When Aston Martin announced Breitling as its new Official Watch Partner this month, the industry press responded with predictable enthusiasm: historic connections, shared values, precision meeting performance. The narrative writes itself, and indeed, it has written itself before. Three times before, to be exact. Breitling replaces Girard-Perregaux, which held the partnership from 2021 to early 2026. Girard-Perregaux replaced Richard Mille, which partnered with Aston Martin from 2016 to 2021. Richard Mille succeeded Jaeger-LeCoultre, whose collaboration produced the Master Hometime and Master Chronograph Aston Martin editions, among others, before ending sometime before 2016. Each partnership arrived with fanfare about aligned values. Each departed quietly, replaced by the next hopeful suitor.
A Pattern Worth Examining
The question isn't whether Aston Martin and Breitling share historical touchpoints—they do, from the 1965 Thunderball pairing to legendary drivers wearing Navitimers during Aston Martin's 1959 Formula One debut. The question is why Aston Martin cannot maintain a watch partnership for more than five years.
Consider what these dissolved partnerships represent. Jaeger-LeCoultre created elegant timepieces that captured the understated sophistication both brands claimed to value. Richard Mille was meant to produce collaborative watches that married automotive and horological engineering at the highest level. Girard-Perregaux invested deeply, creating five limited editions over three years and extending the partnership in February 2024—only to be replaced two years later. They even launched a new watch at the beginning of 2025, the Laureato Absolute Aston Martin F1 Edition. Each brand delivered on the stated objectives. Yet each partnership ended.
The Uncomfortable Truth
Aston Martin's watch partnerships function less as genuine collaborations and more as renewable sponsorship contracts masquerading as heritage and shared values. When Lawrence Stroll's consortium acquired Aston Martin F1 in 2021, out went Richard Mille, in came Girard-Perregaux. Now, with Adrian Newey's arrival and Honda as the new engine supplier for 2026, out goes Girard-Perregaux, in comes Breitling, backed by Partners Group's private equity resources and fresh from securing the NFL partnership—that’s a story for another day.
Jefferson Slack, Aston Martin's managing director of commercial and marketing, told BlackBook Motorsport he hopes people will say "the relationship between Aston Martin and Breitling is the one that activated the most, was the deepest, the most well-thought-out, the most authentic." One cannot help but wonder if similar aspirations were expressed in 2021 about Girard-Perregaux, in 2016 about Richard Mille, and earlier still about Jaeger-LeCoultre.
What This Reveals
These partnerships exist primarily as marketing vehicles rather than long-term strategic relationships. The watches themselves—however well-executed—serve as limited-edition merchandise to commemorate corporate agreements, not as genuine expressions of sustained collaboration. Breitling CEO Georges Kern acknowledges the crowded field of Formula One watch sponsors and emphasizes activation as the key to success. He's correct, but activation is marketing terminology, not the language of meaningful partnership.
The Breitling partnership arrives with the usual promises: multi-year commitment, shared heritage, precision engineering. Kern expects it to last "at least three to five years minimum." One appreciates his candor. Richard Mille's "long-term global partnership" lasted five years. Girard-Perregaux managed roughly the same.
But we've seen well-conceived timepieces before. The Girard-Perregaux Laureato Chronograph Aston Martin Edition, with its 21 layers of hand-applied Aston Martin Green paint, was equally accomplished. The Laureato Absolute Aston Martin F1 Edition that followed showcased Grade 5 titanium and motorsport engineering. The Jaeger-LeCoultre editions offered understated elegance and genuine utility, such as the Jaeger-LeCoultre AMVOX7 Chronograph in Titanium, which pushed the limits of horological advancement like no other, fitted with the world's only pusher-free vertical-trigger chronograph mechanism.
And without a doubt, the most impressive execution of the partnership between Aston Martin and Jaeger-LeCoultre was the AMVOX2 DBS Transponder, a watch that could lock or unlock an Aston Martin's doors by pressing the crystal at 9 and 3 o'clock, respectively.
Clearly, by now, we know that excellence in execution doesn't guarantee partnership longevity. Aston Martin has now demonstrated this three times. Is the fourth time a charm?
About the Breitling Partnership
The multi-year agreement between Breitling and Aston Martin encompasses both the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team and Aston Martin Lagonda road cars. Breitling branding appears on team apparel, the AMR26 Formula One car, and throughout the team's paddock club facilities. Future releases will include watches tied to vintage Aston Martin cars and the Lagonda marque. The partnership debuts at the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne, March 6-8, 2026.
Breitling's first offering, the Navitimer B01 Chronograph 43 Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team, limited to 1,959 pieces, marks the brand's first titanium Navitimer and is priced at USD 11,500. The watch features a 43 mm titanium case, chopped carbon fiber dial with British Racing Green accents, and the COSC-certified Breitling Manufacture Caliber B01 with 70-hour power reserve. Other than the subtle British Racing Green specs on the dial, we don’t see much sense or integration of Aston Martin here.
How Many More?
How many more watch partnerships will Aston Martin announce with identical language about shared values?
The watch industry continues to queue up eagerly, with Breitling joining a crowded Formula One field that includes TAG Heuer, Richard Mille, IWC, Tudor, and Hublot. Each brand competes for visibility and association with high-performance engineering. Each presumably understands that these partnerships serve defined marketing objectives over finite periods.
Breitling may prove the exception, or in 2030 or 2031, we'll read another announcement about Aston Martin's new Official Watch Partner, complete with historical connections and promises of unprecedented activation. And we'll add Breitling to the list of dissolved partnerships, alongside Jaeger-LeCoultre, Richard Mille, and Girard-Perregaux. The pattern really suggests the latter outcome.
