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From Flight Tool To Icon: Introducing The 2022 Navitimer

As Breitling’s legendary timepiece turns 70, the brand unveils a redesigned collection that is all  about bold color, enhanced styling—and incredible journeys

Article (news)

Metro Society Team

<p>For 70 years, Breitling’s original pilot’s watch has been beloved by aviators and tastemakers in  equal measure. Worn by an astronaut in space and the biggest stars on Earth, it is Breitling’s  most iconic timepiece. Today, Breitling honors the legend with the introduction of a new Navitimer  that captures its most classic features, while enhancing them with modern refinements.  </p><div><br/></div><p>“We don’t throw the term ‘icon’ around lightly,” says Georges Kern, CEO of Breitling. “The Navitimer is one of the most recognizable watches ever made. It’s on collectors’ lists of the greatest watches of all time. What began as a tool for pilots has gone on to mean something profound  to every single person who has had this timepiece along on their personal journey.”</p><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/58600264-15d8-4ff3-a371-635aecfdd235_03_navitimer-b01-chronograph-46_ref.-ab0137211c1p1_rgb-1.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt=""/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">“The Navitimer is one of the most recognizable watches ever made. It’s on collectors’ lists of the greatest watches of all time,&#x27;  says Georges Kern, CEO of Breitling</span></span></span></div><div><strong><br/></strong></div><div><strong><br/></strong></div><div><strong>The De Facto Pilot&#x27;s Watch</strong></div><p>Not even its inventor could have predicted the phenomenon the Navitimer would become. In  1952, Willy Breitling developed a wrist-worn chronograph with a circular slide rule that would  allow pilots to perform all necessary flight calculations. Two years later, the Aircraft Owners  and Pilots Association (AOPA), the largest aviators’ club in the world, announced the design as  its official timepiece. The association’s winged logo was emblazoned at 12 o’clock, and the  “navigation timer”—or Navitimer—was born. </p><div><br/></div><p>The Navitimer grew up alongside the burgeoning civil aviation industry. Beloved by airline  captains and aircraft enthusiasts, it even made its way into space on the wrist of astronaut  Scott Carpenter in 1962 as a 24-hour timepiece to tell day from night. And it wasn’t only pilots  drawn to the watch’s irrepressible aesthetic. Celebrities of the day, such as Miles Davis, Serge  Gainsbourg, Jim Clark, and Graham Hill, were devotees, proving that the Navitimer had style as well as function. </p><div> </div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/d750ca71-d067-468a-97c8-ab3db6e76700_07_navitimer-b01-chronograph-46_ref.-ab0137241l1p1_rgb-1.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt=""/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">From a distance, the new Navitimer is unmistakably a Navitimer, with its circular slide rule, baton  indexes, trio of chronograph counters, and notched bezel for easy grip.</span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><div><strong><br/></strong></div><div><strong>An Evolution in Breitling&#x27;s Signature Modern-Retro Style</strong></div><p>To create the new Navitimer, Breitling preserved the most recognizable aspects of the icon’s  design code. From a distance, this is unmistakably a Navitimer, with its circular slide rule, baton  indexes, trio of chronograph counters, and notched bezel for easy grip. Up close, however, its  modern refinements come through loud and clear.  </p><div><br/></div><p>A flattened slide rule and a domed crystal create the illusion of a more compact profile.  Alternating polished and brushed finishes give the metal elements a lustrous yet understated  quality. A slimmer silhouette on the oscillating weight enhances the open-caseback view of  the COSC-certified Breitling Manufacture Caliber 01. This movement is backed by a five-year  warranty, provides approximately 70 hours of power reserve, and allows the wearer to change  the date—now visible through a discreet window in the subdial at 6 o’clock—at any time. </p><div><br/></div><p>The watch comes in a range of sizes (46, 43, or 41 mm), two case materials (stainless steel or  18-karat red gold), and a choice of straps (semi-shiny alligator or seven-row metal bracelet).  Modern colors in shades of blue, green, and copper define its updated dial options. And if there  is one feature sure to spark nostalgia, it’s the return of the AOPA wings to their original position  at 12 o’clock. </p><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/a6aa94cd-057c-4d9d-a88c-62dbc02d8b34_33_navitimer-b01-chronograph-43_ref.-ab0138241k1p1_rgb-1.