Written by S. Siers

The Breitling Navitimer: By all accounts, it’s one of the most important contributions to functional horology. While it pleases the eye with an elegantly-appointed dial showcasing its many attributes, the watch’s performance features typically attract the most attention. The question many luxury watch enthusiasts ponder is—how did a modest brand from the tiny municipality of Switzerland’s St. Imier grow to give names like Rolex a taste of real competition? Perhaps learning about the history and features of the Navitimer will answer the question.

In the 1940s, Breitling began a dialogue with pilots from the AOPA (Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association). These talks resulted in the release of a chronograph watch fitted with a circular slide rule that allowed pilots to calculate navigational elements such as distance, air speed and fuel usage accurately and on-the-fly. Following this watch’s success, Breilting and AOPA again collaborated, leading to the 1952 release of the first Navitimer, which bore the AOPA logo on the dial.

The astonishing success of the original Navitimer paved the way for the following models, each bringing slick new functions to industries and individuals who relied on precision navigational tools.

• 1961: Taking a cue from astronaut, Scott Carpenter, Breitling modified the Navitimer with a 24-hour dial and tagged it the Cosmonaute. When Mercury-Atlas 7 Aurora Mission launched the following year, Carpenter navigated the stars with a Cosmonaute Navitimer of his own.

• 1968: In the late 1960s, Breitling released the Chronomatic, a big octagonal case Navitimer that sported square sub-dial hands and a robust black bezel.
• 1969: Setting yet another milestone in horology, Breitling’s engineers endowed the big case Navitimer with the industry’s first fully automatic chronograph movement.
• 2006: After nearly 30 years of unrivaled success, Breitling re-launched a special edition of the big case Navitimer featuring both twelve hour and twenty-four hour Cosmonaute dials.
• 2010: The dawn of a new century ushered in a host of aesthetic improvements available to the public in limited quantities: 2000 steel and 200 18 carat rose gold cases. Most importantly, the newest limited edition and standard Navitimers contained the upgraded B01 watch movement. 

Sporting cases that somehow look tidy despite a wealth of functions, today’s Navitimers perform just as well as the original version of 1952, combining craftemanship, style, precision and history to create one of the most iconic watches in the industry.

Navitimer 01

The preferred timepiece of aviators and pilots across the globe, the Navitimer 01 features a 70 hour power reserve, a self-winding mechanical B01 movement and a 1/4th second-30 minute-12 hour chronograph. The functions are easy-to-decipher thanks to a black dial, red second hands and applied markers and numerals.   

Navitimer 1461

Breitling’s steel limited edition (1000 pieces) Grande Complication Navitimer chronograph adds a leap-year calendar that needs correcting only one time for every four years (1461 days) to its famous circular aviation slide rule.  It also features a caliber B19 self-winding movement and a secure screw-down back. Fittingly, Breitling calls this model the 1461.

Navitimer World

For those who like to circle the globe in style, Breitling’s Navitimer World is the timepiece of choice. Accompanying the circular slide rule is a B24 dual time zone mechanical movement and a traditional Breitling 1/4th second-30 minute-12 hour chronograph. Fortunately, its looks match its performance with high-contrast dials and sub-dials enclosed in a steel or rose gold case.

No matter which model catches the eye, the Breitling Navitimer continues to satisfy watch lovers year after year, decade after decade.

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