Breitling Navitimer

When Breitling introduced their Navitimer back in 1952, it was already an icon among pilot’s watches. It remains true to its name: thanks to its slide rule bezel, the watch can make the same mathematical calculations as an on-board computer in a plane. Pilots use this Breitling Navitimer to determine speed, fuel consumption, climb and descent rates and other calculations.

Ever since 2009, Breitling used their B01 caliber in the chronograph. The topmodels feature a split-second chronograph function, while the Navitimer 8 has a more elegant feel to it with its new design. Breitling offers the Navitimer 8 as a chronograph, world time watch or a three-hand piece. The Breitling Navitimer features different case sizes, measuring 35mm up to 41mm for the slightly bigger wrists.

With the original Navitimer born in 1952, collectors and enthusiasts are after these vintage models with the reference number 806. It has the manual wound Venus 178 Caliber or the Valjoux 72 manual. You can get your hands on a nice vintage piece from €5.000 all the way up to €15.000.

If you want to wear your Navitimer on a daily basis, you might consider the Breitling Navitimer 806 Re-Edition. 

This piece looks like the vintage original but has a B09 Breitling Caliber with a COSC certificate. The Re-Edition uses aged SuperLuminova on the indices and feature improved water-resistance up to 30m (3 bar). Prices of these 806 Re-Edition climb up to €9.000. 

The original Breitling Navitimer was released back in 1952. Ten years later, the Navitimer caused some sensation when it was the first chronograph to enter space on the wrist of an astronaut. Scott Carpenter wore the Breitling Navitimer in 1962 on the Aurora 7. It features a 24-hour scale, which allowed Carpenter to determine whether it was day or night on Earth.

Nowadays you can get your hands on a limited Navitimer Cosmonaute. In 2012, Breitling released a limited piece (1962 pieces) with a 24-hour scale, Mercury-Atlas 7 mission logo on the case back and a scale to convert between Celsius and Fahrenheit. You can take it home when you bring €7.500 to the table.

With its unique design, the Breitling Navitimer is recognizable as a special tool watch. You can operate the outer scale by turning the bezel, while the inner scale is stationary. Turning the outer scale against the inner, transforms the watch into a round slide rule so that you can make a number of calculations during your flight as a pilot. 

You can convert mautical miles to kilometers, calculate kilometers per hour or speed and time. You can even calculate the fuel consumption on your plane with the Breitling Navitimer, making the Breitling Navitimer one of the most iconic pilot’s watches ever made.

If you’re in the market for a vintage, new or pre-owned Breitling Navitimer, you can call it your own for €3.800 for the Breitling 13 caliber, measuring 41mm with a stainless-steel case. If you’re a lover of vintage watches, you should consider the Navitimer 806 with the Venus caliber, costing around €8.000. 

For a little more cash, you can get your hands on an automatic B09 caliber with the Navitimer 806 Re-Edition. The biggest Navitimer available is the 45mm Navitimer B03 Chronograph Rattrapante, costing you close to €9.000 for a well-maintained piece on Wristler.