Breitling honors the Concorde and the supersonic era with a Navitimer
For a long time, Breitling’s “Navitimer” was an essential navigation tool for pilots thanks to its slide rule bezel. Now, Breitling is paying tribute to the legendary Concorde with a new limited edition.
The Concorde was developed at the height of the jet age—a period of rapid innovation in aviation—and redefined the possibilities of flight. Traveling at twice the speed of sound, it cut transatlantic flight times in half and carried passengers high enough into the sky to see the curvature of the Earth.
The Concorde, nicknamed “the white bird” because of its distinctive shape, flew higher and faster than any other commercial aircraft before or since.
At an altitude of 18,000 meters, the approximately 100 passengers were treated to a rare view of the deep blue of the stratosphere. The supersonic aircraft was a symbol of an era when the world had big dreams.
The new “Navitimer Tribute to Concorde” pays homage to this idea. The result is a fusion of the watch, which hails from the golden age of civil aviation, and the aircraft that ushered in the era of scheduled air travel.
Georges Kern, CEO of Breitling, said: “A flight on the Concorde was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Today, flying is mostly about getting from A to B, but on the Concorde, a flight was still a true adventure. So it goes without saying that we are honoring the 50th anniversary of its maiden flight with our Navitimer.”
The “Navitimer” was developed in 1952 for the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) as the first wrist-mounted flight computer. Its patented circular slide rule allowed pilots to calculate important data while in flight. And although it was originally intended as a practical instrument watch for pilots, its influence extended far beyond aviation: it flew into space with astronaut Scott Carpenter as the first Swiss wristwatch and found its way onto the wrists of Formula 1 legends Graham Hill and Jim Clark, as well as musicians Serge Gainsbourg and Miles Davis—among many other superstars.
“Navitimer B01 Chronograph 43 Tribute to Concorde”
The “Navitimer B01 Chronograph 43 Tribute to Concorde” features a blue dial in the shade of the stratosphere as seen from the aircraft, paired with a matching alligator leather strap. The contrasting white sub-dials and the inner slide rule pay homage to the Concorde’s nickname, “White Bird.”
The edition is limited to 593 pieces, a number that references the Concorde’s Olympus 593 turbojet engines. The words “One of 593,” “Tribute to Concorde,” “Jetliner,” and “Mach 2”—the aircraft’s supersonic cruising speed—are engraved on the case back.
Housed in a 43-millimeter stainless steel case, the COSC-certified automatic Manufacture Caliber 01 ensures precision and a 70-hour power reserve. (MSRP €9,750)
