Breitling for BENTLEY Under the sign of the "winged B", Breitling and Bentley have formed an alliance based on common values. As a symbol of this partnership, Breitling took part in the design of the dashboard of the fabulous Bentley Continental GT, elected the "most beautiful car in the world", and accompanied the Team Bentley during the famous ?24 Hours of Le Mans? car race. This partnership has given rise to an exceptional line of chronometer wristwatches and the elegant timekeeping instruments feature many of the distinctive signs of the famous British firm, such as a hobnail-patterned bezel. The mechanism of the "Bentley Motors" is a unique "30-seconds chronograph", it has a central hand making one revolution per half minute, instead of the usual 60 seconds; this surprising configuration allows the time to be read with a precision of 1/6 of a second. Breitling Founded in 1884 by Léon Breitling, the firm moved in 1892 to La Chaux-de-Fonds, and subsequently came into the hands of Breitling?s son Gaston and then his grandson Willy. Both men had a passion for aeronautics and the company produced several navigational instruments. Breitling has long reflected this interest in its productions, being closely involved with various sporting events. In 1979, a new impetus was given to the company by the industrialist Ernest Schneider, a pilot and specialist in electronics, who also enjoyed sailing. Among the most striking Breitling designs, and one which has greatly contributed to the fame of the firm, is the Navitimer, first presented in 1952. This watch created a sensation, for the chronograph, along with the calculator slide-rule made it possible for the pilot to carry out all necessary calculations during the flight. In 1999, the company sponsored the first round-the-world balloon trip. The balloon took off from the Swiss alpine village of Chateau-d'Oex on March 1, 1999, and landed 20 days later in the Egyptian desert.