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To celebrate the partnership with the World Surf League, Breitling has released a new SuperOcean Heritage Oceania limited edition in 42mm and 36mm, the perfect summer watch pair!

According to the latest data, around 85% of Australians live no further than 50km from the coast. And the majority of those are based on the East Coast. We are an island nation after all, with most of the interior of the country uninhabited. So, for those reading this who live in Australia, the ocean isn’t a backdrop; it’s a way of life for many. From the long, rolling breaks of the Gold Coast to the raw, reef-lined coastlines of North Queensland, to the rugged beaches down south. We, along with our New Zealand cousins, love the sand and surf.

So it is no surprise that the Breitling SuperOcean is a great-selling watch in this part of the world. Originally conceived in the 1950s as a professional dive watch with a distinctly elegant edge, the SuperOcean Heritage has since evolved into something broader: a watch that speaks to ocean culture in all its forms. It’s not just a dive watch for those heading to the depths, but the rhythm of the tides, the discipline of surf line-ups at dawn, and the freedom that comes with living life guided by the sea, or at least life at the beach.

Breitling’s New SuperOcean Heritage Collection Kicks Up A Swell!

Today, Breitling’s connection to surf culture, reinforced through its partnerships across Australia and the wider Pacific, feels like a natural extension of the SuperOcean Heritage story. It’s a collection built for those who read the ocean instinctively, respect its power, and carry that mindset long after they’ve left the water. And it is one area where Breitling is doubling down on as part of Breitling’s steady march forward.

Breitling’s resurgence, as it were, continues with the release of a new SuperOcean Heritage Oceania collection, designed just for the Oceania market. It’s an ode to the tides, or if you’re a little less poetic, a great-looking sports watch you can proudly wear on your wrist, in two sizes: a 36mm and a 42mm, limited to just 50 pieces and 150 pieces, respectively.

Initial Thoughts

The SuperOcean Heritage Oceania Limited Edition was one of those rare watches that I had not really seen any images of before I had the watch in my hands. Taking it out of the box was literally my first viewing of the new pieces. With the relaunch of the collection last year, there were some expectations that these would follow suit in terms of the design cues, which turned out to be correct.

The white dial is super clean, and given that Breitling used a white dial for the Chronomat Australian Edition back in 2024, it wasn’t a huge surprise that the white made its way to the SuperOcean Heritage Oceania Edition. What I loved about this collection that I had not seen before was the blue-fired hands AND indices on the dial. Normally, you will see the hands blue fired, but not the hour markers, and it jumps out at you visually.

Other than this, the new SuperOcean Heritage design was all there, the vintage 1957 styled hands, markers and the 12 o’clock marker along with the end links on the Milanese bracelet designed to conform to the case. Also, with two sizes available in 36mm and 42mm, it makes the perfect couple’s watch pairing.

The Design

Without re-hashing all the intricacies of the design of the new SuperOcean Heritage, I’ll summarise them for you, before going into the specific areas of the new SuperOcean Heritage Oceania Limited Edition:

The new SuperOcean Heritage introduced last year saw a series of thoughtful design updates that bring the collection closer to its 1957 origins while preserving its modern identity. The dial sees the most notable evolution, with redesigned hands and indices inspired by the original model: a ’57-style hour hand, an art-deco 12 o’clock marker, and fully lumed, elongated indices replacing the lume-pip layout of previous versions. A change that I personally liked, given these are sports watches and the lack of lume in the previous iterations.

Broadly speaking, across the range, the cases have been refined for improved wearability, and in the core collection, offered in 44mm, 42mm, 40mm and a new 36mm option. With options of either a rubber strap or steel Milanese bracelet, both now feature curved ends, enhancing visual flow and comfort on the wrist; they are thinner, smoother and more refined. Completing the vintage-inspired update is a domed sapphire crystal that echoes the glassbox look of the original SuperOcean Heritage, adding a clearer vintage connection without tipping into outright retro pastiche.

