In 1952, the watch world set a new standard: the Breitling Navitimer was born.
With its revolutionary slide rule bezel and as the official time measuring instrument of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), it became an indispensable tool for pilots and quickly advanced to become an aviation icon. The Navitimer combined precision, functionality and elegance and thus wrote an important chapter in the history of pilots’ watches.
The story goes way back to 1952 when Willy Breitling was asked by the renowned American Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) to produce a chronograph for its members.
Willy Breitling created an innovative instrument with which the pilots could carry out all the necessary flight calculations.
With this watch, it was now possible to calculate the average speed of the distance travelled, the fuel consumption, the rate of climb or descent and the conversion of miles into kilometres or nautical miles.
In 1969, the Breitling Navitimer underwent a revolutionary change: it was equipped with its first automatic chronograph. This innovation, known as Calibre 11, represented a significant technical advance and further cemented the Navitimer as the leader among pilot’s watches.
In 2009, Breitling marked another milestone in its history with the introduction of its own manufacture movement, the Calibre B01. This in-house chronograph movement was characterised by outstanding precision and reliability and underlined Breitling’s commitment to technical excellence.
The introduction of the calibre in the Navitimer followed in 2010 and set new standards.
