Allez, Allez, Allez! Introducing The Tour De France Yellow Breitling Top Time B01 Eddy Merckx
The Grand Départ of the 2026 Tour de France is just days away, and what better moment to introduce the Breitling Top Time B01 Eddy Merckx? It’s a watch honoring “The Cannibal,” the man who won five Tour de France titles and 525 victories in total. The Belgian legend earned his ferocious nickname due to his insatiable hunger for victory and relentless, merciless riding style. Dare I say he was the Tadej Pogačar of his time? It is the other way around, of course. This year, the Slovenian cyclist of “Merckxian” proportions will try to win his fifth Tour de France. He will wear a watch while doing so, but since it’s not a Breitling, let’s focus on the yellow-dial 525-piece limited-edition chronograph Breitling made to honor the greatest cyclist of all time.
Maybe I should have ended the last sentence of the intro with a question mark. Among cycling fans and experts, there’s an ongoing and heated debate about who’s the greatest cyclist of all time. Some say it’s Eddy Merckx, and some state that, although he still has plenty of victories to go to reach Merckx’s 525 professional wins, it’s Tadej Pogačar. For me, it’s a tough one. In his career, Merckx won 11 grand tours, 19 monument classics, and three World Championships, to name just a few of his biggest victories. “Pogi” is a phenomenon, working on an impressive career record in a completely different era. Therefore, it’s hard, if not impossible, to compare the two. Do you have any thoughts on this non-watch subject? Please share them after taking a closer look at the 41mm Breitling Top Time B01 Eddy Merckx.
Eddy Merckx wearing the yellow jersey in the 1970 Tour de France during the individual time trial stage at Divonne-les-Bains
Introducing the Tour de France yellow Breitling Top Time B01 Eddy Merckx
After the release of the Top Time B01 Fausto Coppi and Gino Bartali LEs last year, a limited-edition homage watch to Eddy Merckx makes perfect sense. With the Top Time B01 Eddy Merckx, Breitling pays tribute to a cycling legend whose achievements continue to impress. Breitling is a brand for pilots; everybody knows that. However, in the late 19th century, the company also produced precision stopwatches for competitive cycling, and its timing equipment was used for official race timekeeping.
The retro Top Time collection is the perfect platform to bring events and heroes of yesteryear back into the spotlight. The Top Time has its roots in the vibrant 1960s and expresses the decade’s youthful spirit with bold designs and racing influences. This era also marked the rise of Eddy Merckx. After winning 80 races as an amateur, he turned professional in 1965. Merckx signed with Solo–Superia, and a year later, he landed his first major victory upon winning the monument classic Milan–San Remo after switching to the famous Peugeot–BP–Michelin team.
Le maillot jaune
The new Top Time B01 Eddy Merckx is all about the Tour de France, the biggest bike race in the world, which he won five times. The standout feature is its vibrant yellow dial, which is a clear nod to the famous maillot jaune, the yellow jersey worn by the leader of the three-week race. The distinctive “squircle” sub-dials are very Breitling Top Time indeed, and they strike a balance between vintage charm and contemporary taste.
The details on the watch tell the story of Eddy Merckx. His signature sits discreetly above 6 o’clock, while the case back bears the engraving “One of 525,” referencing the total number of professional victories that cemented his place in cycling history. Through the sapphire window, the B01 chronograph movement is visible next to the “Eddy Merckx Tribute” inscription.
Not Campagnolo but Breitling
During his career, Merckx mostly used De Rosa and Colnago bikes outfitted with Italian Campagnolo drivetrains. There’s no “Campy” Super Record driving this Top Time. Instead, it uses Breitling’s in-house caliber B01, a COSC-certified automatic chronograph movement with a 4Hz frequency, a 70-hour power reserve, a column wheel, and a vertical clutch. A tachymeter scale around the dial reinforces the racing credentials, while classic mushroom pushers are distinctly retro.
You can choose either a perforated black leather racing strap with contrasting white stitching or a steel mesh bracelet. Wearing a watch on a leather strap (ref. AB01762C1I1X1, €7,400) while riding your bike hard is not ideal. And with the steel mesh bracelet (ref. AB01762C1I1, €7,800), it may be a bit too heavy on the wrist to feel comfortable on uneven road surfaces. But I guess this watch is more of a before-and-after-ride watch than anything else, so it doesn’t really matter.
One last thing: According to Eddy Merckx, the greatest cyclist of all time is Fausto Coppi. But Tadej Pogačar doesn’t have an all-time greatest rider in mind. He doesn’t entertain comparisons between himself and icons like Eddy Merckx or Fausto Coppi. In his view, putting riders from different generations side by side is “complete nonsense.” Okay, got it. But we can still have a debate in the comments if you feel like it. So please share your thoughts on the Breitling Top Time B01 Eddy Merckx, the Merckx vs. Pogačar topic, and on Pogi possibly winning a record-equaling fifth Tour de France.