Looking specifically at the new Oceania Limited Edition, Breitling has kept the design consistent with 2025’s release. Coming in 36mm and 42mm sizes to fit a majority of wrist sizes, Breitling has given the Oceania editions a fresh look with a white opaline dial now offset by fully blue hands and hour markers, and with this limited edition release, it comes on the Milanese bracelet only. I would have loved a rubber strap option in both as well, but I’m sure you could purchase a rubber strap to change it up if you desire, which I have done in the past on my older SuperOcean Heritage Chronograph

What really makes the dial stand out from the core collection models is the blue-fired hands and indices. You see blue-fired hands on many watches, but these, along with the hour markers, are not all that common. Kudos to Breitling on this! And according to Breitling, these blue hands and indexes “evoke the horizon, capturing the boundless spirit of coastal life.” I can kind of see that. It also matches the deep blue ceramic bezel insert, which reflects the oceans where Australia and New Zealand are located, primarily the Pacific on the east coast and the Indian Ocean on the west coast of Australia.

The only other differentiating factor is on the caseback – the crystal has a small sea turtle on the underside of the sapphire (or engraved into the caseback on the 36mm). Why a sea turtle, you may ask? The sea turtle is an enduring symbol of longevity, resilience, and navigation, and as such, Breitling has chosen to use this as the symbol for this collection, and to be honest, I quite like it. It’s a nod to the sea, the collection, but doesn’t overwhelm the caseback to obscure the movement.

How It Wears

For this review, I’m focusing on the 42mm model. I don’t have large wrists, but it’s on the smaller side and not quite suited to my tastes. However, Sam did try on the 36mm and really liked it, as I feel he’s starting to get into smaller watches a little more, plus he has smaller wrists than I do, and pulls them off better. A conversation for another day.

In my last review on the SuperOcean Heritage, I did look at the three larger models, two on the rubber and one on the Milanese. I did gravitate towards the 44mm we had, purely from a looks perspective with the blue and gold, but felt the 42mm was the better size for my 17.5cm wrist. This time, the 42mm was really my focus, and on the Milanese, I had a chance to wear it and test it out more than the rubber strap, which I wore last year. One word: Smooth!

A bracelet design can really make or break how a watch wears on your wrist. I have had plenty of watches over the years, some even my personal pieces that I have bought, where I have felt the bracelet has just let the watch down. This happens for many reasons – it catches the hair on your arm, it doesn’t fit exactly right, the design or the size of the links don’t work well, or it could just feel uncomfortable because of a poor design and not being balanced with the case. In any scenario, it does kind of ruin the wearing experience of the watch.

However, if you get this right, it can really change how that watch feels on your wrist. It goes from feeling like you have something that’s not quite right, and you are noticing it all day, to fitting perfectly, and you almost forget that you have a watch on. The latter is where these new Milanese bracelets from Breitling fit, as they are incredibly smooth and the way they are designed curves and hugs the wrist whilst providing a better balance with the watch itself.

With the previous SuperOcean Heritage collection, the bracelet wasn’t contoured to the case. It was just fitted with the spring bars as you would any other type of strap. The new Milanese bracelets do, however, have a fitted end link that contours to the case properly. This actually helps stabilise the watch on the wrist, as a result, it doesn’t move around as much, and it provides better security.

Couple this with the proportionate design of the new SuperOcean Heritage case, which is only 12mm thick and less than 50mm lug-to-lug, and it wears much better. And for those who think a 42 mm watch may be on the larger side, the design itself lends to this watch wearing a bit smaller. This is also amplified thanks to the white dial, creating a slimmer appearance on the wrist itself.

Outside the comfort factor, the watch looks great on. The Milanese bracelet elevates the watch so it isn’t just your typical sports watch, the white dial does leap off the wrist, and the combination of the blue hands, indices and bezel creates a fresh, summery feel. You can almost see yourself sitting on the sand down at Snapper Rocks watching the heats of the World Surf League with this on!

Now, I wear more casual clothes, and for this shoot, I went full summer attire with the linen floral shirt and salmon shorts, and this watch felt right at home with this on. However, you can dress this up as Champs has, wearing a blazer and shirt, and not looking out of place with the Juste un Clou bracelet as well.

The Movement

The 36mm and 42mm models each have a slightly different movement inside. The 36mm houses the Breitling Calibre 10, which is a Breitling modified movement, based on a Sellita. It has a fairly modest 42-hour power reserve, beats at 4Hz / 28,800 VpH, but as with all Breitling watches, it is COSC, so you know it will run accurately and stand up to the test of time. Inside the 42mm is the Manufacture Calibre B31.

