Breitling Watches: Style and Utility
Three Breitling watches worth checking out… Since 1884, the Breitling watch company has been known for creating some of the best-known luxury timepieces in the world.
It is no surprise that Breitling been a pioneer in the world of aviation, since they began by making chronographs for pilots and chronometers for airplanes. Early on, the Breitling Navitimer became the official watch of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. This was soon followed by the ‘Cosmonaute’ model, which was worn by astronaut Scott Carpenter in space.
In recent years, Breitling has continued to introduce even more technology into its timepieces. The ‘Emergency’ model is capable of transmitting an emergency aviation distress signal, and Breitling’s Colt SuperOcean and Chronomat models are both COSC-rated and waterproof up to 100 ATM. After reviewing several of Breitling’s men’s watches, three models stand out as top competitors among competitors: The Aerospace, the Navitimer, and the Chronomat B01. The Breitling Aerospace watch is a rugged, sporty and highly reliable timepiece, which has been recently modified with a more modern look.
The 2009 model, introduced at Baselworld, features a case and bezel made from 18-carat rose gold. The dial includes a luminescent ‘dot’ at the twelve o?clock spt, and an etched sixty minute scale around the bezel. The brown dial is accented with rose-gold hour markers at the 3, 6, 9 and 12 o-clock, and the hands are luminescent as well. New in this model are two digital screens, one displaying the function name, and one the function itself. Functions include an alarm, chronograph timer, minute repeater and an additional time-zone.
Marking their 125th anniversary, Breitling recently introduced a special series of their well known Navitimer watch. Since 1952, the Navitimer has been considered the official watch of the aviation industry, and is worn by pilots around the world. This self-winding chronograph model acts like a navigation computer, allowing pilots to calculate flight details accurately. The new Navitimer uses the Breitling ‘caliber 26’ movement, and features an elegant Air Racer bracelet.
The Breitling Chronomat B01 is known for its elongated profile in its case design, and is available in a variety of materials: steel, steel/gold and 18-carat rose gold. A truly refined timepiece, the Chronomat is extremely sturdy and masculine in its appearance, and its 500 meter water resistance makes it an excellent choice for the diver. What makes this watch particularly unique are the large, engraved Roman numerals around the bezel and raised steel markers at the quarter-hours. It also features a convex, scratch-proof sapphire crystal, which is glare-proof on both sides. Internally, the COSC certified Chronomat is equipped with Breitling’s exclusive B01-calibre movement, which vibrates at a 28,000 per hour. Its six functions include a ΒΌ second chronograph and a tachometer, making it unquestionably reliable and accurate. Bracelets are available in stainless steel, crocodile leather and luxurious Barenia leather.
Whichever Breitling model you choose, you can be certain that, like all other Breitlings, it will be a masterpiece of Swiss timekeeping technology.