Breitling just made its 24-hour Navitimer watch that went to space a permanent part of its collection
Breitling expands its Navitimer collection with two watches that are out of this world…
Breitling has launched two new chronograph watches to its Navitimer range, bringing the spirit of the 1960s Twin Jet Navitimer to its core collection. Both new Navitimer timepieces feature the 60s era Twin Jet logo, chronograph counters, and oversized cases.
The original Navitimer was developed back in 1952 for pilots and aviators, and has since become a big part of Breitling’s watch line-up and history. As a pilot watch, the Navitimer has been used by actual pilots, and in 1962, it was adapted for space flight for NASA astronaut, Scott Carpenter.
For Carpenter’s Mercury Atlas 7 orbital flight, Breitling developed the Navitimer Cosmonaute which had a 24-hour display, and became the first Swiss wristwatch to go to space. Now, you can actually buy your own version of the original watch with the new Breitling Navitimer B02 Chronograph 41 Cosmonaute.
Measuring 41mm, the Breitling Navitimer B02 Chronograph 41 Cosmonaute has a stainless steel case which is lightly scalloped. It has an oversized crown and two chronograph pushers on the right side, which frames the black and white reverse panda dial.
At first glance, the dial of the Breitling Navitimer B02 Chronograph 41 Cosmonaute looks quite complicated, and it’s certainly got a lot going on. The white minute track wraps around the black dial, and leads down to three white chronograph subdials. A date window sits at six o’clock and is integrated into the lower subdial.
The numbers on the Breitling Navitimer B02 Chronograph 41 Cosmonaute are marked in twos – so 12 o’clock is actually at six, while 24 is at 12. Just underneath the 24 hour is the Twin Jet logo, and the numbers, and hour and minute hands are set with Super-LumiNova.
The Breitling Navitimer B02 Chronograph 41 Cosmonaute is powered by the Breitling Manufacture Calibre B02 movement, used exclusively for the Cosmonaute. It gives the watch 70 hours of power. The watch is finished with either a stainless steel bracelet or brown calfskin leather strap. The former is priced at £8,150 while the latter is £7,950.
The second – and slightly more laidback – model is the Breitling Navitimer B09 Chronograph 41. It has similar features as the B02, like its 41mm stainless steel case, bracelet and straps, and chronograph subdials, although it comes with more options – you can choose a black or blue dial.
Unlike the B02, the Breitling Navitimer B09 Chronograph 41 is a 12-hour watch, so the numbers are where they should be, and there’s no date window. It’s also slightly slimmer, and is powered by the Breitling Manufacture Calibre B09 movement which comes with a 70 hour power reserve. With the leather strap, it costs £6,200 while the bracelet version is £6,500.
