Finisher medal not special enough to commemorate your Ironman? You can now get a $3,850 watch
Swiss watch company Breitling becomes "the official luxury watch of Ironman"
Remember the good ol’ days when the Timex Ironman watch was the hottest sportswatch on the planet, worn by presidents and on display at the Smithsonian? And you could own one for $50 (or less)? While Timex still makes some Ironman licensed watches, Ironman has just inked a new deal with Breitling, which is now the new official luxury watch of Ironman. To kick off the “long-term collaboration” the two companies announced the new Endurance Pro Ironman watches, “a special series of Breitling’s ultimate athleisure watch.”
There are two versions of the new watches – the Endurance Pro Ironman and the Endurance Pro Ironman finisher. Both have a 44 mm watch case made of Breitlight, a material “3.3 times lighter than titanium and 5.8 times lighter than steel, but significantly harder,” according to Breitling. The watches weigh just 64.8 g and use a Caliber 82 quartz movement that Breitling says is 10-times more precise than regular quartz and has a battery life of three to four years. Don’t expect the Endurance Pro watches provide any speed and distance information during your next workout, but they do have a chronograph and are water-resistant to 100 m. The Endurance Pro Ironman is available for pre-order and retails for $3,850 – it features a red dial with red rubber strap. The Endurance Pro Ironman Finisher watch will only be available through Ironman and is black accented with gold. It also has special Ironman finisher Series engraving on the back of the case.
The watches were introduced yesterday at a special event at the Breitling Boutique in Beverly Hills hosted by Ironman CEO Andrew Messica and Breitling USA President Thierry Prissert. At the event Canadian Heather Fuhr, the 1997 Ironman world champion, and Chris Nikic, the first person with Down Syndrome to finish an Ironman, were presented with the first two Breitling Endurance Pro Ironman Finisher Watches.
Breitling sponsors Ironman world champions Jan Frodeno and Daniela Ryf. At the function last night Ben Hoffman was introduced as a local ambassador for Breitling in the United States.
