The story
Breitling’s iconic pilot’s chronograph – fit for space travel. By the early 1960s, Breitling’s Navitimer, with its circular slide rule for performing in-flight calculations, had become the undisputed pilots’ watch. But in the era of the Space Race, another competition was quietly underway, this time between watchmakers vying to be the first on astronauts’ wrists. Breitling showed its chops in the air once again, officially becoming the first Swiss wrist-worn chronograph in space on May 24th, 1962, when Scott Carpenter blasted off in the Mercury-Atlas 7 spacecraft wearing the Navitimer Cosmonaute. The watch was his personal request, a variation on the iconic Navitimer with the addition of a 24-hour dial to distinguish day from night in the darkness of space. Mercury-Atlas 7 orbited the earth three times before it splashed down in the Atlantic, making aeronautic—and watchmaking—history. Our Cosmonaute re-issue, limited to 362 pieces, commemorates the 60th anniversary of that mission. This watch faithfully honors the aesthetics of the original, with subtle updates that work almost imperceptibly to provide its modern-retro appeal. What you can't overlook, however, are its luxe upgrades like the platinum bezel and open sapphire crystal caseback that gives a window on the Breitling manufacture B02 movement. Special engravings on the caliber bridges, such as Carpenter, Mercury 7, Three orbits around earth and a replica uniform badge from the rocket’s space capsule, mark the occasion. As a final tribute, the caseback is engraved with the mission date, the limitation to 362 pieces and the phrase First Swiss wristwatch in space.
