A surge limiting circuit breaker has, for each phase, at least one interrupting chamber constituted by a gastight insulating enclosure filled with a gas having high dielectric strength. The enclosure contains fixed and moving main contacts and fixed and moving arcing contacts. Moving equipment effects movement of the moving contacts relative to the fixed contacts. The enclosure includes a varistor. The varistor is inserted in parallel with the circuit breaker contacts on separation of the main contacts when the circuit breaker is being opened, disconnecting the varistor before the end of the stroke of the moving arcing contact. The varistor is inserted in parallel with the circuit breaker contacts while closing the circuit breaker and prior to bringing the arcing contacts into contact with each other. The varistor is short-circuited when the arcing contacts come into contact.