Today ItalianWatchSpotter will tell you the story of the Breitling Navitimer: the most emblematic pilot’s watch of the 20th century.
If you were wondering what the astronaut John Carpenter, the actor John Travolta and the singer Serge Gainsbourg have in common, this article is the right place to find it out…
The beginning
In order to be able to fully explain the history of the Navitimer, we must start with its predecessor, the Breitling Chronomat.
Patented in 1940 and produced since 1942, the Chronomat is the first chronograph capable of solving a large number of calculations, necessary for air navigation.
It allowed to measure speed, distance and pulsations by three different graduated scales, based on the properties of logarithms. These are a tachymetric, a telemetric and pulsometric scale.
You don’t know what they are? We have the right article for you here.
The fields of application of the instrument were numerous, therefore, the maison accompanied it with an explanatory manual…like ours!
The Navitimer introduction
1952 is the year in which the inaugural voyage of the “Lockheed Constellation” aircraft, a high-performance vehicle, takes place. It was the spearhead of American aviation.
A journey of important significance, which marks the turning point in the history of watchmaking, as, for the first time, the pilot is equipped with a watch for professional use: a Breitling Navitimer.
About 10 years later, Breitling officially presents the Navitimer, a revolutionary chronograph designed specifically for aviation.
The timepiece features a totally innovative design and is a real professional tool. It has a case measuring 41mm and features one of the most reliable chronographic movements of the time, a Venus 178.
The Breitling Navitimer incorporates a circular computer ruler as well as a black dial with white rotating inner bezel, on which quantities (miles/kilometers, feet/meters, gallons/litres) are reported based on the timeframes indicated.
Thanks to the rotating bezel it’s possible to calculate useful data for air flights, such as speed, distance traveled or to travel and amount of fuel.
The AOPA collaboration
The Breitling Navitimer immediately became the watch of aviators, gathered in the AOPA (Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association).
This is why, in the first versions, the dial does not bear the maison’s brand name, but only the logo of the association.
This first version, produced until the beginning of the 1960s, is highly coveted among collectors, reaching prices between 9.000 and 10.000€.
In the mid-1950s, coinciding with the advent of mass production, Breitling decided to create a very limited series of pieces. It was equipped with one of the most appreciated and well-known movements, the legendary Valjoux 72, also used by Rolex in the Daytona.
We are not given the certainty of the purpose of this version, which, however, turns out to be the most coveted by Breitling collectors. To date, one of these pieces reaches prices ranging from 20.000 to 25.000€.
Breitling Navitimer Ref.806
The first Navitimer bearing the Breitling logo on the dial arrives in 1959 and is the reference 806.
Produced for several years, this version is one of the most famous and will be a huge success right from the start.
This Navitimer is also powered by the formidable Venus 178, a symbol of robustness and technique.
On the market this model is one of the most affordable, with values ranging in price range between 3.500 and 4.000 €.
The reference 806 is so significant to the history of the brand that, at Baselworld 2019, Breitling dedicates it a reissue, with details that meticulously recall those of the original.
You can find an article about the novelties here!
Always higher: the Cosmonaute
On May 24, 1962, the 5th space flight of the Mercury program takes place, in which astronaut Scott Carpenter makes a journey of three Earth orbits.
On his wrist is a very special edition of the Breitling Navitimer, which will go down in history as “Cosmonaute”.
The peculiarity of the object lies in the dial which, instead of presenting the usual 12 hourly indices, is divided into 24 hours. All this because in space the distinction between day and night is very relative.
The future of Breitling’s Navitimer
Thanks to the success of the Cosmonaute, Breitling decides, once again to innovate, choosing to replace the movement with a Valjoux 7740, manual-charged, cam-operated, with the addition of the date.
(You don’t remember what a cam-operated shunt is? You can read it here!)
The latest finding towards modernity is the introduction of an automatic chronographic caliber. The solution will come in 1969.
Caliber 11
The protagonist of the development of the new caliber is Gérald Dubois, better known as Dubois Dépraz.
Using a basic Buren movement (a thin automatic movement with a micro-rotor), Dubois, along with Jack Heuer and Willy Breitling, conceives a new way of thinking about the automatic chronograph, the legendary Buren 11 caliber.
A truly unique feature of the movement is the crown on the left, while the buttons are, as usual, on the right side of the case.
The decline
The advent of quartz in the late 1970s led to the ruin of the Breitling company.
Willy Breitling had no choice but to sell his business to Ernest Schneider, owner of Sicura, an economical watch brand.
Despite this, the entire inventory of spare parts and design rights were purchased by Ollech & Wajs.
This small company in Zurich, following the acquisition, decided to produce reference 806 under the name Aviation.
These models can be found in a price range between 1.300 and 2.000 €.
Such low prices are a great deal for those who want to buy a Navitimer for a more than reasonable amount.
Breitling Navitimer and stars
Time flows and the Navitimer becomes an indispensable tool for pilots all over the world, but not only…
Also within the international jet set, the watch has gained some love and appreciation.
In particular, the French singer Serge Gainsbourg, wears a version produced in the 80s with a particular bracelet.
Find an article about it on our website, here!
Another famous example is John Travolta.
The actor and pilot, becomes arguably the most famous testimonial ever.
We see him showing off the Breitling Navitimer in various advertisements as well as using it as his personal watch.
For 50 years, the Navitimer remains the reference model for Breitling chronographs.
Even today the maison constantly improves technology, reliability and efficiency, taking advantage, in particular, of the suggestions proposed by pilots from every continent.
The versions follow each other, enhancing more and more the advantages brought by new technologies, but always retaining the now famous “aviation computer”, which gives the Navitimer its unique character.
Translated by Lorenzo Spolaor (@lorenzospolaor)
