On September 15, 2026, Breitling announced a special model to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the birth of the special effects video series "Ultraman." It was the "Navitimer B01 Chronograph 43 Ultraman Limited." To mark the release of this commemorative model on October 1st (Thursday), an event was held at the Breitling Boutique Omotesando. Among the guests was Dean Fujioka, who shares the same hometown as one of the creators of Ultraman.
Photographs & Text by Chieko Tsuruoka (Chronos-Japan)
[Article published on January 29, 2026]
Dean Fujioka's thoughts on Ultraman and time
On September 15, 2026, Breitling announced the "Navitimer B01 Chronograph 43 Ultraman Limited." This special edition commemorates the 60th anniversary of the birth of "Ultraman," a tokusatsu television drama produced by Tsuburaya Productions in 1966.
Automatic movement (Cal. 01). 47 jewels. 28,800 vph. Power reserve approximately 70 hours. Stainless steel case (diameter 43mm, thickness 13.69mm). Water resistant to 3 bar. Price: 1,061,500 yen (tax included).
To mark the launch of this special edition model on Thursday, October 1st, House of Brands Japan held a media presentation at the Breitling Boutique Omotesando. They invited Dean Fujioka, who is from the same hometown as Eiji Tsuburaya, the founder of Tsuburaya Productions, for a talk session. The moderator was Megumi Matsushita, who played Meg in the 2008 film "The Great Decisive Battle! The Super 8 Ultra Brothers" (directed by Takeshi Yagi). The lively conversation between Dean and Matsushita, who are the same age, greatly enlivened the venue.
Tsuburaya and Dean are both from Sukagawa City, Fukushima Prefecture. Dean, who appeared wearing the special model unveiled this time, gazed intently at the watch and commented on the uniqueness and sparkle of the dial. This sparkle comes from meteorite. This model is the first Breitling Japan-exclusive model to feature meteorite on the dial. The meteorite used is from the Muonionalusta meteorite, which fell in Sweden about 1 million years ago. Rather than being glued to a brass dial, sliced meteorite is molded into the dial, and the Widmanstätten pattern that appears when the meteorite is sliced creates the unique pattern and sparkle that Dean was admiring.
During the talk session, Dean shared his memories of Eiji Tsuburaya in Sukagawa and his current feelings towards him.
"I was born in Sukagawa, and even after we moved, I would visit every year during long holidays like summer and winter break. Mr. Tsuburaya was always there in those scenes (of my childhood). (omitted) When I grew up, I saw him on television, and also met people overseas, especially in Asia, who loved Tsuburaya Productions' works, and I realized, 'My local senior was such a great man.'"
Dean says that Eiji Tsuburaya's influence was already strong in Sukagawa City from his childhood, and that the "Tsuburaya World" was a part of the scenery. Apparently, he was affectionately called "Mr. Tsuburaya" by the locals. A photograph of Dean standing next to an Ultraman figure displayed in his hometown shows how familiar he was with the "Tsuburaya World" and its worldview.
On the other hand, it was also said that Tsuburaya's presence, being such a normal part of his childhood, is what led him to where he is today.
"It's something you learn over your entire life, I suppose. On an unconscious level, I've been influenced by it since before I was old enough to understand things, and it's shaped who I am today."
Incidentally, Dean shared a fun fact: Sukagawa City offers a resident registration service for "Sukagawa City M78 Town of Light." By virtually registering on Sukagawa City's official website, you can obtain an address for M78 Town of Light. After registering, if you visit the Community Plaza inside JR Sukagawa Station or the Sukagawa Tourism Association, you can purchase a resident certificate certified by "Father of Ultra," who serves as the mayor of "Sukagawa City M78 Town of Light." This is something you simply have to register for.
Furthermore, a "3-Minute Chronograph Talk" was held, in which three minutes were measured using the Navitimer worn by Dean, and a conversation took place within that time. During the three minutes, Matsushita asked questions such as, "Are you a morning person or a night owl?", "Is there anything you get so engrossed in that you lose track of time?", "What would you do if you had just three minutes of free time?", and "What is the most important time in your life?", and before they knew it, the time was up. Matsushita's surprised "What, already!?" and Dean's surprised "Three minutes have passed!?" brought laughter to the venue.
The previous responses were: "I want to be a morning person, but I do take naps," "Yes, especially when I'm creating something," "I take naps," and "Time to just relax, time to unwind."
What was particularly impressive at this talk event was Dean's concept of "time." Dean often buys the watches he used in his roles as symbols of the time he spent acting, and he owns several, which he keeps in a case. I asked Dean, "As someone who owns several watches, what aspects of the Ultraman collaboration model would you recommend to our readers, who also own many watches?" He gave the following answer.
"The way the messages of Breitling and Ultraman intersect is very interesting. I've talked about Tsuburaya Productions and special effects culture through the connection to Sukagawa City, but Breitling also has many such stories. Last week I went to Sweden and saw Breitling watches everywhere at Stockholm Arlanda International Airport. They were even at immigration and check-in counters. That made me think about what time symbolizes. I think it's something like absoluteness. It's a standard. (omitted) I go overseas for international co-productions, and of course the culture and language are different. There are reasons for things like 'this is right' or 'this is the law here,' but when you get tired you feel like 'I don't care about that!' (laughs). Some people even go home in the middle of it (laughs). In those situations, I think you can only talk in terms of the concept of time. Every second is equal, and there are time zones where the sun rises and sets. I feel that we rely on time to live our lives."
This answer is likely coming from Dean, who considers time a "universal language" and cherishes the clock that marks that moment.
Readers who are interested should definitely contact us!
Breitling's "Navitimer B01 Chronograph 43 Ultraman Limited," released to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Ultraman's birth, is scheduled to go on sale October 1st, but it seems that a considerable number of pre-orders have already been placed.
However, the actual watch can be seen at the Breitling Boutique Sogo Yokohama store, which recently opened, so interested readers should inquire there.
