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.

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.

The de-facto pilot’s watch! 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.

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.

A flattened slide rule and a domed crystal create the illusion of a more compact profile. Alternating polished and brushed finishings 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 any time.

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.