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt=""/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Up close, the new Navitimer&#x27;s  modern refinements come through loud and clear. </span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><div><strong><br/></strong></div><div><strong>For The Journey, Celebrating What Moves Us</strong></div><p>Today, after 70 years, the Navitimer has gone beyond being a tool used by pilots to navigate their  course. It has become a symbol for those plotting their personal journeys through life.</p><div><br/></div><p>Breitling celebrates this significance in a new campaign, <strong>NAVITIMER—FOR THE JOURNEY</strong>, featuring the Navitimer Squad, made up of basketball superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, American Ballet Theater principal dancer Misty Copeland, and aviation pioneer and explorer Bertrand Piccard.  </p><div><br/></div><div><br/></div><div style="text-align:center"><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/ChcxjhWL4sH/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style="background:#FFF;border:0;border-radius:3px;box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15);margin:1px;max-width:540px;min-width:326px;padding:0;width:calc(100% - 2px)"><div style="padding:16px"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/ChcxjhWL4sH/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" 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0"><br/></div> <div style="display:flex;flex-direction:row;margin-bottom:14px;align-items:center"><div> <div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;height:12.5px;width:12.5px;transform:translateX(0px) translateY(7px)"><br/></div> <div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;height:12.5px;transform:rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px);width:12.5px;flex-grow:0;margin-right:14px;margin-left:2px"><br/></div> <div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;height:12.5px;width:12.5px;transform:translateX(9px) translateY(-18px)"><br/></div></div><div style="margin-left:8px"> <div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;flex-grow:0;height:20px;width:20px"><br/></div> <div style="width:0;height:0;border-top:2px solid transparent;border-left:6px solid #f4f4f4;border-bottom:2px solid transparent;transform:translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"><br/></div></div><div style="margin-left:auto"> <div style="width:0px;border-top:8px solid #F4F4F4;border-right:8px solid transparent;transform:translateY(16px)"><br/></div> <div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;flex-grow:0;height:12px;width:16px;transform:translateY(-4px)"><br/></div> <div style="width:0;height:0;border-top:8px solid #F4F4F4;border-left:8px solid transparent;transform:translateY(-4px) translateX(8px)"><br/></div></div></div> <div style="display:flex;flex-direction:column;flex-grow:1;justify-content:center;margin-bottom:24px"> <div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:4px;flex-grow:0;height:14px;margin-bottom:6px;width:224px"><br/></div> <div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:4px;flex-grow:0;height:14px;width:144px"><br/></div></div></a><div style="color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:17px;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:8px;overflow:hidden;padding:8px 0 7px;text-align:center;text-overflow:ellipsis;white-space:nowrap"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/ChcxjhWL4sH/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style="color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;line-height:17px;text-decoration:none" target="_blank">A post shared by BREITLING (@breitling)</a></div></div></blockquote> </div><div><br/></div><div><br/></div><p>Each member has been on an incredible journey to get to where they are today at the top of their  fields. Each one has charted a course and stayed on it through sheer determination. And each  one is on route to achieving their next set of ambitions. Using powerful visuals and the Squad  Members’ own narration, the campaign gets to the heart of these moving journeys.  </p><div><br/></div><p>“This project means a lot to me because it celebrates not only where I was in life, but where I’d  come from and where I am going,” says Misty Copeland. “There is an absolute parallel between  navigating towards a physical destination and navigating towards the vision of where you want  to be in life. You’ll see that theme come through in these three stories.” </p><div><br/></div><p>The Navitimer has come a long way since Willy Breitling first drafted his idea for a wrist-worn  flight tool. This redesign, with its focus on color, styling, and inclusive appeal, marks a new  phase in the Navitimer’s journey, one that blends Breitling’s modern aesthetics and values with  its historic watchmaking savoir faire to create an updated identity for the iconic watch that  started it all.</p><div><br/></div><hr id="null"/><div><br/></div><p><em>Lead photos courtesy of </em>Breitling<br/></p><div> </div><div> </div><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script>