BREITLING NAVITIMER 01 LIMITED EDITION

The history of this Breitling Navitimer 01

The Breitling Navitimer 01 is descended from a pilot’s chronograph launched in 1952, whose bezel features a circular slide rule capable of calculating average speed, distance travelled, fuel consumption and rate of climb, and to convert between miles and kilometres. Designated as the official watch by the AOPA, the world’s largest association of pilots and aircraft owners, it has remained the brand’s flagship model ever since. In its Cosmonaut version, with a 24-hour dial, it accompanied Scott Carpenter aboard Aurora 7 in 1962 and became the first wrist chronograph to travel into space. In 2009, Breitling unveiled its first chronograph movement designed and manufactured entirely in-house, the Calibre 01, initially reserved for the Chronomat. The Navitimer was fitted with this movement in 2010 in a limited edition of 2,000 steel models and 200 in red gold: the Navitimer 01, reference AB0123, featuring an enlarged case and a sapphire crystal caseback. This pre-owned watch is one of the steel models, numbered on the case middle.

Case, calibre and strap of this Navitimer 01

The 43 mm polished steel case features a bidirectional notched bezel that rotates the outer scale of the slide rule, beneath a domed sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating on both sides. The silver-coloured dial features applied baton hour markers with luminescent tips, luminescent baton hands and a red chronograph seconds hand with an arrow-shaped tip. Its three tone-on-tone blued sub-dials total 30 minutes at 3 o’clock and 12 hours at 6 o’clock; the small seconds sub-dial is positioned at 9 o’clock and the date is displayed between 4 o’clock and 5 o’clock. The sapphire crystal case back, engraved with the name of the series and its edition number, reveals the Breitling 01 calibre, an automatic chronograph certified as a chronometer by the COSC. It beats at 28,800 vibrations per hour on 47 jewels, featuring a column wheel, vertical clutch and a power reserve of over 70 hours. It is water-resistant to 3 bar. The watch is fitted with a matt brown quilted leather strap with ecru topstitching, fastened with a polished steel Breitling pin buckle.

Why this Breitling watch

This 2010 series marks the arrival of the in-house calibre in the collection, featuring a sapphire crystal case back – an unusual feature on a Navitimer. It retains the classic Navitimer layout, with silver sub-dials integrated into the dial and a red seconds hand, whilst the current silver version of the Navitimer B01 Chronograph 43 features black sub-dials. Discontinued and limited to 2,000 steel examples, it is no longer available in Breitling boutiques and can only be found on the second-hand market. For an instrument enthusiast, this is a certified chronograph with a manufacture movement, featuring a fully functional slide rule.

Contents and condition

The watch is supplied in its black leather Breitling travel case, along with its document pouch, chronometer certificate, limited edition card and the brand’s circular slide rule. The original warranty card is not included. The case, crystal and dial show slight signs of wear. The leather strap shows a little more wear and tear, with a darkened lining and creases around the buckle holes, though this does not affect its usability.

Warranty and delivery

The Swiss Collector guarantees the authenticity of this watch, which is covered by a 24-month warranty. We accept returns within 10 days in accordance with our terms and conditions. As Switzerland’s leading second-hand retailer, backed by the largest network of shops, we offer online booking for a fitting and collection in-store, or fully secure international delivery.