained is very useful for fighter pilots and other members of the armed forces. The way it works is that the wearer can activate the backlight by quickly tilting the wrist down more than 35 degrees.

“It’s critical to be able to check the time without having to fumble for lights in the dark cockpit and remove your hands from the controls,” Kelly said. “For fighter pilots too, being able to read the time clearly at any given moment goes far beyond the need to know the time, but is helpful for calculating distance and range in critical situations. Having a model can help make this Watches that make the process easier and faster are very important.”

Both believe that this entry into the smart watch game is a key move for Breitling. Breitling has a historical connection with the advancement of mechanical watches in aviation technology. In addition to the brand new self-made SuperQuartz movement, the application itself was also developed in-house by its manufacturer in Switzerland.

The complete function list is of course much longer, because it includes: Breitling Calibre B55 homemade, COSC certified, thermally compensated SuperQuartz movement; analog and two backlit digital time indications, including a second time zone display, which can be interacted with by pressing the button Hand exchange; perpetual calendar with week display; 7 daily alarms; 1/100-second chronograph; Coordinated Universal Time (UTC); countdown/countdown (or MET mission elapsed time); flight time chronograph; lap timing Chronograph; electronic tachometer; battery replacement indicator.

In terms of watch design, the new Breitling Connected watch uses a 46mm large-size titanium case, water-resistant to 100 meters/330 feet, with a unidirectional bezel and a front sapphire crystal glass with anti-reflective treatment on both sides. Apart from the bright sky blue rubber strap, the first thing you notice is that this piece is surprisingly light and stylish for such a large watch. As a woman, my wrist is of course smaller in proportion, so although this watch is smaller than my wrist, it is actually very comfortable and easy to wear like a small watch. On closer inspection, the reason seems to be that the lugs are correspondingly shorter compared to many large watches over 41 mm-so even if the dial is large, it can reasonably fit the wrist better than other top quality watches of the same diameter.

The dial has two digital backlit displays and a set of analog hands mounted in the center-one advantage of the B50 design is that the two do not compete with each other to attract attention. Since the Basel presentation, Breitling has done a good job of changing and cleaning the watch surface, the dial has lost the WiFi logo, and the bezel now features tonal etched numbers instead of the previous white numbers. The result is a more stylish design without sacrificing legibility. The bottom digital window displays the time, and the top window provides smart technology notifications synchronized to the phone via Bluetooth, such as incoming email and caller ID notifications.

In addition to sending email/text/phone/appointment notifications via Bluetooth synchronization, the watch also has 7 alarms with various ringtones or vibration settings to provide additional notifications. All parts of the analog display can be controlled and managed by the application, making time zone switching, global time synchronization adjustment, visual mode or chronograph functions a seamless one-button process. Both Jean-Paul and Mark told me that their goal is to make it easier for everyone to use the functions of complex mechanical watches without having to take out a long manual.

The traditional timing function is also updated by the new connection technology. The timing data can be controlled or even stored by the watch, and then synchronized to the app for viewing. The new function of Breitling Exospace B55 Connected is generally a complete data management system that can perform various measurements, such as flight time, recording up to 50 split time events, lap time, electronic tachometer, etc., developers even use With it further programming, you can export and share fully formatted Excel data files with the push of a button.

Faithful to the brand’s tradition as an aeronautical instrument manufacturer, the watch is able to record “block and time” or mission elapsed time function-using the watch’s countdown/countdown chronograph to record the special ability of the mission from taxiing to landing, without the need for a pilot Manually record the details of the flight report.

So, once again, what drives all this high-tech watchmanism? The internal movement of the New Breitling Exospace B55 Connected is called Calibre B55 and is powered by a rechargeable battery. I heard that the battery can be used normally for about one and a half months before it needs to be charged. As mentioned above, the basic movement is shared with the Breitling cockpit B50, which is what they call the SuperQuartz ultra-precision movement. It not only has passed the COSC certification, but also has a thermal compensation function, which means that it can be adjusted according to the external temperature, making the quartz regulator more accurate, so that the movement is accurate to a few seconds per year.

What’s interesting about the concept of this smart watch is that unlike other “smart watches” that try to replicate phone or computer technology in watches, Breitling chose to focus on enhancing the watch’s organic and most natural functions, namely telling and measuring perfection. time. Breitling Exospace B55 Connected is not trying to make a wrist computer that can tell the time, but at its core is a real timekeeping instrument-this may just make it one of the few smart/connected watches to inspire traditional enthusiasts interest of. Clocks.

Breitling positions the Breitling Exospace B55 Connected watch as a connected version of the B50 Cockpit, rather than a standalone smart watch or connected device. This means that unlike the TAG Heuer Connected watch, even if you choose not to use the connection function, it can theoretically run independently.