Haute horology has new meaning as Breitling releases the Chronomat Automatic 36 Victoria Beckham edition. The collaboration between the watchmaker and eponymous fashion house is limited to 1,500 pieces. 

Inspired by Beckham's Spring/Summer 2024 palette, the timepieces introduce a refreshing array of colors to the classic Chronomat design. We caught up with Beckham ahead of the launch, here's what she had to say...

Victoria, your business empire is growing very organically: luxury fashion, handbags, cosmetics, most recently fragrances – and now watches with Breitling. What is the common thread in your creative process?

Everything I do should feel honest and personal. It‘s about what I desire – or what is currently missing from my wardrobe or beauty bag. In terms of style and design: a strong silhouette is important to me, but nothing should be complicated, even the simplest designs are consciously thought out. The inspiration usually always comes from men’s fashion.

With that, your label is one of the few major designer brands led by a woman – designing fashion from a woman‘s perspective...

I spend a lot of time with my community and customers. I often communicate with them through my social platforms. This way, I feel like I know who they are, where they like to hang out, where they travel to – and what they desire. I always keep that in mind. And when in doubt, I honestly ask myself: Would I want to wear it myself?!

Did you approach your collaboration with Breitling with this same maxim?

When designing fashion or beauty, you typically start with a blank sheet of paper. With Breitling, I chose the Chronomatic Automatic watch in 36 millimeters as the basis for the collection and combined it with the colours of our Victoria Beckham Spring collection for the dials. I also had the opportunity to work with yellow gold, a novelty for this Breitling collection and an important part of my brand DNA. I also like the weight of the watch, I think that‘s very important. It should feel heavy enough to truly sense the luxurious piece on the wrist, yet be effortlessly wearable. You should feel stronger with it. At least, that's how it is for me.

You seem to have an impressive collection of timepieces, judging by your street style photos. What particularly attracts you to watches?

Well, first of all, it‘s always good to be on time (laughs). And I’m fortunate that David has surprised me with some watches over the years: every time I pick out a model, it’s associated with many emotional memories and experiences. So, there’s a very personal connection to my collection.

Do you remember the very first watch you owned?

It certainly wasn’t a watch I would wear today (laughs). I believe it was a Flik Flak when I was still a little girl, a plastic model with interchangeable, coloured straps...

Reflecting on your fashion career: Which fashion moment makes you particularly proud?

Being able to present my looks during Paris Fashion Week was always the ultimate dream for me. While we regularly showed in New York and London before, being accepted in Paris was a big passion project. Now, we’re in the second season, and I couldn’t be happier about it.

Let’s talk about your personal fashion journey: Which style or era do you most fondly remember?

I’m quite happy with where I am stylistically right now. That’s the good thing about getting older: you figure out what works best for yourself. When I look at pictures from the ‘90s and 2000s, every outfit makes me smile. Our kids often ask David and I if we still have pieces from that time: they can’t understand why we got rid of them – these are things we, of course, thought we’d never, ever see on the runway again...