I mentioned last year, the B31 Calibre was one of Breitling’s talking points for 2025. It is the first time Breitling has made a time-only, or should I say three-hander, as it does have a date. Now, I will caveat this by saying, this is a Manufacture movement, rather than “in-house” as while Breitling has designed it, the B31 is made in conjunction with AMT, on a dedicated assembly line at AMT – most probably due to the lack of space at the current Breitling Manufacture. Something that Breitling will be changing in the near future.

For those who haven’t read about this, let me recap and steal an excerpt from one of my articles about this last year: “Breitling’s in-house target is to have around 85% of all production of movements in-house by 2029. Currently, with the introduction of the B31, Breitling is now producing around 65% of movements in-house. While Breitling expands its Manufacture to accommodate the new calibre, high-end movement maker, AMT, is assisting by providing a dedicated line at its facility for Breitling to make some, but not all, of the B31 movements.”

The B31 has a 78-hour power reserve and beats away at 4Hz/28,800 VpH. On the sapphire crystal, the tattoo-esque sea turtle motif is on the underside of the sapphire, right in the middle, so as not to obscure the B31 movement. The decorating is well done for a mass manufacture movement, with Côtes de Genève on the bridges, perlage on the plates and a skeletonised oscillating weight. It, too, like all Breitling movements, is COSC certified.

Final Thoughts

I’ll admit, I wasn’t a huge fan of white dials not that long ago. But, probably in the last 18 months, I seem to have changed my tune a little. I’m finding white dials more appealing. Possibly due to the ease of which they photograph, but also white dials seem to suit my tastes more these days, especially over the summer. Plus, there is something about the clean white, when done right, makes the watch stand out. The opaline dial on the Oceania SuperOcean slots right into this category.

This is where I feel the SuperOcean Heritage Oceania edition shines. At the end of the day, the design is the same as the new core collection, but the white opaline dial, and the blue-fired hands and hour markers make this piece come alive. With the aid of the domed sapphire crystal, you can see the markers and hands catching the light at all angles. In fact, when taking the photos for this review, it was hard not to showcase the blue, which is something I can’t say about other watches with blue hands. These will often look black at certain angles, and you have the opposite issue – that is, trying to capture the blue in a photo.

Aside from the aesthetics, I still maintain that the new SuperOcean Heritage models wear well, especially when compared to the previous generation. Stats on paper are not all that telling, but the way a watch is designed is. The 42mm is a good sweet spot for these watches, especially for the average Australian guy whose wrists are similar, if not slightly larger than mine. The 36mm offers an alternative for those with smaller wrists, and is perfect for ladies who want a nice-looking sporty piece that doesn’t conform to the “ladies’ watch” norms of different dials and diamonds on the bezel, which I have heard this complaint from multiple girls in the past.

These are also priced fairly, too. Compared to the core collection, this limited edition collection costs only ~A$400 more each, and when you compare them to other limited edition watches on the market right now with similar specs, quality and reliability, these offer good value for money. However, I usually caveat that with: this depends on what your definition of value is. But looking at the current watch market at retail, I stand by my point.

References: AB31111A1A1A1 (42mm) / A103901A1A1A1 (36mm)

Specifications:

• Dimensions: 42mm x 12.03mm thick and 49.55mm lug-to-lug / 36mm x 10.42mm thick and 42.84mm lug-to-lug.
• Case Material: Brushed and polished Steel
• Dial: White opaline dial with blued hands & hour markers with Super-LumiNova®
• Movement: Breitling Manufacture Calibre B31 automatic / Breitling Calibre 10. Both beating at 28,800 VpH (4Hz) & COSC Certified
• Movement Power reserve: B31 – 78hrs / B10 – 42hrs
• Water resistance: 200m
• Case back: 42mm – Sapphire case back with anti-reflective coating & Sea turtle motif / 36mm – closed caseback with sea turtle engraving
• Bracelet: Ocean Classic Milanese bracelet with folding clasp

Australian Retail Price: 42mm A$9,590 / 36mm A$9,290

Availability: Available now at Breitling Boutiques across Australia and New Zealand, or online at Breitling.com

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