Aston Martin and Breitling announce multi-year collaboration
The British car manufacturer Aston Martin and the Swiss watch brand Breitling have announced a multi-year partnership. However, this news of a luxury alliance is accompanied by reports of mass layoffs at the car company.
The first jointly developed Aston Martin-Breitling watch is set to appear by the end of 2026. The partners promise a series of joint releases in the coming years, starting with the Navitimer B01 Chronograph 43 Aston Martin Formula One Team model.
Breitling becomes the official watch partner of the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One team, so expect many special editions.
Historical ties and new goals
The brands share a common history: both emphasize their century-old heritage and have even appeared together in classic James Bond films. Aston Martin supplied the DB5, and Breitling supplied the Top Time watch on Sean Connery’s wrist in ‘Goldfinger’ and ‘Thunderball’.
Breitling is better known in aviation than in motorsport, so this partnership with a Formula One team is seen as a step to strengthen the brand’s presence in the world of high-speed technology and carbon fiber. Competitors in the watch industry have long been represented in motorsport, and Breitling decided to return to the track before all sponsorship spots were taken.
Shadows and layoffs: the other side of the coin
This story of a luxury brand partnership has a completely different, less joyful side due to an inconvenient coincidence in timing. Aston Martin has warned that due to high tariffs and rising costs, the company is forced to make deep cuts, which could result in hundreds of employees losing their jobs.
The company currently employs about 3,000 people, so the planned 20 percent staff reduction could leave up to 600 people without earnings. The cuts will affect permanent, temporary, and contract positions at all sites, with the majority of layoffs expected by April, after consultations with employee representatives.
This situation vividly illustrates the contradictory trends in the modern luxury goods business: on one hand, the conclusion of prestigious partnerships to strengthen the brand and enter new markets; on the other, tough operational decisions caused by macroeconomic challenges such as trade tariffs. While Aston Martin prepares to launch exclusive watches with Breitling, its main task remains restructuring and seeking efficiency to secure its future under cost pressure. This combination of strategies reveals how companies try to balance maintaining an aura of exclusivity and luxury with the necessity of surviving in difficult economic realities.