WONDERLAND MAGAZINE – From the movies to the manufacturer, the Hollywood sensation partners up with Swiss watchmaker, Breitling, to front the Top Time Collection in a partnership more than just timekeeping – but making it count.

By the essence of their trade, actors leave us on the edge of their seats. Be it the cinema or our living room screens, we’re catapulted to another dimension as they fill the shoes of another. As viewers, we await their next roles with anticipation, and Austin Butler welcomes an unexpected portrayal for his next creative foray. You’ve seen him step into the shoes of The King and Rock and Roll, an eerie villain traipsing the desert, a valiant American pilot bravely cascading the skies during wartime, and a hot-headed Midwestern motorcyclist. For his next debut, Butler pulls back the curtains and steps into the spotlight as Breitling’s newest brand ambassador.

Joining Breitling’s Squad, an ensemble of unique talents of their generation, Butler becomes the face of the Top Time collection. First introduced in the 1960s, the Top Time was designed with a specific goal in mind: to cater to the needs of young, dynamic professionals by offering a collection of cutting-edge chronographs. With a behemoth ascension to Hollywood’s haute list, it’s only right that the actor has chosen to partner up with the fine Swiss watchmaker, bringing singular style to their timely catalogue.

For a man whose industry requires attention to the minutiae, the pairing makes for a perfect match as Butler divulges into the intricate world of horology, sporting the B31, the latest in the Top Time line up with the first three-hand manufacture movement, designed and developed by Breitling.

Now, there’s one thing to be said about pairing up one of Hollywood’s big hitters with a hallmark watch brand, but what makes for a true partnership is the watch you pair them in. The Top Time is Butler personified, coined by Willy Breitling to represent the mood of free-spiritedness and self-expression. A mirror to Butler’s facade, the Top Time was engineered for action. Embracing this spirit, Wonderland caught up with the movie maestro to discover the roots of the partnership and the biggest adventure of them all: time.

Wonderland: Austin, you’re partnering up with a watch brand for the first time. While the craft is alike to your own practice in dedication, the canvas exhibited at the end is entirely different. What has surprised you most as you’ve grown to learn more about watchmaking through this collaboration?
Austin Butler: We talked about the four year process of designing this movement – the craftsmanship, the precision of each element and how everything fits together, I can’t even comprehend how it’s actually possible to figure this out. It’s amazing. And the fact that it’s analog, it’s just an incredible work of art.

Wonderland: Do you have any style icons that you look up to?
Austin Butler: I’m a big fan of Steve McQueen. What was so cool about him was not just his style but the way he lived his life. I heard a story from Barbara McQueen—she said that if you were going out to lunch with him, you always packed an overnight bag, because he would just say, let’s drive—and suddenly, that lunch turned into a two-day road trip.

Wonderland: What do you feel when you look down and see the Breitling Top Time on your wrist?
Austin Butler: Obviously, the quality and reliability and all those elements. But really, like I was saying, your style—it being an extension of your own personality. I love the size of it. And it just feels really good on my wrist.”

Wonderland: Were watches a part of your childhood from a young age? Are there any you recall?
Austin Butler: Yeah, the Paul Newman watch is beautiful. I would say it probably started very young in that way. There’s also a great image of James Dean taking a photograph, and he’s got a watch on. Seeing it in the same way as clothing—it’s an expression of our personality and style. But then, also having the element of something that’s very functional and practical. And I also love analog, you know—I love not having to take my phone out to read the time.”

Wonderland: Speaking of time, what’s your favourite era?
Austin Butler: I mean, the thing is, with each era, I feel there’s a different part of my personality that connects to it at different times in my life. When I started playing the guitar at 13, all I wanted was to live in the time of Jimi Hendrix and be able to see him. But I’d say, day to day, probably more ’50s or early ’60s. You know, we were just talking about cars—you said, Georges, you have a ’65 Mustang? Also, what a great era for cars. And when you feel the weight of the doors on those cars, how heavy they were—yeah, I love that.