Breitling has pledged CHF 500,000 to support front line healthcare workers around the world from sales of a special blue-dialed version of its new Superocean Heritage ’57 Limited Edition, nick-named the Rainbow.
The Heritage 57 was the standout success among watches launched online during the Breitling Digital Summit.
“The biggest surprise has been the Rainbow. I love it but it is so special it might have been too segmented. We sold everything within a few hours,” Breitling CEO Georges Kern revealed last month.
He also said that the Rainbow name made him wonder whether the company should create another special edition for healthcare workers, which have adopted the rainbow as a symbol of support and hope in many countries.
“We are considering doing a second model with a blue colourway. We might think of making a model in that colour to support medical staff doing an amazing job in the UK and elsewhere,” Mr Kern said in late April.
Demonstrating the sort of nimbleness that larger conglomerates have struggled to replicate through this crisis, Mr Kern’s idea has become a reality inside of a month with the launch today of the blue Superocean Heritage ’57, which will be made in a limited run of 1,000 pieces.
Money raised will be donated to charities supporting healthcare workers in several countries including France, Spain, Italy, UK, Japan and the USA.
Fondation de France (France)
Humanitas (Italy)
The National Center for Global Health and Medicine (Japan)
The Ministry of Health (Spain)
NHS Charities Together (UK)
Direct Relief (USA)
The Superocean Heritage ’57 Limited Edition II, with blue dial and bezel, is available with either a gold-brown vintage-inspired leather strap or Milanese steel bracelet.
It goes on sale today in the UK for £3,990 on a bracelet and £3,790 on a strap.
On top of Breitling’s donation, the brand’s retailers in the UK have agreed to donate an additional £1,000 per watch sold.
