Breitling Navitimer 01

Many manufacturers sell their watches as “aviator’s”, but you would agree that a small fraction of them would attract the attention of a crew for the purposes of aeronavigational calculations. In most cases, they are pilot watches more from a design perspective and by no means from a functional one. In contrast to them, however, the Breitling Navitimer is a true “aviator”. Breitling has a long and successful history of a relationship with the aviation industry (both military and civil). When Breitling started their business, their main goal was the creation of precise measuring instruments for scientific and industrial needs. It was only a matter of time before this specialized knowledge and the company's successes led to the moment when representatives of the aviation community approached them with a proposal for joint collaboration. The official “connection” between aviation and Breitling was formalized when, in 1936, the British Royal Air Force supplied its crews with Breitling watches. A long-standing collaboration followed, which undoubtedly reached its peak with the creation of the icon “Breitling Navitimer” in 1952. Its design and functionality have changed very little over these more than 60 years. This chronograph can be used to calculate speed, fuel consumption, rate of descent, as well as the conversion of standard miles into nautical miles among many other things – all with the help of the “logarithmic scale,” located on the inner side of the bezel along the edge of the dial. Today, we have the pleasure of presenting to you the classic Navitimer, so beloved by all Breitling fans, and in the model's largest size of 46mm, which offers a much more substantial presence on the wrist and enhanced legibility of its many impressive functions. The timepiece is in a larger size than the standard for a Navitimer, but regardless, its 46 millimeters in no way make it uncomfortable or overly flashy. It sits very comfortably on the wrist, has superb legibility, and a very high quality of execution. Through the transparent case back, one can observe the operation of one of the flagships in the line of Breitling's in-house movements – Calibre B01 (a column-wheel chronograph, with over 70 hours of power reserve and 47 jewels). This particular timepiece comes on a black Breitling leather strap, which gives the watch a more refined look and increased wearing comfort.