Description

Breitling’s iconic pilot’s chronograph – for the journey. In 1952, Willy Breitling developed 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) announced the design as its official timepiece. The “navigation timer” – or Navitimer – was born. The AOPA was (and remains) the largest pilots’ club in the world, counting nearly every US aviator among its ranks. As the defacto pilot’s watch throughout the glory days of civil aviation, the Navitimer was worn by airline captains and aircraft enthusiasts. It even made its way into space on the wrist of astronaut Scott Carpenter in 1962. And it wasn’t only pilots drawn to the watch’s irrepressible aesthetic. Celebrities of the day such as Miles Davis and Serge Gainsbourg were devotees, proving that the Navitimer had style as well as function. There have been many iterations of Breitling’s icon since its debut 70 years ago, but this new Navitimer captures its most classic features, while enhancing them with modern refinements.