Breitling’s iconic watch celebrates its 70th anniversary with a revised line that focuses on vibrant colour, improved style, and incredible journeys. Breitling’s first pilot’s watch has been adored by aviators and tastemakers alike for the past 70 years. It is Breitling’s most iconic watch, worn by an astronaut in space and the world’s most famous celebrities.
Today, Breitling honours the legend by introducing a new Navitimer that captures its most classic features while enhancing them with modern refinements. “We don’t throw the term ‘icon’ around lightly,” says Georges Kern, CEO of Breitling. “The Navitimer is one of the most recognizable watches ever made. It’s on collectors’ lists of the greatest watches of all time. What began as a tool for pilots has meant something profound to every person who has had this timepiece along on their personal journey.”
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Not even its inventor could have predicted the phenomenon the Navitimer would become. In 1952, Willy Breitling developed a wrist-worn chronograph with a circular slide rule to allow pilots to perform all necessary flight calculations.
Two years later, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), the largest aviators’ club in the world, announced the design as its official timepiece. The association’s winged logo was emblazoned at 12 o’clock, and the “navigation timer” or Navitimer was born.
The Navitimer grew up alongside the burgeoning civil aviation industry. Beloved by airline captains and aircraft enthusiasts, it even made its way into space on the wrist of astronaut Scott Carpenter in 1962 as a 24-hour timepiece to tell day from night.
To create the new Navitimer, Breitling preserved the most recognizable aspects of the icon’s design code. From a distance, this is unmistakably a Navitimer, with its circular slide rule, baton indexes, a trio of chronograph counters, and notched bezel for easy grip. Up close, however, its modern refinements come through loud and clear.
A flattened slide rule and a domed crystal create the illusion of a more compact profile. Alternating polished and brushed finishes give the metal elements a lustrous yet understated quality.
A slimmer silhouette on the oscillating weight enhances the open-caseback view of the COSC-certified Breitling Manufacture Caliber 01. This movement is backed by a five-year warranty, provides approximately 70 hours of power reserve, and allows the wearer to change the date—now visible through a discreet window in the subdial at 6 o’clock—at any time.
The watch comes in a range of sizes (46, 43, or 41 mm), two case materials (stainless steel or 18-karat red gold), and a choice of straps (semi-shiny alligator or seven-row metal bracelet). Modern colours in shades of blue, green, and copper define its updated dial options. And if there is one feature sure to spark nostalgia, it’s the return of the AOPA wings to their original position at 12 o’clock.
This iconic watch had much updated style for its new collection; the variety of materials, sizes, colours, and straps also give you a better option to perfectly fit your style. Visit Breitling or The Time Place boutique for more information about this new Breitling Navitimer collection.
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