This article was originally published in the January/February 2022 Issue of the WatchTime print magazine. 

The new Premier Heritage B15 Duograph 42 is currently Breitling?s most elegant timepiece and an homage to the pioneering spirit of the company?s founders. Like its predecessor from the 1940s of the same name, it can record time intervals and is breaking new ground as it goes. We take a closer look.

Three generations at Breitling made their mark in the history of timekeeping: Léon Breitling founded the company in 1884. He later submitted a patent for a simple timer with a tachymeter that could measure any speed between 15 and 150 kilometers per hour.

About 30 years later, his son Gaston created one of the first wristwatch chronographs with a separate pusher at the 2 o?clock position. This innovation made it possible to separate the start and stop function as well as the reset function from the crown ? a tremendous advantage for timing sporting events.
In 1934, Léon?s grandson Willy registered a patent for the second separate chronograph push-piece at 4 o?clock. Willy Breitling was not only technically talented, he also recognized the desire people had for elegance and glamour. This inspired him to create the ?Premier? in the 1940s.

At that time, Breitling was an established customer of the ébauche manufacturer Venus. Willy Breitling was already purchasing movements from this company in the 1930s. He also acquired the Venus 179 caliber and...