- Aston Martin and Breitling have announced a multi-year collab.
- First joint watch lands in late 2026, will feature F1 team branding.
- Aston plans major workforce cuts as costs and tariffs bite hard.
Aston Martin has found time for a shiny new friendship with an equally prestigious, luxury brand, announcing a multi-year partnership with Swiss watch experts Breitling. But the news comes the same week Aston confirmed plans to cut around 20 percent of its workforce.
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On paper, the match makes sense. Both Aston and Breitling trade on heritage, craftsmanship, and too-expensive-for-you pricing, and the partnership will cover both road cars and racing activities.
Breitling becomes the official watch partner of the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One team, so expect plenty of special editions with names longer than the one outside Aston’s local job center later this year.
The first co-created Aston Martin-Breitling watch is due to arrive in 2026, the pair promising multiple releases over the next few years starting with the Navitimer B01 Chronograph 43 Aston Martin Formula One Team.
Bond Connection
There is some genuine history here, to be fair. Both brands love reminding us they have been around for more than a century and even shared screen time in the classic Bond era. Aston supplied the DB5, Breitling the Top Time on Sean Connery’s wrist in both Goldfinger and Thunderball. But 60 years later we’re more excited about the supercar Aston and Honda could be working on than a pimped up watch.
Breitling is better known for aviation than asphalt apexes, the watch fans at Hodinkee remind us, so this F1 tie up is a clear push to look more at home around carbon fiber and tire blankets.
Rival watch brands have been splashing around in motorsport for years, and Breitling clearly decided it was time to get back on the grid before all the sponsorship spots were taken.
Tariffs Are Hitting Hard
All of this would be a straightforward tale of luxury brands high-fiving each other, if not for the awkward timing. Aston has warned that tariffs and rising costs mean deep cuts, with hundreds of workers set to lose their jobs.
The company currently employs around 3,000 people so the 20 percent headcount reduction it’s planning could leave 600 people without a paycheck. The cuts will affect permanent, fixed-term, and contract roles across all sites, with most departures expected by April, pending consultation with employee representatives.