It is a family affair at the Breitling Boutique in Brussels on Tuesday morning. Eddy Merckx is chatting to his son, Axel, as they stand next to a glittering display case containing the new Top Time B01 Eddy Merckx watch. The 81-year-old sips on a glass of orange juice and his wife comes over, and soon his daughter and grandchildren join the conversation too. The launch of this watch is a moment that all of the Merckx generations are celebrating together — a fitting tribute to one of the greatest athletes the world has ever seen.
Eddy Merckx admires the Top Time B01 created in his honour at the launch in Brussels. (Image credit: Breitling)
This latest launch is not Breitling's first foray into cycling-themed watches. Last year, the brand released the Top Time Coppi and Top Time Bartali editions, inspired by one of cycling's most iconic rivalries. The Eddy Merckx edition continues Breitling's tribute to the sport and its defining figures, now honouring the 525 victories — including 11 Grand Tours, 19 Monument classics, and three World Championships — of Merckx, whose records still stand the test of time.
Breitling's connection to cycling reaches back to the late 19th century, when the brand created cycling-oriented stopwatches. The brand also developed a timing apparatus which was used for official timekeeping for cycling races in the 1930s. With its latest launch, Breitling is hoping to continue their legacy in the sport by celebrating what they describe as "cycling's golden era of energy and ambition."
With design input from Eddy himself, alongside the rest of his family, the new Top Time is filled with Merckx's character. It features the Belgian's signature at 6 o'clock, and the caseback engraving "one of 525," marking his unmatched total number of victories. The dial of the watch is yellow, inspired by Merckx's five Tour de France titles and a record 96 days in yellow.
The dial is yellow, a nod to Merckx's five Tour de France titles and record 96 days in the yellow jersey. (Image credit: Breitling)
Speaking at the Breitling event on Tuesday, Merckx himself said he was honoured that the Swiss company wanted to celebrate his sporting achievements: "It gives value to my name even more when a brand like Breitling still wants to make a watch for you after so many years, it's an amazing recognition of what I accomplished with my life. It is a big compliment for me, especially to honour the yellow jersey."
His son, Axel, was also important to the design process, working with his father to perfect the design of the watch to celebrate the Tour de France, the race that Eddy admits he loves the most.
"When we got approached by Breitling to do this, it was super exciting to us. My nephew was also super involved as he is a huge watch fan. The story behind it and the direction we went in is super fun and I'm really proud that a brand like Breitling is seeing what my dad represents in not only the world of cycling, but the world of sport," Axel commented.
"That's something that we are really proud of as a family. Who is more representative of Belgium than my dad, so we wanted elements of the black, yellow and red of the Belgian flag. Then, of course, the yellow of the Tour de France is a big part of it."
Lotte Kopecky at the Breitling boutique in Brussels. (Image credit: Breitling)
Merckx is a man who rode his bike with style and panache, and it is only fitting that anything he puts his name to matches that. Breitling says that the Top Time B01 Eddy Merckx is a celebration of an athlete "unmatched in his time, still leading the pack today. The Top Time B01 Eddy Merckx turns numbers into legacy, and legacy into style."
