Manta

Manta was born toward the end of the 1970s as a professional diving watch, at a time when Breil was looking for a product able to give the brand a precise technical identity. The name, according to the most recurring account linked to the brand, was suggested by a marketing manager at Binda Italia, a diving enthusiast, struck by the silent elegance of the manta ray observed in the open sea. The original pieces were designed to withstand depth and were subjected to the technical controls then in use for professional diving watches.

In the 1980s, and especially in the early 1990s, Manta stopped being just a diving watch and became a cross-category accessory: helped by the success of Breil's advertising campaigns with the slogan "Toglietemi tutto ma non il mio Breil", the model was also worn by a female audience, which turned it into a symbol of independence more than of purely sporting function. In 1994 a renewed version arrived, offered as a unisex chronograph, consolidating this dual identity.

In the 2000s the collection expanded with more urban readings (such as the Manta City line) and materials alternative to steel, while in more recent years Breil has repeatedly relaunched the model's heritage with heritage editions faithful to the original aesthetic and with technically updated versions — including variants with a hybrid movement and solar-powered chronographs designed to celebrate the collection's anniversary — keeping Manta as the brand's historic reference.