MYou can count on this watch. Long before electronics specialists like Casio launched digital watches with built-in calculators, Willy Breitling dreamed up a wristwatch with an integrated slide rule. The premature babies among us still remember this arithmetic aid, which can be used to easily solve a rule of three, once you understand the principle. However, most slide rules are more or less in the form of a ruler. This is not very compatible with the shape of a watch.
So Willy Breitling brought the slide rule into a circular shape, with two fixed scales on the edge of the dial and one movable on the rehaut. This is how the watchmaker describes the ring around the dial, which is higher towards the outside like a grandstand in a football stadium. This rehaut is connected to the edge of the glass. If you rotate the same, simple multiplications, divisions and rule of three can be solved. In aviation, for example, this is the calculation of average speed or probable fuel consumption for a flight route. In 1952, this appeared to be a pragmatic aid for pilots in navigating the air, which is why the chronograph was later called the Navigation-Timer, or Navitimer for short, with an emphasis on the a. Because this watch has less to do with the Navy. But with aviation. Which is why the American Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), the largest pilot club in the world, made this chronograph their official timepiece, and why Breitling built a version in the 1970s that featured the AOPA logo instead of the traditional Breitling wing under the Twelve emblazoned.
Despite gentle revision, the myth must not suffer
It’s doing it again now, permanently. This is what Breitling boss Georges Kern decided while his team was preparing the Navitimer for its 70th birthday. This anniversary seemed to Kern to be the ideal time to completely overhaul this watch, which is essentially a complete model line. In fact, the Navitimer is the last Breitling line that Kern and his team are redesigning, a good five years after taking office. But designers have to treat such a watch with kid gloves when modernizing it, so that myth and radiance do not suffer. After all, the term icon for the Breitling Navitimer is not too high. The recognition value is enormous and is on the level of, for example, a Rolex Submariner, a Patek Philippe Nautilus or an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak. Extreme care is required because money is also at stake here. “The Navitimer is of enormous commercial and historical importance to us and, together with the Chronomat, is our most important product,” says Georges Kern.
By the way, he disguised himself as a flight captain for the official presentation. Finally, the presentation took place on a flight from Zurich to Geneva. Well before the start we had the opportunity to take a look at the new Navitimer collection in the presence of Captain Kern. The designers have to be commended. You left the kid gloves on. At first glance, the new Navitimer is quite the old one, although according to the boss, the case has been completely redesigned. However, the redesign did not change the water resistance, which is low for a sports watch. More than 3 bar pressure resistance is not possible, which is primarily due to the sealing of the rotating bezel – i.e. the slide rule.
Stainless steel or gold case
The Navitimer is available in sizes of 41, 43 and 46 millimeters, although we liked the proportions of the medium size best. Surprisingly, even the 46 millimeter bolide was comfortable on our not particularly strong wrist. The case materials are stainless steel and gold or a mix of both. The straps are made of alligator leather or the case material. The steel and gold link bracelets are fitted with folding clasps and prove to be supple. When designing the dial, Breitling dug deep into the paint pot. After all, pilots and those who would like to be pilots are no longer the only customers for the timepiece that was once the epitome of the pilot’s watch. That is why, in addition to classic black and white, a mint tone, copper or ice blue are also available. When hip boys and girls hit the slopes today, they don’t necessarily mean a runway.
On the other hand, little has changed on the drive. The in-house chronograph caliber B01 does its job well. However, the cheaper variants with ETA-7750 are no longer available. Entry starts at 8,300 euros for the smallest Navitimer in steel with a leather strap. The large gold chronograph with a gold bracelet costs 37,500 euros. Manufacture movements are expected from Breitling, Kern states, who is not afraid that the increased prices will ruin his business, on the contrary: “We see that people are increasingly buying more expensive products from us. We’ve experienced this since the launch of the new Chronomat and Super-Chronomat, not forgetting the Super-AVI. These are all products ranging from $8,000 to $20,000 depending on the model. These products are sold out.” Then why should he offer anything cheaper? No doubt the man can count.