Breitling Caliber B20

Brand	Breitling
Caliber Number	B20
In-House?	No
Base Caliber	Tudor MT5612
Movement Type	Automatic, self-winding mechanical
Chronometer Spec?	Yes
COSC Certified?	Yes
Diameter	31.8mm
Height	6.5mm
Jewels	26
Beat Rate	28,800vph, 4Hz
Lift Angle	Unconfirmed
Power Reserve	~70 hours
Rotor Style	Ball-bearing
Hand-Windable?	Yes
Anti-Shock Device	Incabloc
Hairspring	Nivarox, non-magnetic
Hand Count	3
Functions	Central hours; central minutes; central sweeping seconds; date at 6:00
Hacking Seconds?	Yes
Country of Manufacture	Switzerland, Swiss made
Known Models	Breitling SuperOcean Heritage B20 Automatic 42, Breitling SuperOcean Heritage B20 Automatic 44, Breitling SuperOcean Heritage B20 Automatic 46, Breitling SuperOcean Heritage II B20 Automatic (Add your watch to the comments below…)

The Breitling caliber B20 is a 3-hander time+date Swiss made automatic movement with 26 jewels and a frequency of 28,800 bph. The B20 was introduced in 2017 and is found in the updated Breitling SuperOcean Heritage line.

Is the B20 an In-House Movement?

No, the Breitling cal. B20 is not considered to be an in-house movement. It is a manufacture movement, meaning that it is produced by another factory or watch company and is not an in-house movement.

In Breitling’s own words:

“… This Superocean Heritage is powered by the Breitling Manufacture Caliber B20, a COSC-certified chronometer based on the Tudor Caliber MT5612.” –Source

Although the Breitling website states that the Breitling B20 is based on the Tudor MT5612, more accurately it is a Kenissi movement, also used by Chanel, Norqain, Fortis, etc.

B20 VS MT5612:

While the B20 and MT5612 are based on the same framework, there are some component-level differences between them.

The most notable difference is the hairpspring: The Tudor MT5612 has a silicon hairspring, whereas the Breitling B20 is equipped with Nivarox – a metal hairpspring made from a non-magnetic alloy. This information was confirmed by WUS user jenyang, when they shared a response from Breitling with regards to the hairspring.

“Thank you for your email and your interest in Breitling. The hairspring is made of nivarox, an antimagnetic metal alloy.” -Breitling

Beyond that, the finishing is different, as well as the cutouts on the rotor.

Editor’s Commentary: As we see more of these bespoke movements being made by contract per brand rather than being widely available to all brands, it’s likely that the watch community will see more and more shared architecture, with certain component and finishing variables allowing for each brand to claim some sort of exclusivity.

Jewel Count:

There appears to be a discrepancy in jewel counts that Caliber Corner is still looking into.

Breitling’s product pages for watches with the B20 state a jewel count of 26. The Tudor movement that this is based on has a jewel count of 26. The Breitling marketing image above has text reading Twenty-Eight, and other publications also mention 28 as being the number of jewels.

For now, this listing will stick with 26 as per the current Breitling catalog and known jewel count in the base caliber. If you have any additional information on this or if you can provide real examples of a 28 jewel B20, please contribute to the discussion below…

Breitling International Manufacture Movement Warranty:

Breitling gives a 5 years warranty on brand new watches powered by the calibre B20. Because it is a “manufacture” movement, Breitling gives their customers the choice to extend the warranty for an additional 3 years.

Extending the warranty takes some extra money and effort on your part. At the time of this article, the cost is $375 USD.

The warranty itself, whether the regular 5 years or the extended 8 years version, requires some extra effort on behalf of the owner. Breitling has the following stipulation:

“The Breitling International Manufacture Movement Warranty does cover any manufacturing defect of the mechanical Manufacture Breitling movement, provided that water resistance tests are performed every two years following the date of purchase by an authorized Breitling service center. These tests are conducted free of charge. The warranty takes effect as of the date of purchase of the watch (“Warranty Period”).” –Source

The same applies for the warranty extension period:

“The Extended Breitling International Manufacture Movement Warranty does cover any manufacturing defect of the mechanical Manufacture Breitling movement, provided that water resistance tests are performed every two years following the date of purchase by an authorized Breitling service center. These tests are conducted free of charge.” –Source

Recommended Service Intervals:

Breitling doesn’t not provide a clear recommendation for servicing your watch, however, this approach is more accurate than how other brands advise a blanket “3 years” or 5 years” timeframe for overhauls. For Breitling, they say it depends on usage. This is fair, but still, it would be nice to have an idea of what should be expected for everyday wear. Here is a quote from the maintenance section of the official manual:

“Your Breitling chronometer is a sophisticated instrument which is constantly subjected to a wide variety of stresses and strains. Within a very small volume, a large number of components contribute to handling all the functions. Their mechanical action inevitably leads to a certain amount of wear and tear, which may be controlled by maintenance con- sisting of relubrication and replacing worn components. Like any precision measurement instrument, your watch must be regularly maintained in order to function at its highest level of potential: the frequency of this operation varies according to actual use. Breitling or your authorized retailer will be happy to handle the procedure.” -Breilting SuperOcean Heritage II B20 Automatic user manual, page 15 (linked below)

If you have experience with sending your B20 in for repair or a full overhaul, please comment below.

Additional Resources:

• Breitling B20 official user manual (pdf)
• More Breitling movements