Breitling is a family enterprise, one of the last independent Swiss watch manufacturers. The watchmaking brand is also one of the only in the world to equip its watch styles with movements that are officially chronometer certified – the ultimate sign of precision, entirely manufactured within their workshops in La Chaux-de-Fonds. It was in 1884 in Switzerland that Léon Breitling chose to found a watchmaking manufacturer entirely dedicated to the realm of timepieces and counters; high-precision instruments that were made for sporting, science, and industry. For the aerospace industry, Breitling created a specialized line in the 30s: on-board timepieces made for plane cockpits. In 1952, the brand released the very first version of what would become a legend in just a few years: the Navitimer watch-bracelet. Equipped with a circular slide-rule, this wrist instrument, specially conceived for pilots and other flight professionals, allowed for the execution of any and every operation related to flight navigation. Average speed, distance travelled, fuel consumption, take-off or landing stats, conversion of miles into kilometers or nautical miles, the Navitimer was exceptional in that it packed an entire dashboard into a single watch.
On May 24, 1962, the Navitimer found itself on the wrist of astronaut Scott Carpenter. It would be essential in distinguishing night from day during the orbital flight of the Aurora 7 capsule and thus became the first watch-bracelet in history to travel into outer space. For more than 10 years, Breitling fueled the growth of commercial aviation by supplying the dashboard timepieces for propeller planes, then the jets of a number of plane constructors and airlines. This is how the manufacturer became an “accredited supplier of world aviation”; at the same time, the Navitimer became a cult object, manufactured constantly with no discontinuations and ceaselessly innovating for over 60 years now. But the Navitimer doesn’t just hold its own in the aviation world. Throughout his many escapades, Serge Gainsbourg often wore a replica of the 1986 Breitling Navitimer, set on a specially-made bracelet. Since he was allergic to leather, the famous French singer had Breitling custom order a bracelet from a jewelry maker in Lyon. Made of metal, the bracelet boasted a number of elegant and stylish cut-outs. 20 years before Gainsbourg, Miles Davis also wore the watch. During a concert in Paris in 1969, he sported the famous Breitling Navitimer on his wrist just like he would later do in the Antibes.
For director Jean-Paul Girardin, “The Navitimer is our second most iconic watch, launched in 1952. Everything Breitling is in it, with pilot specifications for navigation calculations. It’s the oldest timepiece on the market, even if everything in it has changed on a technical level. Its design is still recognizable compared to the original style.” But in 2010, Breitling did something new and launched the first Navitimer to be equipped with a chronograph movement that was 100% produced by the brand itself: the Navitimer 01 Limited Brietling. Uniting two passions that were near and dear to the founder’s heart, the watch brought together watchmaking and aeronautics in a limited edition equipped with a Calibre 01 movement. Released in 2,000 steel copies and 200 red gold copies, the Navitimer Calibre 01 set itself apart with its slightly larger diameter and transparent sapphire background that allowed the beholder to admire the movements of its high performance mechanics. Composed like a true collector’s piece, the Navitimer made a comeback in 2015 with its AOPA version. An homage to the mythic Navitimer AOPA of the 50s, Breitling produced this new style in a 500-copy limited edition. With the “Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association” logo prominently featured on it as well as an automatic chronograph movement certified by the COSC (Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres), this reference in precision promises to accompany you through the skies more reliably than ever.
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