The story
Founded in 1884, Breitling is marking its anniversary with a new addition to its roster of pioneering achievements: the Caliber B19, the brand’s first perpetual calendar chronograph movement. The new caliber makes its debut in three limited-edition 140th-anniversary pieces representing Breitling’s icons: the Premier, Navitimer, and Chronomat. The Premier made its debut in 1943 as the watch that took the chronograph out of the cockpit and into society, making it a symbol—in the words of founder Willy Breitling—of “impeccable taste.” The Navitimer was the first watch for pilots to combine a chronograph with the brand’s proprietary wrist-worn circular slide rule. Originally developed in 1952 for the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), the Navitimer quickly found favor with a broader audience that included star athletes, musicians, and astronauts—in 1962 it even became the first Swiss wristwatch in space. The Chronomat first launched in 1983 as the official watch of Italy’s aerobatics team, the Frecce Tricolori. The popularity of its design led to a wider release a year later. The Chronomat was instrumental in restoring the popularity of mechanical chronographs during an era dominated by quartz watches. All three icons feature the manufacture B19 movement which sports a solid-gold rotor for the occasion, decorated with an engraving of Breitling’s historic Montbrillant Manufactory in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. Montbrillant was more than a factory: Its west wing was a home that housed three generations of the Breitling family while serving as the company’s manufacture for more than 80 years. Each anniversary edition is limited to 140 pieces and presented with a sumptuous suede-lined wooden collection box that can be configured to display up to three timepieces.
