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Breitling has been synonymous with pilot watches and aviation for 140 years. Throughout their illustrious history, many iconic collections have been produced, including the Premier, the Chronomat, and, let’s not forget, the world-famous Navitimer. As they approached this significant anniversary, they found themselves in a delightful dilemma. They couldn’t choose which of the three collections should receive special attention. So, instead of choosing, they decided to feature all three, and that’s precisely what they did.
And by special attention, they were not talking about just a new dial color, case material, or unique engraving. No, they are introducing a brand-new movement and a first for Breitling. This new B19 movement is not just a column-wheel chronograph, which features a vertical clutch mechanism and a moon phase. It is also a full perpetual calendar that can automatically correct for leap years and months of 28, 30, and 31 days. It can run for nearly one hundred years without significant adjustment, and despite all these extra complications, its power reserve is a very generous 96 hours.
In 1943, the Breitling Premier was the watch that brought the chronograph out of the cockpit and onto the wrists of everyday people. With its classic lines, clean looks, and no-nonsense design, it not only looked fashionable but was also very practical. The new Premier B19 Datora 140th Anniversary is no different. It features an 18K red gold 42mm case, which is 15.6mm thick and water-resistant to 100 meters. It has a black dial with tone-on-tone chronograph counters and luminescent hour and minute hands. It also has a display case back to admire the solid gold rotor and its inner workings.
The Navitimer was initially developed in 1953 with the help of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA). However, its claim to fame came nine years later when legendary astronaut Scott Carpenter wore a special version when he orbited the Earth in May 1962. Instantly recognizable with its inner slide rule bezel, the new Navitimer B19 140th Anniversary edition features a 43mm 18K red gold case, which is 15.62mm thick and water-resistant to 30 meters. It features an 18K red gold dial with matching gold indices and hands. Super-LumiNova is applied to the indices, hour, and minute hands, and the case back is transparent.
The Chronomat may be the youngest of the three, having been introduced in 1983 as the official watch of the Italian Frecce Tricolori aerobatic team, but it is also the boldest. Its design helped restore the popularity of mechanical chronographs at a time when quartz timing was dominant. This Super Chronomat B19 140th Anniversary has an 18k red gold case that measures 44mm in diameter and is 15.35mm thick, with a display back. It is water resistant to 100m and features an 18k gold unidirectional bezel with a black ceramic insert. It has a skeletonized gray dial with black sapphire subdials, with Super-LumiNova on the rider tab numerals and on the central hands and indices.
The Premier and Navitimer editions come on a black alligator leather strap with an 18K gold folding clasp. In contrast, the Super Chronomat comes on a Rouleaux-inspired rubber strap with a similar 10K gold folding clasp. Available now, each is limited to only 140 pieces and priced at $59,000. Breitling
