For 70 years the Breitling brand has been developing some of the finest pilot’s timepieces in the industry. In 1952, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) asked Willy Breitling to create a new chrono for its membership. Inspired by the many dials found in aviation, he decided to develop an instrument-driven timepiece that a pilot could wear on their wrist.
This timepiece would allow them to make flight calculations, estimate average speed, and calculate the distance traveled. It also allowed them to estimate fuel consumption and calculate the speed of climb or descent of the aircraft. It even allowed them to convert miles to kilometers or nautical miles.
Willy Breitling adapted the logarithmic slide rule into the rotating bezel of the 1940’s Chronomat, giving it a rotating bezel with small beads around to give it more traction. The initial case design was 41 millimeters. This is average by today’s standards but was huge for a 1950’s timepiece.
Breitling Navitimer Released 70 Years Ago
The amazing thing about the Navitimer is not only its extensive calculation capability and features but its readability. Willy Breitling paid special attention to creating a timepiece that was not only feature-rich but had oversized Arabic numerals which made the time features of the timepiece highly visible. He filled the numerals with radium which has a beautiful contrast against the black dial. It also provided important visibility at night and in the dark – something that pilots all over would value strongly.
The name Navitimer combines the two words “Navigation” and “Timer” which essentially the timepiece epitomizes. This feature-rich and easy-to-read timepiece became an instant hit, not only with pilots but with collectors who could appreciate the absolute power that this watch gives the wearer. The initial watch didn’t have any Breitling symbols and was only sold to the AOPA group. However, the popularity led Breitling to open it up in 1956 to the whole world market.
NAVITIMER REF. 806 1959 RE-EDITION
Although there are many current designs for the Navitimer which we will describe below, the original 1959 model was reissued in 2019 as the Navitimer Ref. 806 1959 Re-Edition. This gave collectors who didn’t own the very rare and expensive Nav timepiece the opportunity to own a piece of history with all the newness of a currently produced timepiece. Also, the dangerous Radium was replaced with a more modern and naturally safe lume – the Super-Luminova coating. Special attention was made to use a color application that ages similarly to the the original luminescent material on the original timepieces.
The new Reference AB0910371B1X1 timepiece has a 41mm stainless steel case, a small seconds, 30-minute counter, and a 12-hour counter. Rather than use the modern sapphire glass, Breitling used a historically similar highly-domed Plexiglass. One of the few changes made to this re-issue is that the new timepiece has water-resistance of 30 meters. It utilizes the in-house designed caliber B09 which is based on the original Caliber 01 but has a power reserve of 70 hours. It is a hand-wound caliber and is fully COSC certified.
In order to keep the uniqueness of this timepiece for collectors of the new and old timepieces, Breitling limited the production to 1959 pieces – equal to the year. Each timepiece is individually numbered and engraved on the case back. The timepiece comes with a black calfskin leather band that has 22mm at the lug which tapers to an 18mm width at the tang buckle. At $8,600, the timepiece is quite affordable for owning a piece of history.
Breitling also added two other limited edition timepieces but has taken some liberties on the design colors. The reference RB0910371B1X1 utilizes an 18k red gold and has a brown leather band with an 18k red gold pin buckle. This model comes at a list price of $22,850 which is more than double the cost of the stainless steel model – largely due to the price of gold today. The most notable difference on this timepiece is the easier-to-read inner 3 dials which have white which contrasts beautifully against the black dial. The outer dial calculator is also in white, which contrasts against the inner dial. This model is limited to 159 pieces.
The reference LB0910211C1P1 comes with a blue dial and blue calf leather band. This is made from pure platinum, leading to a starting price of $39,900. The inner dials are blue, so it is a bit less readable than the gold model, but it does have an outer ring that is colored in a deep silvery color, giving it a bit more of a look of a bezel without the need for a bezel. This truly rare timepiece is limited to only 59 pieces.
The Ultimate Breitling Navitimer
Breitling worked to capture many of the original elements of the original Naivitimer but with a truly modern set of features, sleeker look and exceptional finishes. Although many new color options have been introduced including blue, green and copper, this is the timepiece that really pulls it all together and seems to have a foot in both the nostalgic past and the present day.
This reference RB0137241G1P1 is made from a gorgeous 18k Red Gold and has a large 46 mm case. It has a sapphire crystal both on the front and back. The caliber is Breitling’s Manufacture 01 which as a self-winding mechanical caliber with 47 jewels and a 70 hour power reserve. The band is a black aligator leather which starts with 24mm at the lug and tapers to a 20 mm width at the folding clasp. At a cost of 19,500, this timepiece is an extraordinary example of beauty and function.
Rubber B has an extensive array of beautiful bands to protect your original Breitling leather bands. With a Rubber B band, you can be sure to know that these are pure vulcanized rubber bands that you can wear with the watch for years without worrying about sweat, water damage or typical wear and tear that would destroy the original leather band that came with the timepiece. Most collectors will store these original bands for future resale, while proudly wearing their Rubber B band with their favorite Breitling Navitimer.
Rubber B has the Swimskin Alligator band which comes in both Black and Brown options. All Rubber B bands are made in Switzerland. These bands are custom-fitted to work with the size Navitimer that you have.
41mm Breitling Navitimer Watch Band
43mm Breitling Navitimer Watch Band
45mm and 46mm Breitling Navitimer Watch Band
Rubber B has also come out with a Ballistic Series of bands that look and feel like real fabric but are actually made from the finest rubber around. It also has a Twill Series which looks like a typical 2 layer combat strap. With these options, you can dress up your timepiece, or turn it into more of a powerful military timepiece. No matter what you are in the mood for, Rubber B’s bands for the Breitling Navitimer are here to achieve your ideal design, while providing long-lasting wear for your timepiece.
