Breitling’s new Navitimer watches just brought back my favourite dial trend
Breitling teams up with Watches of Switzerland on two new Navitimer watches
QUICK SUMMARY
Breitling has partnered with Watches of Switzerland on two Navitimer watches, one for men and one for women.
The new Breitling Navitimer 18K Gold Editions are crafted in 18K yellow gold and stainless steel with green-coloured dials.
Breitling has teamed up with Watches of Switzerland on two exclusive Navitimer watches. Crafted from 18K yellow gold and stainless steel, the new Breitling Navitimer 18K Gold Editions have bold green dials, my favourite dial colour trend of recent years.
Breitling has described its new Navitimer 18K Gold Edition watches as "entering a new golden era”, and that they certainly do. The two versions available are the men’s Navitimer B01 Chronograph 43, and the women’s Navitimer 32, which compliment each other perfectly and show off Breitling’s popular aviation features.
Starting with the Breitling Navitimer B01 Chronograph 43, this watch is the boldest model from the two launches. Measuring 43mm, the watch features a stainless steel and 18K yellow gold case which matches its two-tone bracelet. The gold case has a subtle ridged design, and the crown is flanked by two pushers, all three of which are crafted from stainless steel.
Both gold and stainless steel are present on the dial as baton hour markers, and hour and minute hands. Aside from its red seconds hand and white minute track, the main colour of the dial is dark green. It features three chronograph counters that measure ¼ second, 30 minutes and 12 hours, and a date window is ‘hidden’ in the six o’clock subdial.
The Navitimer B01 Chronograph 43 is powered by the Breitling Manufacture Calibre 01 movement. With a 28,800 a/h balance frequency, the movement can be seen via the caseback, and it gives the watch a 70 hour power reserve.
Moving on to the women’s watch, the Breitling Navitimer 32 also features a stainless steel and 18K gold case, and two-toned bracelet, but it’s much smaller in size at 32mm and only has a crown on the right side. It’s much slimmer and more ‘jewellery-like’ than the men’s version, and the dial is much more simple as it doesn’t have any chronographs.
Instead, the dial of the Breitling Navitimer 32 has a black minute track, and gold hour and minute hands with a red-tipped seconds hand. Instead of baton markers, the hours are set with diamonds, and the base of the dial is a lighter mint green. It’s powered by the Breitling Calibre 77 Superquartz, an automatic, thermocompensated movement.
I’m very picky when it comes to women’s watches, as the majority of watch brands leave out exciting complications on female-focused timepieces, and overload them with gemstones and sparkles instead. But Breitling’s new Navitimer B01 Chronograph 32 shows how to do women’s watches right.
Yes, there’s still bling and diamonds on it, and it’s definitely something I’d describe more as pretty than technical, But the Breitling Navitimer B01 Chronograph 32 feels like a step in the right direction to making women’s watches more practical and less OTT.
Exclusively available at Watches of Switzerland retail brands, including Watches of Switzerland, Goldsmiths and Mappin & Webb, the Breitling Navitimer B01 Chronograph 43 is priced at £12,200, while the Navitimer 32 costs £7,100.
