Breitling Aerospace B70 Orbiter 43mm 25th Anniversary

In 2024, Breitling marks its 140th anniversary, with part of the celebrations for this impressive anniversary involving the launch of a new model in the esoteric and multi-talented Aerospace family. This model – named the Aerospace B70 Orbiter – functions as a dual anniversary edition, as it was created not only for the brand's anniversary but also to commemorate 25 years since the completion of the first non-stop balloon flight around the world, which landed in Egypt on March 21, 1999. With an orange dial referencing the original color of the Orbiter 3 capsule, this Aerospace takes another step forward by also including a piece of the original balloon, integrated into the caseback of each watch. Following the current Aerospace EVO generation (of which this model is a successor), the Aerospace B70 Orbiter edition features the same 43-millimeter titanium case and is offered with a choice of a titanium bracelet or a rubber strap. Due to the sapphire caseback with the integrated balloon element, the model has a thickness of 12.95 mm, compared to 10.8 mm for the standard E79363 generation. Like other Aerospace models, the B70 Orbiter uses an ana-digi layout and offers a multitude of functions – from a date and a second time zone to a flyback chronograph, a timer, and an alarm. All these functions are controlled via the pair of negative LCD displays located on the dial, which features a bright orange gradient base and is decorated with the logo of the Orbiter 3 mission, for which Breitling was the main sponsor. The multifunctional capabilities of this Aerospace are guaranteed by the Breitling B70 movement – a thermocompensated high-accuracy SuperQuartz, which is a new addition to the Aerospace line (the previous generation used the B79 SuperQuartz). COSC-certified, the B70 is largely similar to the B79 but offers significantly expanded functionality – the ability to operate the chronograph up to a hundredth of a second for up to 100 hours (compared to 48 hours for the B79). Besides the functions, another important change with the B70 is the addition of two pushers on the side of the case, which likely facilitate the operation of the multiple functions. This is a significant departure from previous Aerospace models, which relied on a single crown to control the digital complications and set the watch.