As Breitling’s Navitimer celebrates its 70th anniversary, a newly redesigned collection is unveiled in the air, where its journey began.
Breitling’s history of pilot’s watches has seen the brand loved by aviation professionals, plan enthusiasts and anyone in between. This year, the original pilot’s timepiece, the Breitling Navitimer celebrates its 70th anniversary and is being honoured with a new look revamped collection that celebrates bold colour, enhanced styling and incredible journeys.
Georges Kern, Breitling CEO
“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 gone on to mean something profound to every single person who has had this timepiece along on their personal journey.”
The watch was unveiled during a special in-flight event on 29th March between Zurich and Geneva which invited VIPs, international journalists and partners to take part in the journey. “What better place than in the air to launch this new collection,” says Breitling CEO Georges Kern. “The Navitimer began as a pilot’s navigational tool. Today it’s a symbol for everyone plotting their personal journeys through life. It’s rare for a watch to maintain its popularity over 70 years and still come back with an even broader appeal.”
Just before takeoff, the brand unveiled the new Navitimier with a special “in-flight entertainment” edition of the Breitling Summit Webcast which took views through the watch’s 70-year history. While onboard, guests had the opportunity to discover the new collection. Breitling ensure the flights were carbon neutral but buying the equivalent amount of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) via Swiss’ Compensaidprogram.
The Design
The new Navitimer combines the historical and most renowned elements of the design and is therefore instantly recognisable as a Navitimer from afar. Close up, however, this new look watch features modern refinements that offer a new twist on these classic pieces. With its circular slide rule, baton indexes, a trio of chronograph counters, and notched bezel for easy grip it is designed for both comfort and style. A flattened slide rule and a domed crystal create the illusion of a more compact profile, while alternating polished and brush 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 Calibre 01. This movement provides the wearer with 70 hours of reserve power and allows the wearer to change the date at any time.
The watch is completed with the return of the AOPA wings to their original position at 12 o’clock. It comes in a range of sizes for all tastes ranging from 41mm, to 43mm to 46mm in either stainless steel or 18-carat red gold. The grand finale comes from a choice of straps in semi-shiny alligator or a seven-row metal bracelet. Stylish colours available include shades of blue, green and copper.
The Campaign
The new Navitimer is celebrated with a campaign titled “Navitimer – for the Journey”. It features the Navitimer Squad, made up of basketball superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, American Ballet Theatre principal dancer Misty Copeland, and aviation pioneer and explorer Bertrand Piccard, all sharing their journeys to where they are today, at the top of their fields.
“This project means a lot to me because it celebrates not only where I was in life, but where I’d come from and where I am going,” says Misty Copeland. “There is an absolute parallel between navigating towards a physical destination and navigating towards the vision of where you want to be in life. You’ll see that theme come through in these three stories.”
The History
The original Breitling Navitimer
Developed in 1952 by Willy Breitling, the Navitimer was designed as a wrist-worn chronograph with a circular slide rule that would 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. As the aviation industry grew so did the success of the Navitimer. 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. The watch became famed for both its function and style and is until today, a favourite with both professional pilots and celebrities alike.
The new Breitling Navitimer is now available at Breitling stores and online.
