Breitling Navitimer Watches

About Breitling Navitimer Watches

Built off the Chronomat, the Breitling Navitimer was born of a partnership with the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA). The popularity of the Navitimer spurred the development of several different releases including manual chronograph movement and later to the transition to a Valjoux 7740 movement.

In 1969, Breitling worked with Heuer, Buren, and Dubois-Depraz on a top-secret venture called Project 99. The result of their efforts was the first automatic chronograph movement, one of the most influential horological advancements ever made. Soon after, it was integrated into the Navitimer along with aesthetic changes. The dial layout shifted from three subdials to two, with the date indicator at the six o’clock position where with third subdial used to be.

Breitling faced challenging times during the Quartz Crisis of the 1970s, but by the 1990s, the allure of quartz watches had started to fade and mechanical watches were making a comeback. This began a new era of the Navitimer with the release of the Airborne and the Old Navitimer. In 2009, Navitimer debuted their first in-house movement, the Breitling 01 automatic chronograph.

Today, the Navitimer has become one of the most instantly recognizable and highly sought-after watches produced by Breitling. The brand continues to develop new iterations and honor the Navitimer’s rich history. In the past several years, we’ve seen re-editions of memorable models from the past.