Breitling Doubles Down on the Navitimer

Launched in 1952, the Breitling Navitimer is easily considered one of the most iconic and horologically important pilot watches of all time. Developed by Willy Breitling as an aid for pilots to perform rapid calculations, the Navitimer quickly took off as an excellent tool in any pilot's arsenal.

With its signature slide rule bezel working in tandem with its chronograph function, it could be used as a wrist-mounted calculator of sorts to quickly determine average speeds, fuel consumption rates, and any other cockpit calculations. While the development of computer software has taken out the need for pilots to do so much of this arithmetic on the fly, the Navitimer has flown the test of time and earned its status as a truly iconic timepiece.

Now, in 2022, Breitling has unveiled a plethora of brand new Navitimer novelties to ring in their most legendary offering's 70th anniversary. Famed for its busy dial, commanding wrist presence, and typically dulcet tones, the Navitimer is an immediately recognizable watch that wearers can just as easily dress up or down. In a bid to make as many Navitimer fans happy, Breitling has launched their Navitimer novelties in 46mm all the way down to 35mm, so everyone has something.

The 46mm Navitimer

By far the largest of the Navitimer novelties, the new 46mm beast has four variants. Three of these variants are made of stainless steel and feature either a stunning green dial with black subdials, a black dial with white subdials, or a blue dial with white subdials. Offered on 24mm wide black leather straps or stainless steel bracelets, Breitling is exercising the Navitimer's great versatility. The last variant is made of 18kt rose gold and sports a silver dial with black subdials and a black chapter ring. Powered by the Breitling B01 automatic movement with 70 hours of power reserve, these exquisite watches are undoubtedly capable of standing up to any test they have thrown at them.

The 43mm Navitimer

Coming in at a much more widely accessible 43mm in diameter, the next Navitimer features six variants. The five steel variants are offered on 22mm wide black leather straps or a stainless steel bracelet and feature black, silver, copper, ice blue, and mint green dials that all share black subdials or a black dial variant with silver subdials. The 18kt rose gold variant is offered on a rose gold bracelet or leather strap and features a black dial with silver subdials for a stunningly luxurious aesthetic that the Navitimer certainly deserves.

The 41mm Navitimer

Coming in at 41mm, the next Navitimer collection is easily going to be the most popular amongst fans of the iconic watch due to it being the closest relative to the original Navitimer in terms of size. Originally produced as a 40mm watch, the Navitimer was massive in the 1950s but is perfectly wearable by today's standards. Offered in four different variants, one is made of 18kt red gold and sports a monochromatic silver dial, while the other three are made of stainless steel. These come with beautiful blue, silver, and mint green dials.

Unlike the other sizes mentioned, the 41mm Navitimer collection also houses a time and date-only variant, the Navitimer Automatic, which features a stunning emerald green-shade dial. Breitling we so infatuated with green, in fact, they decided to color their only new 35mm Navitimer Automatic green too.

The 35mm Navitimer

Bridging the gap between the Navitimer and female watch enthusiasts, the 35mm Navitimer Automatic is an elegantly executed offering that isn't entirely new. However, while the collection features plenty of other variants, it lacked a pastel color, and as such, Breitling has added a mint green variant in stainless steel.

Other Collections

Beyond their updates to the Navitimer as a family tree of stunning sub-collections and variants, Breitling has also introduced several new variants to a selection of other collections, such as the three new variants of their motorcycle and automotive-inspired Top Time chronograph. Inspired by Triumph, Corvette, and Mustang, these three stainless steel timepieces feature ice blue, red, and green dials, respectively are utterly stunning.

Expanding upon the release of new variants, other collections that have had their ranks added to are the SuperOcean, the Avenger, the Classic AVI and several others.

Our Thoughts

With virtually an entirely updated catalog, it isn't easy not to be excited about Breitling's future at the minute. Their CEO Georges Kern has made an incredible slew of changes and completely revamped the brand since his introduction to the company in 2017.

From revitalizing their aesthetic, making a move to in-house movements, redesigning their retail spaces, making a shift to digital, and taking inspiration from their iconic heritage, he has breathed a new lease of life into Breitling that is utterly staggering and worthy of praise. Overall, 2022 has been an excellent year for Breitling so far, and we can't wait to see how this year develops for them.

For more, see Breitling.com