Iconic. Often an adjective bandied around without much meaning. However, in regards to this watch, it is truly necessary.
The Rolex Submariner. The Omega Speedmaster and this Breitling Navtimer. The pilot’s watch. Nothing else truly matches this iconic watch, the Navitimer’s unique layout leaves it without rival in its category and makes it instantly recognisable.
This pariticular navitimer comes in a monsterous 46mm (praticality over panache here). The reason for this size was so that it could easily be seen whilst flying without distracting the pilot. The dial on this particular watch is what Breitling calls “Silver” although to myself and many others it is blatantly white!
The dial of this watch is solid no fancy guilloche dial here. On it are housed 3 subdials, The left one is for tracking the seconds of the watch and the ones flanking top and bottom are for the use of the Chronograph – used by pilots to time Flight Patterns and Manouvers.
All of these features can be found on a regular run of the mill Breitling. However, this one has a specicial feature. A GMT Hand. Identifiable in this photo with that Red Arrow tipped hand, if one sets this to the hour of a different time zone tracked via the Blue Arabic numerals on the inner chapter ring then voilà you can now track a seperate time zone. Highly useful for travelling irrespective of whether or not you are actually a Pilot.
The movement of this watch is Breitling’s own Caliber 24. A modified ETA Valjoux 7754. A workhorse Chronograph and GMT movement.
A robust movement well suited to the high altitude work of a Pilot. Or indeed suited to anyone who wants to own one….
The Breitling Navitimer. Truly a piece of history. In the same vein that the Submariner is the Diver and the Speedmaster is the Moon-Watch. The Navitimer is the Pilot’s watch, a touchstone to our past and something to be cherished for generations of both watch enthusiasts and non-enthusiasts alike.
Alex & Max 
Leave a Reply